More like "The LOSER song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

In short, this poem is about a man who has failed at love, has a chance to redeem himself, but doesn't know if he can, or should, even do it.

In not short...

J. Alfred Prufrock an intellectual, indecisive man, takes us with him through a typicall city. He describes the streets and hints at a social gathering of women, trying to sound smart, talking about Renaissance artist Michelangelo. He describes yellow smoke and fog outside the house of the party, and keeps promising that there will be more than enough time to do many things in the social world.

One thing that I find to stand out about this is the time he says he has. He is balding? He must be middle-aged, he's intellectual so he's had some experiences. He really doesn't have that much time left, and at this point in life, it is usually ideal to be married, working on your own family and holding a steady job. He doesn't fit this, so what happened in his life that causes him to end up like this? Alone and afraid.

Another thing I don't agree with is the women at the party. They are talking about Michelangelo because Michelangelo Buonarroti is remembered, so he must have done something important right? These women are just trying to sound smart so that they attract the smart men. Keep in mind the age these people are; they are middle-aged, they know how to 'work it'.

Next, Prufrock stresses heavily over his social actions, worrying over how others will see him. He thinks about women's arms and perfume, but does not know how to act. He walks through the streets and watches lonely men leaning out their windows. The day passes at a social engagement but he cannot muster the strength to act, and he admits that he is afraid.

The descending stairs - is occasion for magnified insecurity and the fear that he will "Disturb the universe" (46) by not following the stairs of life/time. He continues asking himself questions about how to conduct himself, but admits that he will reverse these decisions soon. His inactions are constantly tied to the social world: "Should I, after tea and cakes and ices, / Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?" (79-80) The rhyme here spotlights the absurdity of his concerns.

...am i rambling...

And den, Prufrock wonders if it would be worth going to the party, trying to ease out of his deep depression, and then end up finding his love and, get rejected. He thinks of himself not of a Hamlet figure, but a secondary character in life. Worried over growing old, he remembers the fashions of youth. By the beach, he sees images of mermaids singing and swimming.

This is the final section of the poem. The emotions T.S. Eliot is evoking grows more vague; what exactly does Prufrock feel here? Perhaps he is unsure: "It is impossible to say just what I mean! / But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen" (104-105). The fact that he has trouble presenting his true feelings results in this crazy, kaleidoscopic scene of teacups and mermaids.

Aside from desperation and loneliness, confusion is one of the main emotions provoked throughout.