Analysis: The Collector

Over the next few posts, I'll be sharing with you my initial analysis of some of the books on your list. These are excerpts from posts I completed for my graduate course on fiction. Nothing formal - trust me. We were just required to share our thoughts. Some are short and to the point, others are more detailed. Regardless, my hope is it gives you a glimpse of the book as I see it and possibly sparks some interest if it's not your chosen read.

The first one is The Collector:

The Collector was John Fowles first novel. I’m not gonna lie – that kind of creeps me out. It certainly is a very psychological book, and I can’t help but wonder exactly what was going on in his mind when he wrote it.

Ferdinand/Frederick/Caliban has many turning points while he houses Miranda. I think however, one of the most important ones is when she says: “I can’t marry a man to whom I don’t feel I belong in all ways. My mind must be his, my heart must be his, my body must be his. Just as I must feel he belongs to me” (89).  This triggers his confusion of her feminine beauty. He has always looked at her curiously when she shows her mood swings and laughs in response to her knowledge of coarse jokes. Beauty, to this man, has no mind of its own. It’s the same with his butterflies. He captures them for their beauty and in their silence he enjoys them. This is why he is forced to make excuses about his ineptness in bed (106) and why, in a moment of weakness, he takes pictures of her while she is knocked out.

Alone with these pictures, he has time. He has privacy and doesn’t have to worry about performing for her. When it’s just him and her pictures, she doesn’t talk back (109).  

If you're reading this novel, what are your thoughts so far?