The Collector by John Fowles examines a battle for power and control between Clegg's introverted character and the bold-spoken Miranda. Power is defined as the possession of control, authority, or influence over others (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) of which Clegg was deluded all his life. Clegg was raised with a poor education and little money, lacking any kind of loving relationships. Clegg, perhaps for these reasons, has a distinct lack of reason which causes a platonic dependence on the beautiful art student Miranda. Eventually hinting at kidnapping Miranda once he won a large sum of money, allowing Clegg to keep her captive in his basement cellar. Clegg's madness is why he keeps Miranda as a beauty possession, much like one of the butterflies in his collection, gaining complete physical power over her. The depiction of Miranda and Clegg's relationship evokes the theme of power in multiple aspects physical, economic, beauty and verbally. Undeniably manifesting the question of who has more power, Miranda or Clegg? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The most important and obvious aspect of power throughout the novel is physical power, which Clegg alone possesses. Before Clegg kidnapped Miranda, he never maintained power over anyone, especially the people he cared about, because his mother abandoned him and his father and dear uncle died. Clegg's former powerlessness seems to have caused him to desire a higher level of power which he obtains by capturing Miranda. He is able to kidnap Miranda and possesses her physical power as he gains an immense amount of money, allowing him to buy a house, therefore the ability to maintain it. Clegg thus controls every physical aspect of Miranda's life; when she can shower, eat, go out, how she lives her life and even how she dies. This blatant aspect of control that Clegg hordes allows him to feel connected to Miranda, and furthermore in possession of her. In addition to his physical power, he also gains economic power over her. He thinks he has a chance to win her love by buying her everything she desires, from expensive delicacies to artwork and supplies. He uses his economic power over Miranda as a tool to make her magically fall in love with him, further demonstrating the lack of reason. Clegg thrives on the economic and physical power he holds over Miranda, feeling entitled to a position of power that has been absent his entire life. Plus, he begins to feel heroic that he can satisfy Miranda with everything she desires. Miranda begins to appear subordinate, helpless towards Clegg, as she constantly has to ask him when she can take a bath, when she can go out, and becomes overall dependent on him. The fact that Miranda must turn to Clegg for all of life's basic necessities ensures that Clegg has complete control over her. Perhaps, satisfying a lifelong thirst to have complete control over one's environment and the life it entails. Especially being able to capture and control beauty as he does with his study of lepidoptera, seeing Miranda as a beautiful goddess in the form that all of society desires to possess. Although Clegg possesses unquestionable economic and physical power over Miranda, she possesses powerful beauty. both verbally and physically, this takes an outsized toll on Clegg. Miranda's beauty can be interpreted by the viewer as asense of power she holds over Clegg as it lingers over her state of mind like a controlling fog. In the sense that even when Miranda speaks to Clegg in a disgusting manner or acts exactly as he despises him, he unconsciously excuses her putrid actions because he literally sees her as an enchanting personification of perfection. For example, "even when she did things considered ugly, like yawning or stretching, she made him look pretty." The truth was, she couldn't do ugly things. She was too beautiful. (The Collector, page 48.) This quote is perhaps more illuminating to the reader than what first comes to mind because it applies to the overall relationship between Clegg and Miranda. The syntax of this important quote describes "the truth" as her inability to do ugly things, which gives the reader insight into Clegg's perception of Miranda. Perhaps interpreted as Clegg feeling eternally inferior to her as he recognizes her pristine beauty, but controversially, "...he doesn't have what girls are looking for" (The Collector, page 11). Yet his all-consuming infatuation with Miranda continues to flourish. Additionally, Miranda is easily able to express her emotions and thoughts through fiery language, especially her opinions on Clegg's "murder of the good life." Miranda despises Clegg's shallowness of life. Since Miranda has a high level of education and observes Clegg very carefully, she uses her articulate verbal force to belittle Clegg, thereby reducing his sense of esteem and therefore his inner confidence and power. His character is very weak in the sense that he easily conforms to Miranda's beliefs and manipulation. Clegg lacks the ability to verbally express his emotions or thoughts, especially without offending his beloved Miranda. It seems that he tends to remain silent, adopting Miranda's words and beliefs, even when she belittles him. Thus, Clegg's lack of self-confidence or verbal power to express himself in an antithetical manner conflicts with Miranda's character who has an eloquent and educated manner of speaking that allows her to take jurisdiction in each of their interactions. Despite the fact that Miranda has manipulative verbal power over Clegg, she struggles greatly towards the end of the book to maintain this power, which she has relied on as a latent escape technique. Clegg's lack of reality and reason is continually depicted throughout the novel, becoming a plausible asset for Miranda's ideas of escape. The reader understands that Clegg has no grip on reality because he is built on euphemisms, claiming that Miranda is "his guest" instead of, realistically, his prisoner. He thus alleviates the seriousness of the situation in which he put Miranda. Clegg's unconscious view of the truth of his relationship with Miranda is a weakness on his part that gives Miranda a certain power. She is able to seduce him into believing that he has a chance of winning her love, due to her illogical perspective. Perhaps this seduction will hopefully lead to some good moral action on the part of the “many” as John Fowles would say, by freeing her. When Miranda fails to break free by using Clegg's irrationality to become his ideal "butterfly," she takes on a very different method of manipulation. She mistakenly attempts to sexually seduce Clegg just before falling dangerously ill. This act on Miranda's part caused a momentous shift in the battle for power within the novel. Clegg now sees her as "no better than an ordinary woman on the street" while he realizes that she is like.