of, characterized by his emphatic "No!" He is also second-guessing himself constantly throughout the poem: "Do I dare?"(38), "So how should I presume?"(54) and "Then how should I begin"(59) are all questions Prufrock repeats to himself during his monologue. His feelings of inadequacy toward women are not only related to his appearance and lack of mental strength, but to the passage of time and its effect on him. Throughout the poem, Prufrock struggles with the concept of time. He tries to keep reassuring himself that "indeed there will be time"(23), an allusion to a love story (Andrew Marvell - To His Coy Mistress - "Had we but world enough and time.") which suggests that Prufrock fears that he will in fact not have time for love before the prime of his life is over. His obsession with the passage of time is characterized by its repetition throughout the poem, especially the beginning of the poem. Eliot uses time as a tool to shape Prufrock's complicated, disturbed psyche into the form of a mid-life crisis. Prufrock keeps assuring himself that, "indeed, there will be time" to do all of the things he wants to do in his life, but first he must come to terms with his insecurities. However, his insecurities are related to his aging and the passage of time, so he is truly a tragic, doomed character. This is not to say, however, that Prufrock is unaware of the connection between time, his aging, and his unsuccessful attempt at a social life... on the contrary, he claims that he's "measured out his life with coffee spoons,"(51) a true testament to the self-proclaimed insignificance of his life. Prufrock claims that "I have known them all already, known them all-"(49) referring to the "evenings, mornings, and afternoons"(50) of his life which he has seen pass by, insignificantly. He also says "And I have known the eyes already, known them all-"(55) and "I have known the arms already, known them all-"(61) which illustrate both his failure with ...
