John Fowles The Collector Analysis

John Fowles: The Collector The acclaimed first novel of famous author, John Fowles, is unique in many ways. This novel is composed of two first person narratives. These narratives are told from two separate perspectives. Together, the tales from both the protagonist and antagonist, combine to create a story that “tantalizes us with a variety of possible outcomes, that we read his novels and short stories eagerly to find out what happens in the end” (Acheson 1). This exciting twist on the horror genre requires both the imagination and interpretation of the reader. It is up to you to rely on your own analysis of both characters and their often contradictory stories, to piece together the novel that is The Collector. A majority of horror stories …show more content…
We, as readers, get to experience the story through the eyes of both the protagonist as well as the antagonist. Because the story is told from two different points of view, it is up to the reader to take the knowledge he or she has gained from the previous pages to create a hypothesis about what is truly happening in the story. Each narrator’s tale is free of bias. Clegg shares a clouded outlook on events in the story due to his obsession with Miranda while Miranda viewpoint is full of anger and slight fear because Clegg refuses to release her. After many months of being held prisoner, Miranda’s emotional state shows feelings of hatred unlike any she had ever felt before: “I hate God. I hate whatever made this world, I hate whatever made the human race, made men like Caliban possible and situations like this possible… I’ve not only never felt like this before, I never imagined it possible. More than hatred, more than despair. You can’t hate what you cannot touch, I can’t even feel what most people think of as despair. Its beyond despair. It’s as if I can’t fell any more. I see, but I can’t feel… I hate beyond hate” (Fowles 274). By using this approach to telling the story, Fowles engages his reader. Instead of readers just simply read the story he involves readers in the story. This challenging plot requires interpretation and has you flipping the pages eager to see the outcome of this gruesome …show more content…
Although this story and its plot are quite complex, readers still have the ability to comprehend the storyline. This novel would not be as exciting nor effective if it was written from the perspective from one character. Clegg’s mental unbalance makes his portion of the story unsettling yet intriguing to read. Without it, the story the story would be a less powerful psychological thriller. The pages filled with Miranda’s journal are necessary because the additional view point engages and involves the reader in the novel. Despite its horrific conclusion, the novel The Collector was one I enjoyed to read. This was the first novel I had read composed of two first person narrative pieces. By reading the story from both accounts, I felt I was able to understand the story more thoroughly because I was able to read the feelings of both characters providing a thorough analysis of the dysfunctional relationship between Miranda and