This essay examines how T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" reflect shared cultural attitudes toward modern life, including alienation, self-doubt, and the individual's sense of worthlessness within society. Through close readings of both works, the paper traces how each protagonist — Prufrock and Gregor Samsa — experiences isolation and disregard from the world around them. The essay argues that both authors use their fictional characters as vehicles for critiquing the dehumanizing and indifferent nature of modern society, suggesting that revealing one's true self invites rejection, humiliation, or erasure.
Literature can often serve as an indicator of the mindset of ordinary people during the time period in which it was published. Through their individual works — Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" — both authors make their attitude toward modern life very apparent. These are attitudes of loneliness, unwanted change, and even despair. Through the eyes of their protagonists, both Eliot and Kafka illustrate their vision of the cycle that life goes through: a cycle in which the individual is ultimately diminished by the world around him.
From the very beginning, Eliot illustrates a vision of modern life that is less than desirable. His description of the streets is unpleasant. His mention of having to travel "through certain half-deserted streets" and "restless nights in one-night cheap hotels / and sawdust restaurants with oyster shells" (Eliot) paints a negative picture for the reader from the very start. Toward the end of the poem, he refers again to the deserted streets and "the smoke that rises from the pipes of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows" (Eliot). He makes no mention of where he is traveling or for what purpose; he is less than discreet in demonstrating his displeasure at having to venture out into society at all.
One of the most notable aspects of Eliot's attitude toward modern society is the way he envisions his encounter with the women in the poem. "In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo," he says. The women will be discussing Michelangelo and other cultured topics over "toast and tea" — matters of refinement and sophistication. Eliot seems almost intimidated by the women in his story. He envisions them chatting with one another about the Renaissance rather than about their actual lives. Prufrock even repeats these lines, perhaps for effect, to drive home the idle and superficial nature of the conversation the women share.
Shortly thereafter, Prufrock wonders whether he dares approach them and strike up a conversation, and imagines whether he would have time to slip up the stairs unnoticed. "With a bald spot in the middle of my hair — [They will say: How his hair is growing thin!]," he imagines. Feeling self-conscious about the thinning hair at the top of his head, the narrator pictures the women noticing this imperfection. He then begins to imagine them criticizing the size of his arms and legs, remarking on how thin they are.
"Do I dare / Disturb the universe?" he asks. In a manner that is both playful and resigned, Eliot suggests through Prufrock's voice that even speaking to one of those women would cause a kind of cosmic disruption. While there is no evidence in the poem that suggests the narrator is unworthy of attention, it is clear that his insecurity and self-consciousness cripple him to the point where he cannot even consider the possibility (Bloom).
There are other instances in which Prufrock speaks negatively of himself, revealing little confidence in his own abilities. "I am not Prince Hamlet," he says. He calls himself "an attendant lord" and "The Fool," assuring the reader that he has very little self-confidence. It is worth noting, however, that Prufrock is not without effort. He does make some attempt at self-presentation, with his tie "asserted by a simple pin" (Eliot; Bloom).
Both Eliot and Kafka use their works to communicate a feeling of alienation and disregard for the individual man in modern society. Both authors speak through their protagonists to convey the idea that as men grow older, they are disregarded. In Kafka's case, Gregor Samsa turns into a giant cockroach and is first alienated, then simply disregarded, by his family. It is never made clear whether Gregor's insect identity is symbolic or imagined, but the message Kafka sends about Gregor's life is unmistakable. Gregor turns into a cockroach and continues to live his life from there. No explanation comes to light, and the matter is never resolved. There is no doubt that The Metamorphosis is a "deeply grotesque" work (Dodd). The depiction of the man-turned-insect and his descent into oblivion is deeply unpleasant, much like the description of the narrow, deserted streets in Eliot's poem. In both cases, only negative details are offered.
In the case of Eliot's work, Prufrock is unable to find confidence in himself and seems resigned to letting life do what it will with him. As the narrator describes his bald spot as noticeable enough that the women would remark upon it, he asks again and again, "How shall I presume?"
In both "The Love Song" and The Metamorphosis, the narrators view themselves as less than worthy or capable. When Gregor is transformed into a bug, his family is disgusted and works to keep him locked away and out of sight. His sister Grete even exclaims, "We must try to get rid of it" (Kafka). When he finally dies, Gregor's family does not mourn him. Instead, they immediately begin making plans for their daughter's future.
"Gregor isolated and abandoned by his own family"
"Kafka's view that authenticity invites punishment"
Eliot, T.S. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. 1917. Print.
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. 1915. Print.
Snook, J. "The Metamorphosis." Magill's Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition, 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2010.
You’re 59% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.