Cold Feet and Cheating

1. After reading “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” more than once, as well as both critical responses, I am more inclined to agree with Brown’s interpretation. Her analysis deals mainly with the ambiguity expressed in the poem. There is no concrete direction in Prufrock’s song, and in fact there are several instances of contradiction where his musings are filled with uncertainty and doubt. Prufrock repeatedly asks himself ‘How should I presume?’ (61) and ‘How should I begin?’ (70), indicating that he is having trouble making a concrete decision and acting upon it. Brown also mentions the use of hyperbole as a function of the language of romantic love. This hyperbole highlights both Prufrock’s desire and his fear, again reinforcing the ambiguous undertones present in the piece. These divergent responses to the romantic love that Prufrock agonizes over are indicative of the emotion itself. Romantic love is both fleeting and steadfast and Brown uses this concept to make a strong case for the basis of Prufrock’s meditations. I very much agree with this interpretation because I think Prufrock is unsure of what he really wants and what he can actually handle in terms of a relationship. Brown clarifies the meaning of some of the more colloquial lines in the poem and opens up another level of interpretation based on the same general understanding of the ‘Love Song’.


5. The affairs themselves do not have as much to do with the story as the emotions of the characters. The only married person who is not either directly involved or inferred to be involved in an affair is Bobinôt, Calixta’s husband. Calixta sleeps with Alcée, and Clarisse, Alcée’s wife enjoys the “pleasant liberty of her maiden days” (658) while she is on holiday with her children. While that may not be direct indication of an affair, it is a clear indication that she is enjoying some time away from her husband. Affairs are not always about sex. While that may be a big part of it, Chopin wants the reader to realize that there is more involved than the simple act. Many times affairs are about release, they are used as a means of injecting some excitement and passion into an otherwise listless and enclosed life. There is a distinct difference between cheating, which is more purely sexual in nature, and an affair, which is more involved and emotionally based than the straightforward act of cheating. Calixta and Alcée clearly knew each other in a fairly intimate capacity before they were married, and are both very happy in their current married lives. That does not mean, however, that their married life is their only life. Both men and women have many differing roles; wife, mother, husband, provider, father, teacher, and much less often, passionate human being. Chopin wants to show her audience that passion is just as important, if not more so, than any of those other roles. Both of the characters implicitly involved in the affair are very attentive to their families, and genuinely so. Calixta is very much concerned for the health and well being of her husband and child after the storm, and Alcée exhibits feelings of “tender solitude” (658) towards his wife after having slept with another woman. If anything, this affair reinvigorated the relationships that the participants have with their respective families. There are many dimensions to this story and there are many reasons for people to have and conceal affairs. Chopin gives the reader a blank slate on which to work out their feelings about the issue and possibly learn something about how they hold themselves captive under societal mores.