Abstract

Based on Sacvan Bercovitch’s theory of the Puritan jeremiads and the American myth, the essay analyzes the deconstruction of American myth in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot. On the one hand, Eliot is influenced by the admonishing style of the Puritan jeremiad. Like a prophet howling in the wilderness, Eliot denounces the moral corruption of the New England city Boston and the spiritual paralysis of its inhabitants. On the other hand, by an ironic portrait of Prufrock, the modern incarnation of John the baptist, Eliot deconstructs the American myth by ironically representing the Puritan errand into the wilderness. Eliot trys to escape from the influence of the American myth which dominates his imagination. He indulges himself in an aesthetical world of sensual pleasure and turns his back on family obligation.

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