Why does Prufrock want to be a crab?

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Prufrock compares himself to a crab to indicate his low self-opinion, his desire for solitude, or his inability to progress in his own life.

Why doesn’t Prufrock compare himself to a complete crab?

By comparing himself to a crab, Prufrock is subsequently implying that he, too, is a bottom-dweller of sorts. Crabs live on the ocean floor, feeding on whatever happens to drift down to them. Just as a crab consumes food, Prufrock consumes every glance and every degrading comment that may come his way.

What is Prufrock afraid of?

Thinning and Baldness Prufrock’s anxiety about his own baldness, and also about the feebleness of his body, can be related to his obsessive fear regarding aging and death. Through this passage, Eliot again displays Prufrock’s self-consciousness and fear as he nears the end of his life.

What is Prufrock’s relationship with love?

Prufrock is not just some stalker. He truly believes his beloved has sent him signals that she likes him, but he is worried that he might be misinterpreting her signals. Prufrock can only experience love through other people, at second- and third-hand.

Is Prufrock a pessimist?

Prufrock is pessimistic and this pessimistic point of view is the representation of Modernistic idea that Eliot shows.

Why does Prufrock compare himself to John the Baptist?

In the poem, this is shown when Prufrock compares himself to John the Baptist: “… Evidentially, Prufrock’s piety is his greatest strength to keep himself emotionally strong from society and is also his greatest weakness because society would ridicule him.

Why does Prufrock compare himself to Hamlet?

Prufrock compares himself to Hamlet, and then dismisses his importance (“No! I am not Prince Hamlet”) and returns to his usual self-deprecation, announcing that he is not an important person. Similar to Prince Hamlet, Prufrock’s greatest flaw is his failure to act and his death at the end of the work.

Why does Prufrock feel the need to confess?

Rather, focusing on similar issues to the post-World War II existentialists, he confesses to the crime of living a life without passion and without risk. Prufrock clearly considers his crimes to be such that he is the scum of the earth, one of Dante’s damned souls confessing from the depths of hell.

Why is Prufrock insecure?

Alfred Prufrock is afraid of being socially shunned by the women because of his aging and lack of ability to communicate efficiently. Eliot states, “Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair- (They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!)”(667), showing Purfrock’s insecurities.

Why is Prufrock obsessed with time?

Alfred Prufrock” obsesses over the concept of time, describing many time-related scenarios; his fascination with time and time imagery, combined with his own progression throughout the poem, ultimately serves to demonstrate the futility in over-analyzing one’s actions when time naturally circulates back and forth.

Who is the you in Prufrock?

The “you” in this poem is ambiguous. It could be another person Prufrock is speaking to with whom he is going to the party. He could be talking to himself. He could even be inviting the reader to accompany him on his journey.

Which Shakespeare character is Prufrock?

The character in Hamlet who best fits the description Prufrock gives of himself in T. S. Eliot’s poem is Polonius.