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 "The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock," 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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