> "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
> I know the voices dying with a dying fall
> Beneath the music from a farther room.
> So how should I presume?
> And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
> The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
> And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
> When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
> Then how should I begin
> To spit out all the bundled up inside me that begins with I
> That is not dead, and will not die
> And does not know how to speak to me of me
> Or know my name?
The cat imagery comes from the phrase "The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase". This is a metaphor for the way that society observes and judges individuals. Just like a cat fixates on its prey, the "eyes" of society, represented here by the people in Prufrock's social circles, analyze and categorize him. The image of being "pinned and wriggling on the wall" further emphasizes this feeling of being trapped and scrutinized.
Here's how the cat imagery contributes to the poem's meaning:
* Fear of judgement: Prufrock's fear of social scrutiny is made concrete through the image of the watchful cat's gaze. He feels unable to be himself, constantly worried about how others perceive him.
* Paralysis and inaction: The cat's stillness and calculating gaze mirrors Prufrock's own inertia. He is paralyzed by fear, unable to take action or express his true feelings.
* Isolation: The cat is often a symbol of independence and aloofness. This reinforces Prufrock's sense of isolation and alienation from the world around him.
While the cat imagery is not explicit, it serves as a potent symbol that adds layers of meaning to Prufrock's struggle with self-doubt and social anxiety.