ce, made a sudden leap, And seeing that it was a soft October night, Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.”describes the evening when this gathering would take place. This night gives Prufrock the idea that he is now able to talk to women; however he is never able to make her understand his true feelings. In his conversations, Purfrock can never push pass polite conversation for the fear of rejection. He also feels he has plenty of time because in line 23 he states “And indeed there will be time” meaning he doesn’t have to jump with both feet in, it will happen eventually. Prufrock knew all of these people well, and he struggled with the thought that if he did advance past polite conversation that he would disrupt his circle of friends. This can be seen in lines 44 and 45, when he states, “Do I dare/Disturb the universe.” This internal conflict continues into line 70, where he starts to prepare a love speech for a particular woman and then basically says he should have been born a crab instead of a human who has to ask for love instead of taking it. The verse states “Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.If he were a crab he would never have to speak of his desires and living a solitude life would be normal. The irony of this poem is that Prufrock demonstrates that he is capable to speak in a poetic style as shown in lines 75-78, “And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully! Smoothed by long fingers, Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers, Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.”This clearly shows he is capable of speaking about love and there is no reason why he should be shy or hesitant t...
