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Isolation in Modernism and Postmodernism
Modernism is a literary movement that occurred in the early to mid-twentieth century as a
response to realism and the tragedy, death and destruction brought by World War One. Common
themes that modernism covers are alienation, experimentation, symbolism and societal changes.
(Baggett, 2014). Postmodernism is a reaction to modernism World War II, the Cold War and the
rise of the personal computer. Common themes explored by postmodernism are questioning
reality, diversity, and fragmentation. (Baggett 2014). “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock”
exemplifies a modernist work through exploring alienation and isolation and using a fragmented
storyline. “There Will Come Soft Rains” exemplifies postmodernism by exploring the issues of
technology and nature and the danger of the rise of technology. The modern world often fosters
feelings of isolation and disconnection. Seeing as modernism and postmodernism are reactions to
major historical events and deep levels of understanding the ways of the world and the self,
isolation is a common theme across these literary movements. Modernists and Postmodernists
display many common themes in different ways due to the change toward embracing chaos and
fragmentation. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and There Will Come Soft Rains explore
isolation in different lenses, Eliot presents a fragmented inner life plagued by self-doubt and
Bradbury presents a starkly isolated home because of the dangers of rising political tensions.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock follows the story of Prufrock as he navigates his
personal life. Prufrock is a lonely man and struggles with self confidence and trying to reach out
to women and others to fix his isolation. “In the room women come and go talking of
Michelangelo” (Eliot, 1911). The quote shows that Prufrock is in social situations but does not
engage in the conversation because he does not see himself as an individual that discusses art. It
shows Prufrock isolates himself and is insecure about himself. “[They will say: “How his hair is
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growing thin”] My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and
modest, but asserted by a simple pin--[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]”
(Eliot, 1911). Again, Prufrock shows that he has little confidence in himself and is preoccupied
with how he is seen by others. The quote illustrates that Prufrock isolates himself from society
because he is worried about what will happen if he puts himself out in the social world. Eliot
(1911) presents the work as a first-person poem with rich imagery and a fragmented storyline
which make the work distinctly modernist.
In extreme contrast Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” displays a futuristic
house that is obviously isolated because the human inhabitants are dead because of a heavily
implied nuclear attack. “The morning house lay empty. The clock ticked on, repeating and
repeating its sounds into the emptiness. Sevennine, breakfast time, seven-nine!” (Bradbury,
1950). The quote is from the beginning of the work and explicitly states that the house is empty
and completely alone. The work shows that the house is left alone by the former occupants and
goes further. “This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive
glow which could be seen for miles.” The quote shows that the house is not only left alone by its’
owners but is the only house left standing in a city that is destroyed. The whole work points out
that this house is completely, starkly and obviously isolated from all civilization. Bradbury used
personification in making the house into a character that the reader feels is almost human. The
personification of the house helps the reader to understand the isolation of the house and creates
a sense of wonder as to who connected with the house in the past. Bradbury (1950) focuses on
the stark reality that rising technology and automation cannot possibly protect humans from their
own self-destructive tendencies.
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The main differences between the two works depiction of isolation is due to the style and
issues that modernism and postmodernism sought to address. Prufrock faces isolation because of
internal struggles and isolating himself where the House faces isolation due to an implied
apocalyptic event. Prufrock’s isolation is internal and personal whereas the house’s isolation is
external and societal. Prufrock also describes an introspective struggle with his isolation and how
he feels hopeless to fix it. Bradbury (1950) wrote “There Will Come Soft Rains” from a detached
omniscient third person perspective further contributing to the sense of isolation that the house is
dealing with. Eliot (1911) wrote “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” in the mid-twentieth
century where bustling urban environments brought on new social challenges and social
anxieties. In a time when people were struggling to find places to fit in and adjust to new
booming cities Eliot (1911) brought in Prufrock who took these social anxieties to the extremes.
On the other hand, Bradbury (1950) wrote “There Will Come Soft Rains” shortly after the first
use of an atomic bomb, rising tensions with the Cold War, talk of nuclear warfare and rapidly
improving technology. The house exemplifies the futuristic concept homes where everything is
automated, and technology is at the core of the house. The house is also completely destroyed by
the very thing that makes it personable; rising technology. Both authors exemplify the concerns
and struggles of the time frame in which they wrote the works which are only separated by 40
years but have massively different reasons for anxiety about isolation; the self and the society.
Another major difference in the works comes from their literary style. “The Love Song of J.
Alfred Prufrock” is written in the first-person, is a poem, and has a fragmented story line. In
contrast, “There Will Come Soft Rains” is written with a detached, omniscient third-person
narrator, and follows a chronological story line. The differences in literary style are due to the
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modern and postmodern literary movements and these differences fit key characteristics of each
literary style.
Overall, both “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and “There Will Come Soft Rains”
portray isolation; one with a character that causes himself to be isolated due to social anxiety and
the other with a character that is isolated due to the destruction of mankind. Isolation continues
to be a major issue in the world with the rise of social media, one could say that humans are the
most connected that they have ever been in history. However, isolation is an issue that causes
humans much grief and anxiety daily. Whether isolation is self-imposed like Prufrock or imposed
by something environmental like the house, it can be detrimental to humans and their mental
health. Therefore, isolation continues to be a major theme in literature and is explored regularly
by authors and artists. It is important to share ideas about isolation to further share perspectives
on the human condition. Literary works can also serve as a stark reminder to make changes in
one’s personal life. As Proverbs 18:1 (English Standard Version) says “Whoever isolates himself
pursues his own selfish desires; he rejects all practical wisdom”. The Bible even focuses on
isolation and its’ detrimental effects on humans. No person should be subjected to isolation as it
can affect their physical and mental health for the long term. Eliot (1911) and Bradbury (1950)
remind their readers that isolation is a common thing that is felt by everything on earth due to
circumstances under personal control and things that cannot be controlled.
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References
Bradbury, R. (1950). There Will Come Soft Rains. Caedmon Cdl 6.
Eliot, T.S. (1915) The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Poetry: A Magazine of Verse”.
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GCCO&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE%7CHVNLM
531709722&v=2.1&it=r&sid=mindtap
embedView&asid=afa3cfb4&sPage=14052083
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Numan M. Saeed F. Anwar M. J. & Ansar M. (2023) Technological Dystopia: A Critical
Analysis Of Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains. Journal of Namibian Studies,
34 S1. https://namibian-studies.com/index.php/JNS/article/view/4962/3680
Tushar (2023) The Role of Isolation in T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land and Prufrock. International
Peer Reviewed/Refereed Multidisciplinary Journal. 12(1). www.eduzone.com
