I THINK I cited it right, but I don't know. o.O

Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
12•01•09
Critique
Critique of Mr. Collins
Mr. Collins has an admiration for Lady Catherin de Bourgh, or rather, for her high social standing. She is his main topic of conversation, not because he has any fondness for her character, but because she is rich, and he aspires to be like her by getting as close to her as possible. Because of his reasonless exuberance in her social standing, he is all the more ridiculous to the reader, and a clearer criticism of the class system. He represents those members of the lower class who have high respect for those of the higher class, and all those who dream of taking part in their lifestyles.
Collins embodies the lower class’ respect for the higher class. He has no reason for each time he rejoices when Lady Catherine “condescends” to give him advice. She tells him to do things, such as put shelves in the closet. He complies like an excited puppy, and the closet is immediately stacked with impractical shelves. Because of this scene, an eye roll is forced from the readers as they understand that Collins is like a puppet who moves without being forced, but by suggestion, and through his own will. In other words, he is an idiot.
Through Mr. Collins Austen is calling everyone who looks up at the rich with awe as stupid. She uses Mr. Collins to portray those people, and with each word that comes out of his mouth, or off of the paper from the letters he writes, we laugh at him more and more. He speaks of Mr. Darcy as though they were close friends, mortifying Lizzy and telling the reader that Mr. Collins believes he is in with the rich crowd because of his loose connections with Darcy’s aunt, connections which he believes are much tighter than they actually are.
Collins almost believes that he is rich in a sense, like the chihuahua puppy dog who believes he is big and brave because his shadow is as big as a Saint Bernard. He is small in society’s eyes, and yet he feels one hundred percent comfortable. Collins thinks that the fact that he lives next to Rosings and dines there occasionally makes him higher in social class. Collins knew almost nothing of Darcy, and yet he went on to say how amazing he was, and how he would make a perfect husband, simply because of his social standing.
Mr. Collins’ social standing, compared to what he believes, makes him ridiculous, and he is a criticism of the classism of that time period. He is a stupid man who believes to be much better than he is, and he is not. Collins has big hopes, hopes that can never be met as a small town preacher.


















Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. United States: Oxford University, 1990