The Collector

by

John Fowles

Themes and Colors
Power and Control Theme Icon
Class and Snobbery Theme Icon
Painting vs. Photography Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Collector, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.

Power and Control

John Fowles’s The Collector explores the dynamics between captor and captive. The story revolves around Frederick Clegg, an alienated young man who kidnaps Miranda Grey, a vibrant art student, in a misguided attempt to gain control and connection. Clegg’s sense of power is derived from his ability to dominate Miranda physically, controlling her environment and restricting her freedom. Clegg regularly binds Miranda’s hands and gags her to control her movements and speech. Clegg…

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Class and Snobbery

In The Collector, Frederick Clegg comes from a working class background, which influences his worldview and sense of self-worth. His feelings of inferiority and resentment towards the upper classes manifest in his obsession with Miranda, an art student from a privileged background. Clegg’s desire to possess Miranda is not just about physical control but also about bridging the social chasm that separates them. He believes that by capturing and detaining her, he can…

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Painting vs. Photography

Early in the novel, Miranda, an art student, makes an important distinction between painting and photography. For her, painting and drawing are living artforms that create something new rather than replicate that which already exists. She vastly prefers these artforms to photography, which she claims has a deadening effect on its subject. Notably, the novel associates Miranda primarily with drawing and Frederick Clegg, her captor, with photography. Miranda regularly attempts to draw Clegg…

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Gender Roles

In The Collector, gender roles shape the dynamics between Frederick Clegg and Miranda, revealing the power imbalances and societal expectations imposed on both characters. For his part, Clegg embodies a patriarchal mindset, where his perception of masculinity is intertwined with possession. His kidnapping of Miranda is both an act of obsession and a manifestation of his desire to assert ownership over her. This reflects a broader societal tendency to objectify and subordinate women…

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