These justifications would not exist, or be as believable if it was not Clegg himself revealing them to the reader. Being exposed to the reasoning behind his actions puts forward a base to my interpretation of him, that his mental capacity is restricted due to his lack of education and deprivation of love (this information being conveyed through Clegg himself). This is why “…he sees himself as morally superior: ‘I’m not the pushing sort…I always had higher aspirations’ (pg. 19)” (The Collector: Wizard Study Notes pg. 12), but the reader does not. However, Clegg’s point of view does not only encourage a reading of him, but also in reading Miranda as an intelligent, moralistic girl who only has her extensive mental capacity to keep her going “I am a moral person…I will not let Caliban make me immoral...”(pg. 228). Due to the resistant opinions of the protagonist, we are initially encouraged to sympathise with Miranda “…I was the man that attacked her…and kept her captive in a nice way.”(Pg. 19). This sympathy is carried throughout the novel, however, once she reveals her conceited side “I’m so superior to him.” (Pg.130), I held a mixture of feelings towards her as well, similar to those of Frederick. Clegg’s point of view encouraged me to see him as physically free, but emotionally trapped, but both Clegg’s and Miranda’s viewpoint allowed me to read Miranda as physically trapped, but emotionally boundless. In this way, I sympathised with both characters. However, the measures Clegg goes to, and the opinions Miranda holds towards the lower class encouraged me to reject them at the same time. Therefore, the first person point of view allows the reader to see both the sympathetic and repulsive dimensions that the characters hold.
Miranda refers to many texts throughout the story, in particular that of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. In doing this, she persuades herself and the reader that she is stronger than what most people think and in a higher position than Clegg. Quite coincidentally, Miranda is the name of the central character in the text and shares the same qualities and problems that Fowles’ Miranda does. By alluding to this text, Fowles’ constructs Miranda to be seen as a victim of beauty, but with a strong sense of energy and independence “I don’t care what he does. So long as I live.” (Pg. 234) However, “in spite of her intelligence and education, Miranda is unable to communicate with Clegg who treats her as one more butterfly in his collection, a live butterfly, forever trapped by human stupidity and ignorance, trying to escape.” (Radhakrishna Rao, ). Both Fowles’ and Shakespeare’s Miranda are in the centre of a disturbed being’s world, making it hard for her to escape physically. Effectively, Miranda is also putting into perspective Clegg. She compares him to both Caliban (the horrific offspring of a witch) and Ferdinand (a handsome young man whom she is in love with). Being the progeny of a witch may symbolise Clegg’s scarcity of education and love and therefore his evil can be justified as a result of poor schooling, a miserable environment and being orphaned, “…all factors over which he had no control.”(Radhakrishna Rao, ) However he holds the same determination (to impress and keep Miranda) that Ferdinand does. “Knowing the point of these literary allusions helps to underpin our recognition that there is more to Clegg than just the monster.” (The Collector: Wizard Study Notes pg. 16) and that although I do hold some elements of a negative response to her character, the oppressed side of her life brings about pity and compassion.
In conjunction with this intertextuality, Fowles incorporates Heraclitian philosophies of the Many and the Few into the text, to encourage the dominant readings of Miranda. Miranda’s reference to literature and use of proper speech and punctuation exposes her class. “She talks about the dominance of ‘the New People’ (epitomised by Clegg) with their belief that money is all that matters, who think that everyone is equal…they misunderstand the important things. She sees herself standing against their influence, one of ‘the Few’.” (The Collector: Wizard Study Notes pg. 23). The fact that she has had education makes her mentally accomplished and this is the only item (though intangible) that she can hold on to. It is this particular item that makes her part of the Few. However, in order to be completely separated into the Few, she would have to marry an educated, upper class male (who predominantly makes up this status.). Despite this, she realises that socially she has power over him. “The New People destroy themselves because they are stupid…[Caliban] is the New People and I am the Few”. (Pg. 231). This sense of pride and vanity is what made up parts of my rejection to her character, and acceptance and support of Clegg’s attitudes. “There are hints that Clegg envies and unconsciously despises her talent, and enjoys his power over her in compensation for his inferiority - exactly what the Heraclitus criticism claims.” (The Collector: Wizard Study Notes pg. 43)
Frederick Clegg and Miranda Grey of John Fowles’ The Collector, represent many dimensions of society. Through various literary techniques, point of view, allusion and Heraclitian philosophies, Clegg represents the extreme and harsh effects of the lower class. He in mentally restricted as a result of his deprived childhood. It is this side of him that I commiserated with, however by performing his actions (kidnapping Miranda), I felt hate and anger towards him. These techniques also present Miranda as a victim of the upper class, who only has the education that connects her to this status. However, despite her arrogant and conceited views, she has been held prisoner and slowly attacked, initially physically, but then emotionally, which encouraged part of my response to be out of compassion. Fowles intends for us to question both characters and has succeeded in doing so.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Class handouts, The Collector: Wizard Study Notes, 1992, Wizard Book, Victoria.
Moon, Brian. 1992, Literary Terms: A Practical Glossary 2nd Edition, Chalkface Press, Perth.
“John Fowles’: The Collector” 1999, Pegasos, [online] Available:
“The Collector”, Fresh Lime Soda Books [online]. Available:
Radhakrishna Rao
“The Collector by John Fowles”, 2003, Green Man Review, [online] Available:
Craig Clarke