Question

Ead the excerpt from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
[They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
[They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”]
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

In this stanza, Prufrock repeats “Do I dare?” three times. What does the repetition indicate about his state of mind?
He is indecisive.

Answer 1

The repetition of the phrase " Do I dare?" , shows the hesitant characteristics of the writer and implies that his state of mind is rather deviated form what would be thought a customary form of mind. His indecisiveness opens doors about his present state of mind, given the fact that humans, in a normal state of mind are supposed to be able to make proper and sound decisions when faced with a problem. Him repeating such interrogative sentences infers that he is questioning his actions a lot, therefore is very unsure about what to do and what not to do.