Stream-of-consciousness writing usually
involves the narrator speaking of whatever comes into their head, without any predictable or
planned structure or topic. It is as if you set your thoughts into a stream, and allow the
currents to take you wherever they may go. It is an interesting form of writing because it can
reveal quite about about a person's character; where their mind rambles in their journey reveals
how their thoughts work, what they worry about most, and can expose vulnerabilities and
interesting revelations that would be kept under check in more structured, planned
writing.
In "," Eliot uses stream-of-consciousness writing to
reveal the character traits of the narrator, Prufrock. The central thought that his character,
Prufrock, is pondering is whether or not to ask a loved one an important question, presumably a
marriage proposal or some other feelings-related question. However, as he ponders if, when and
how to do this, his mind rambles along a lot of other pathways, which reveal important character
traits. As he speaks of parties, he reveals his distaste for their futility; as he speaks of
women, he reveals his intimidation of them; as he speaks of great men and literature, he reveals
his disconnect with their heroes; as he speaks of himself, he reveals his incredible insecurity
and longing for meaning in life. Every time his mind wanders off on its stream of thought,
however, it always loops back to the stressful issue at hand--his desire to communicate
something important to his loved one.
"The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock" is a great example of stream-of-consciousness writing and how it can be used to
reveal character in a creative way. I hope that those thoughts helped; good
luck!
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