A Portrait of Frederick Clegg – Antisocial Traits in His Personality
John Fowles’ The Collector is a book that stands out for various reasons. Not only it depicts two characters diametrically different from one another, but it also portrays them with such depth and psychological insight that it is hard to believe only one author has created such two plausible and conflicting protagonists. Another thing that attracts attention in The Collector is the overall character of Frederick Clegg and the psychological mystery hidden in within him, as there can be seen an obvious contrast between Clegg and what can commonly be perceived as a neurotypical person.
There is a perpetual belief that one’s childhood not only shapes the personality of a child, …show more content…
However, pinning butterflies down and consequently turning them into inanimate objects and perceiving them as his perfect possessions, is a pattern that projects even into his relationships with people, namely Miranda. “... does not consider others as whole, real, and meaningful individuals deserving of respect and empathy, but instead as object to dominate and exploit,” (1021). Such behaviour is a significant indicator of an antisocial personality disorder and it is just one out of many easily perceived symptoms that would earn Frederick such a …show more content…
It is up to everyone to conclude whether all the things distinguishing him from others are in his nature or were nurtured through his childhood. Nevertheless, Clegg undoubtedly is emotionally disturbed, however, the question remains, if apprehended would Frederic be sent into a normal prison or into a psychiatric facility? Does he show enough symptoms to be diagnosed with any kind of mental illness? If so, is he just a “victim of circumstance” or is he merely a perverted character enabled by the sudden influx of money? It is often said that money corrupts people but what if that is not the case, what if it just brings forward and slightly escalates the true nature of a person. How many monsters would there be among us if only they had a chance to realize their sociopathic potential. Another question that comes to mind is how the new sociological phenomenon of “in-between” class affects all of this. In the end, it is not just the character of Frederick Clegg but the entire book that is so though-provoking; raising many questions and leaving a person with a kind of distaste one’s mouth and a need to look over their
John Fowles’ The Collector is a book that stands out for various reasons. Not only it depicts two characters diametrically different from one another, but it also portrays them with such depth and psychological insight that it is hard to believe only one author has created such two plausible and conflicting protagonists. Another thing that attracts attention in The Collector is the overall character of Frederick Clegg and the psychological mystery hidden in within him, as there can be seen an obvious contrast between Clegg and what can commonly be perceived as a neurotypical person.
There is a perpetual belief that one’s childhood not only shapes the personality of a child, …show more content…
However, pinning butterflies down and consequently turning them into inanimate objects and perceiving them as his perfect possessions, is a pattern that projects even into his relationships with people, namely Miranda. “... does not consider others as whole, real, and meaningful individuals deserving of respect and empathy, but instead as object to dominate and exploit,” (1021). Such behaviour is a significant indicator of an antisocial personality disorder and it is just one out of many easily perceived symptoms that would earn Frederick such a …show more content…
It is up to everyone to conclude whether all the things distinguishing him from others are in his nature or were nurtured through his childhood. Nevertheless, Clegg undoubtedly is emotionally disturbed, however, the question remains, if apprehended would Frederic be sent into a normal prison or into a psychiatric facility? Does he show enough symptoms to be diagnosed with any kind of mental illness? If so, is he just a “victim of circumstance” or is he merely a perverted character enabled by the sudden influx of money? It is often said that money corrupts people but what if that is not the case, what if it just brings forward and slightly escalates the true nature of a person. How many monsters would there be among us if only they had a chance to realize their sociopathic potential. Another question that comes to mind is how the new sociological phenomenon of “in-between” class affects all of this. In the end, it is not just the character of Frederick Clegg but the entire book that is so though-provoking; raising many questions and leaving a person with a kind of distaste one’s mouth and a need to look over their