What is collar?

Zuckerman’s medical collar symbolizes humiliation and impairment. Zuckerman occasionally wears a medical collar as a way of keeping his neck in place and easing his chronic pain. However, the collar does not help much, and it makes him feel not only ridiculous, but also quite aware of his impairment. Zuckerman tries to read the poem “The Collar” by poet George Herbert in search of something to improve his outlook, but he is repulsed by the grandiosity of the poem, as Zuckerman feels nothing profound or grandiose in his own pain.