Pride & Prejudice Excerpt Analysis

A Pathetic Proposal

A decent, kind hearted man would ask for a woman’s hand with the promise of love, security, and an everlasting friendship. Mr. Collins did otherwise. He was rude, insulting, and arrogant. Although Mr. Collins’ syntax showed him to be a respectable man with an appropriate use of words, his diction was outrageous. The choice of words used to express his “violent love” for Elizabeth would have made any woman want to slap him. Mr. Collins started his conversation by complimenting Elizabeth with great politeness, until he slid into logos.

After listing his reasons for marriage, one can infer that Mr. Collins clearly wanted to look admirable in front of his fellow companions by marrying Elizabeth: “I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish” (Austen). Matrimony is meant for two people that are deeply in love with one another, not a store where you pick the nicest looking handbag to flaunt amongst a group of friends. He did not need to express the fact that his popularity might increase after marrying Elizabeth. Mr. Collins was the least bit charming, his reasons expressed that he was using marriage to get ahead instead of expressing any kind of love towards Elizabeth. In other words, he wanted to marry Elizabeth for his own selfish reasons.

Mr. Collins believed by marrying Elizabeth, he would achieve even more satisfaction: “I am convinced that it will add greatly to my happiness.” What about Elizabeth’s happiness? Mr. Collins never mentioned how he planned on treating Elizabeth. If Mr. Collins was actually considerate towards Elizabeth’s feelings and expressed how her presence increased his happiness or something similar, then he would not have sounded so narcissistic. He only saw marriage as a duty that needed to be fulfilled.
After accomplishing logos, Mr. Collins tried to develop pathos in all the wrong ways. He bounces from the death of Elizabeth’s living parents to the economic struggles her family is facing: “[I] shall make no demand of that nature on your father, since I am well aware that it could not be compiled with, and the one thousand pounds in the 4 per cents, which will not be yours til after your mother’s decease, is all that you may ever be entitled to.” Mr. Collins is basically telling Elizabeth how poor she is. Rather than insulting her family, Mr. Collins could have expressed how his love overpowers any amount of wealth. It should not matter how wealthy a person is when one in love with another, and wants to marry. It should be one of the last things to worry about. Mr. Collins should have kept his insults to himself.

Mr. Collins refused to believe Elizabeth’s rejection and explained how unqualified she was to marry anybody else: “It is by no means certain that another off of marriage may ever be made you. Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications.” He blatantly told Elizabeth that nobody would ever want her as their wife. He had no right to act so rudely to Elizabeth. This arrogant man even refused to believe that Elizabeth was rejecting him: “It is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept.” Mr. Collins did his best to seek Elizabeth’s dependency. He attempted to persuade her into realizing he was the only person right for her. If Mr. Collins truly felt this way, then he should have waited for Elizabeth to realize this on her own. Mr. Collins was very selfish in his proposal and is not at all worthy for a wife.