Character of Mr Cllins in Pride and Prejudice

Name: Gary Dillon
Professor:
English 102
Date: April 24, 2013

Mr. Collins is a character in the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He is the cousin of Mr. Bennet and is the clergyman at the Hunsford parsonage near Rosing’s Park, the estate of his patroness Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Because Mr. Bennet has no sons, Mr. Collins is the heir to the Bennet estate, Longbourn. Mr. Collins is twenty five years old and is described simply as being tall and heavy. An insensible man, he was raised by “an illiterate and miserly father” (47). The way in which his father raised him, “had given him originally great humility of manner” (47). However, this was replaced by arrogance and vanity, caused by “early and expected prosperity” (47). He is arrogant and vain with an air of superiority.
Mr. Collins worships Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter Anne, and is always singing their praise. His vanity is due to the fact that he has found favor with Lady de Bourgh and by his position as a rector. He is described as being “a mixture of pride, obsequiousness, self-importance and humility” (47). He always acts with blunder and exaggerated humility, which gives the story some comedy. Mr. Collins leaves the reader feeling quite superior to him as his behavior is quite stupid and idiotic. In an analysis, Deidre Le Faye wrote, “What does make Mr. Collins a figure of fun and rightful mockery is his lack of sense, of taste, and of generosity of spirit contrasted to his own supreme unawares of his shortcomings in these respects”.
Mr. Collins was not liked by the Bennet household even before they received his letter that informed them of his impending visit. His letter spoke of the fact that he wanted to make amends for past disagreement between Mr. Bennet and his father. The reading of Mr. Collins letter also gave the Bennets some insight into his character. “Elizabeth was chiefly struck with his extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine, and his kind intention of christening ,marrying, and burying his parishioners whenever it were required” (43). From his letter Elizabeth, summed up his character by saying, He must be an oddity, I think,’ I cannot make him out.- There is something very pompous in his stile.- And what can he mean by apologizing for being next in the entail?- We cannot suppose he would help it, if he could.- Can he be a sensible man, sir?’(43)
To which Mr. Bennet responded by saying, ‘No, my dear; I think not. I have great hopes of finding him quite the reverse. There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter, which promises well, I am impatient to see him’ (43). Mrs. Bennet saw Mr. Collins visit as an opportunity to see one of her daughters married. She thought that if Mr. Collins should marry one of her daughters then her and her other daughters (if they don’t get married) would not be turned out of Longbourn when Mr. Bennet dies. Mr. Collins’ reason for visiting Longbourn was to marry one of the Bennet sisters. He had first set his eyes on Jane but soon learned from Mrs. Bennet that Jane would soon be engaged to Mr. Bingley. (Mr. Bingley is a wealthy, charismatic , social young man who recently came to town with his even more wealthy friend, Mr. Darcy) .Without a blink of the eye, he then turned his attentions to Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth’s view of marriage is of a romantic nature and a marriage to Mr. Collins would be anything but romantic. Mr. Collins proposal to Elizabeth is one of the funniest moments of Pride and Prejudice. His proposal served to make him look even more stupid than he already was ; if that was even possible . He began by stating: My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it right for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish. Secondly, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness ; and thirdly-which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honor of calling patroness. (73)
He spoke of “his feelings running away with him”, which left Elizabeth on the verge of hysterics. She knows that Mr. Collins proposal has nothing to do with feelings and that marriage for him would be a business transaction. The author states that as Mr. Collins gets ready to make the proposal, “he set about it in a very orderly manner, with all the observances which he supposed a regular part of business” (72). If Mr. Collins “feelings” for Jane was fast forgotten his feelings for Jane went even quicker with his decision to marry Charlotte, Elizabeth’s best friend. Charlotte’s decision had nothing to do with love but had to do with the fact that she was twenty-seven and was in danger of becoming an old maid. Mr. Collins could not have possibly been in love with Charlotte, since just a week before he had claimed to be in love with Elizabeth. This marriage is mutually satisfactory to both Mr. Collins and Charlotte, Mr. Collins needed a wife in order to please Lady de Bourgh and Charlotte needed financial and social security. Of course Charlotte didn’t love him either; she finds him to be intolerable and sometimes finds herself embarrassed to be married to him. This marriage is a reminder to readers of what happens when one marries for practical reasons instead of for love. Mr. Collins marriage to Charlotte plays an important role in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen uses the opportunity of Elizabeth visiting Charlotte at Hunsford to see Mr. Darcy again. It was during this visit that Elizabeth met the much talked about Lady de Bourgh at her home Rosings. It was there that she met Mr. Darcy again and where he first proposed to her. This visit also afforded Mr. Darcy the opportunity of writing Elizabeth the letter that softened her heart towards him. Mr. Collins serves as the link between Elizabeth as Mr. Darcy. Mr. Collins and Charlotte’s marriage is a sharp contrast between Mr. Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s. Collins and Charlotte got married out of practicality but Darcy and Elizabeth got married out of love. The author brings out the love between Darcy and Elizabeth by writing, Georgiana had the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth; though at first she often listened with an astonishment bordering on alarm, at her lively, sportive manner of talking to her brother. He who had always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, now saw the object of open pleasantry(261).
Charlotte, on the hand found ways of distancing herself from Mr. Collins, and if he said anything stupid she feigns deafness. Though Mr. Collins is not a likeable character, he plays important roles in the novel. He represents the kind of men that women should stay away from. Because of the weaknesses in Mr. Collins character, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy leap off the page as the kind of men women want to be married to.

Work Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813. Dover Thrift ed.

Cited: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813. Dover Thrift ed.