This paper examines the intricate layers of anxiety and desire within T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” with a specific emphasis on the concept of the abject and the desire of a subject. In the poem, Prufrock yearns to fulfill his heterosexual desire yet perpetually defers it. This internal conflict, his inability to embrace desire itself, is deeply rooted in the perceived sordidity of the female body, the ever-present abject that lurks beneath the surface. The sexual tension hindering Prufrock’s heterosexual desires intersects with Eliot’s own sexuality, which contributed to a decline in his reputation in the late 20th century, branding him with the same stigma as other misogynists and fascists. This paper aims to avoid a reckless and biased reading that portrays Eliot as a malevolent figure. Instead, it argues that he was a poet with deep sexual anxieties. Furthermore, Prufrock’s feelings of alienation and insecurity in his interactions with women can be seen as reflecting the broader anxieties of modernism. These feelings mirror Eliot’s own poetic and personal anxieties, which arose from the significant pressure of producing new poetry. This multidimensional exploration seeks to offer a deeper understanding of both the poem itself and the poet behind it.
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