The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot, to me, reflects upon a love that was either lost or a love that never began. In the first few lines Eliot states, “Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table…”These lines describe leaving something painful or even toxic. I think this due to the fact that Eliot is saying time is still in this time. This is obviously hard for him because of how much this other person meant to him.
I chose these first few lines specifically because I just recently went through a similar situation. I decided to take action and remove a few toxic people from my life. I decided my time was too precious to spend it worrying about what other people thought of me. I may have been sad that I got rid of the comfortable version of my life that I thought I loved so much. As of now I realize that even though this short period of grief lasted a lifetime because of how difficult initially it was to let go of a life I was used to. However, I had to leave for my own sanity and to improve my own mental health. I tend to try to help everyone around me, not knowing when someone is taking advantage of my kindness. This loops back to Eliot’s line when he says that they should part ways. The line following that is saying that the evening is spread out to a time that seems like forever. When Eliot says “Let us go then” I feel like he is beyond done with the situation despite loving this person for an unrealistic amount of time. I can also relate to this because in a sense I loved someone who did not love me, but loved what I did for them.
Kelsey's English Education Blog 