Poor Relations by Charles Lamb Summary:

Lamb opens the essay in a humorous way by listing some of his views and
thoughts regarding a poor relation, without any praises and compliments.
According to him, a poor relation is the most “irrelevant” thing in the world that is
extremely unpleasant and is the one you don’t want to listen from; they are
groove on your purse, an absurd shadow that always follows you, the one you
don’t want to remember, an embarrassment, something one’s enemy can enjoy,
an apology for friends, inconvenient, imperfection on the life, and annoying.
Indeed, these are the blunt comment upon a poor relation, however, it poses a
comic intent that exaggerates the writer’s thoughts.

Lamb, in the second paragraph, illustrates the story of such poor relation. This
man is known by his knocking style. When he knocks on the door, by the first
guess you know that is Mr. __, a poor relative. This man arrives with two
contrasting things: a familiarity i.e. he acts in such a way as if he is your close
friend, and embarrassment i.e. being poor makes him feel embarrassed. The
poor relation never arrives on the open days but always shows up when you
have someone at the dinner. Lamb exaggerates his manner, the way he acts. He
is in one way too “familiar” while in one way too “diffident” and shy. The servants
get confused how to serve him while the guests (whom you invited for the dinner)
wonders about him. He fetches the old family stories in a wrong in order to make
good conversation, however, they are always brought in a wrong time and are
“unreasonable”. He comments over each and everything, for instance, he will
inquire you about your furniture price and will make you feel insulting for window
curtain. The conversation and compliments of such a poor relative are “trouble”
and “perverse” and irritate the host. In short, there presence is highly awkward
and when he left, the host moves his chair into the corner and take a sign of
relief. He is a person who never fits in but you cannot get rid of him.

Lamb them moves ahead to illustrate the story of a poor woman relation. He
claims that female poor relative is even worse than the male poor relative as
described in the previous paragraph. The female poor finds it harder to hide her
financial status and act as slightly strange and unconventional way and the host
is totally helpless in front of her. She is dressed in a way between the
gentlewoman and a beggar i.e. the quality of the fabric is quite good but is worn
and is outdated. Moreover, the way she acts and her manners are even worse.
Being aware of her poor status, she acts too modest and abject that people take
her for granted and consider her as worthless: for instance, everyone shows an
inclination towards her and even the governess, who is lower in rank than her,
corrects her when she calls the piano a harpsichord.
Lamb now narrates the story Mr. W__ and relates it with Richard Amlet, a
character in Sir John Vanbrugh’s comedy, the Confederacy. Richard Amlet is the
son of Mrs. Amlet who is a rich, however, a vulgar woman who stands as a
hindrance in the path of her son to marry a rich lady. Similarly, a real-life Amlet is
the poor Mr. W__ who studied with Lamb and then went to Oxford University. Mr.
W__ has had highly proud personality and self-respect. His father was poor
house painter who settled next to Oxford with him. Mr. W__, unable to tolerate
his poverty, run away from Oxford and joined the army. He was soon killed in the
Portugal war.

Lamb continues his essay by saying that the subject of poor relation is quite
uncomfortable, however, he deals with it half comically and half tragically. He,
now, narrates the story of his Father’s poor friend who visited them at dinner
every Saturday. He was an old gentleman, neatly dressed in black. Lamb would
think him a rich man who worked at money making industry. This man
encountered an insult from Lamb’s aunt when she strapped him a second
serving of food uttering that he must take the food as he didn’t get it every day.
The old man didn’t say anything on the spot but avenge his insult in the evening
in an argument by emphasizing his poverty by labeling Lamb’s aunt as outdated.
This poor man died soon leaving behind money enough money for his burier.
Lamb here emphasizes on the dignity of a man that he left enough money so that
he won’t be indebted to anybody after his death. He lands the poor relations on
the note of respect and self-esteem.

Poor Relation by Charles Lamb Analysis:

Charles Lamb, one of the most prominent and shining figures in the essay
writing, was born on February 10, 1775. He is a well-known English poet and
dominating essayist and antiquarian. Among the prose work, his essays are
regarded are most premium and best work in English Literature. Wisdom, humor,
humanity, pathos are best reflected in his word and make readers appreciate his
work from the core of their hearts. The two collections of his essays: The Essays
of Elia and The Last Essays of Elia were published in 1828 and 1833
respectively. A unique combination of wit, anecdote, fancy and reflection is
present in his essays. He died on 27 December 1834.
Genre:
Poor Relations is a self-narrative essay by Charles Lamb. In this essay, Lamb
artistically with comic, humor, and pathos illustrates the inconveniences that are
tolerated by a man from poor relatives.
Critical appreciation:

The essay “Poor Relations” is taken from the 1st collection of Lamb’s essay
named The Essays of Elia. This essay is actually a sad commentary of a speaker
who describes poor relatives as a dreadful load on a family that is financially
stable. The speaker/author begins the essay in a comic and humorous way
describing the poor relatives in a various way. He called them an
embarrassment, a load on finances, an entertainment for an enemy, and an
apology for a friend and so on.
The speaker first mentions the male poor relative who enters with two contrasting
things: a familiarity towards the guest and embarrassment for being poor. Such
poor relative gives a hard time for the host and interferes in everything.

Continuing the comic style, Lamb then mentions the female poor relative, who is
even worse than the male poor relative. He calls her actions highly modest that
everybody takes for guaranteed and consider her worthless. The host feels
highly embarrassed in the company of such poor relative.

The tone of the essay shifts from comic to tragic when the speaker mentions his
friend who killed make himself killed in the Portugal war because he was unable
to endure his father’s poverty.

In the last paragraph of the essay, the speaker lands his poor relatives on the
ground of dignity when he mentions the death of one of his father’s poor friend.