The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
a. what do mermaids suggest about prufrocks state of mind? b. what is the function of the final line of the poem?
the love song of j. alfred prufrock
the love song of j. alfred prufrock
By the end of the poem, Prufrock feels ostracized from the society of women, the "mermaids singing, each to each. / I do not think that they will sing to me" (124-125).He feels women are beautiful creatures and he, a mere mortal oaf of a man. Here we see Prufrock’s continued idolatry of women and his paralysis in comprehending that they are not mermaids but gifted and flawed individuals just like himself.