Question

Read the following excerpt from T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred

Prufrock":
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
What is one purpose of the symbolism used in this passage?

Answer 1

The symbolism in the passage serves to convey themes of alienation, monotony, and decay.

Step-by-step explanation:

The purpose of the symbolism used in this passage is to convey the themes of alienation, monotony, and decay. The evening spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table represents a sense of lifelessness and apathy. The half-deserted streets, muttering retreats, and tedious argument symbolize the empty and monotonous existence of the modern world. These symbols help to create a mood of disillusionment and the overall theme of the poem.

Learn more about Symbolism in T.S. Eliot's poem