grow old I grow old" Here lies the turning point of his worldview. Prufrock once had "Time to turn back and descend the stair," but now time is running out. Throughout the poem, Prufrock's concept of time changes. Initially, he takes time for granted: There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet; There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands That lift and drop a question on your plate; Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea. There are two significant incidents in the poem that cause Prufrock to alter his view on time. The first is when he asks the question "Do I dare / Disturb the universe?" Immediately after posing this question "there is time [only] For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse", implying that he realizes his time is limited. Second, he comes to the understanding that he plays the part of the Fool, which arouses the realization that he is almost out of time. This awareness leads him to the "Overwhelming question": What happens after time runs out? Fingers entwining about his very soul, Prufrock's neurosis leads him again and again to peer into the face of death. He has "seen the eternal Footman hold [his] coat, and snicker." In short, he was afraid. "The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase" are the eyes of God calling him to account for his life; "Then how should I begin / To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?" The mental image of being "pinned and wriggling on the wall" suggests that Prufrock is terrified of the time when he will be held accountable. (Although at the earliest reading these lines may not appear to have any profound meaning, in light of the overall context of ...
