The Collector essays

The Collector essays Fowles has constructed the two main protagonists, in his novel The Collector, as victims, victims of society and victims of their circumstances. Discuss. In the novel The Collector, the author John Fowles has constructed the two main protagonists, Clegg and Miranda, as victims. Miranda is a victim of her circumstances while Clegg is a victim of society. Clegg is also a victim of his upbringing and is emotionally entrapped within him self. Miranda comes from a stable home, yet her life becomes out of her control when she is kidnapped and is forced to make choices such as whether or not to give up or fight for her survival. Clegg is a victim of his upbringing as he had a very unstable childhood, with almost everyone he cared for leaving him. Cleggs Uncle Dick was the only person who understood Cleggs love of butterflies and insects. ...Aunt Annie and Mabel used to despise my butterflies when I was a boy, but Uncle Dick would always stick up for me... His uncle died when he was fifteen leaving him emotionally alone, and with no role model to learn from. Cleggs stuck in the way hes been bought up. Its out of his control, meaning he cant change the way he thinks or feels. He can be an individual but only in an evil way. The evil was largely or perhaps wholly, the result of a bad education, mean environment and being orphaned- all factors, which he had no control over. Clegg is entrapped within himself both emotionally and physically. Hes trapped in a spiral of evil and also in his own inability to respond to feel or to relate emotionally. He cant look beyond what hes doing (kidnapping Miranda). Clegg is full of justifying himself in his mind. ...Of course Im not mad, I knew it was just a dream and it always would have been if it hadnt been for the money.... Hes physically entrapped himself as hes got Miranda...