s are thin!')"(44). Prufrock is insecure and frightened of peoples' reactions to his balding head and slim, aging body. Unfortunately, his lack of confidence isn't limited to his looks. Prufrock has difficulty communicating with people - not surprising considering his extreme lack of confidence in his appearance. He's indecisive and unsuccessful in his attempts to communicate with other people, repeating "visions and revisions"(33) and "decisions and revisions..."(48). Eliot uses repetition here to emphasize the concept of Prufrock's alterations in behavior - whether he does change his behavior or not is another issue... most likely he doesn't because he also repeats the question "‘Do I dare?' and, ‘Do I dare?'"(38). Possibly, he's asking if he should dare "and drop a question on your plate;"(30) meaning one of his "dares" could be something that he'd like to ask a woman but can't; he also asks "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?"(45-46). In this case Eliot uses hyperbole to give the reader the impression of the seriousness of Prufrock's insecurities - they are his whole "universe." However, this is only one explanation where there are a number of possibilities. Once again, Eliot uses the device of ambiguity to reflect the internal struggle in Prufrock and lead the reader to ask themselves again "What is the ‘overwhelming question' that Prufrock is asking?" Unfortunately even Prufrock himself doesn't have the answer... even recognizing the issue itself is beyond the simplicity of his mind, which he confesses by saying "I am no prophet- and here's no great matter;"(84). By downplaying the importance of the issue, Prufrock echoes his lack of self-worth. In fact, to Prufrock, the issue is extremely important - the fate of his life depends on it. His declaration that he isn't a prophet indicates Prufrock's view on his position in society, which he is as confused about as everything else. To interject a little history: Eliot ...
