Prufrock Symbolism

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In T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", Prufrock is a man who has low self-esteem and lives a lonely life. Prufrock is a man who is aging, his confidence is minimal along with his hair. He is an outsider looking for love but feels his appearance will get in the way. His thoughts consume him, which lead him to continue out his days as a lonely man. Therefore, Prufrock's insecurities can be connected with the following three symbols: the yellow fog, Hamlet, and the mermaids.
The yellow fog is compared to a cat that symbolizes how antisocial Prufrock is. Yellow means coward and a cat is an independent animal that enjoys living in solitude. Like a cat, Prufrock gazes through the window instead of participating in a social interaction with the women because he would rather go to sleep instead of expressing his feelings. His fear of rejection is the reason for how isolated he is. He'd rather be alone and act as a coward than take a chance by telling a woman that he loves her. Meanwhile the fog will have time, Prufrock is realizing that he is starting to run out. His age is affecting his confidence and is likely to leave him lonely for …show more content…
He consistently thinks about the what-ifs and never follows through with his initial plan. Prufrock says "In a minute there is time/ for decisions and revisions" because he rather stand on the stairs and revise the decisions he has made about his outfit then descend the stairs and potentially be judged for those decisions that he could have revised. He wastes time thinking about the reaction he may cause, which is why he is so isolated from society. Prufrock wonders if it would be worth forgetting his insecurities and risk being rejected. Hamlet also pondered on the outcome of events rather than taking action because it was the easy way out. Prufrock and Hamlet both thought too hard about their actions, which ultimately ended

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