The Collector: Part 2 Summary & Analysis

The perspective shifts to Miranda’s point of view, which is told in a series of journal entries starting on October 14th, the seventh night of her time at Clegg’s home. At this point, Miranda does not think Clegg is interested in her for sex, but she still sees madness behind his eyes. She feels entirely powerless and wishes she had some ability to fight back even though she despises violence. She hates how much time she spends in darkness and longs desperately to escape. Every night, she prays, which she has not done in a long time, even though she is not sure if she believes in God.

On October 15th, Miranda writes that Clegg does not believe in God, which makes her want to believe more. Then, she recalls the first full day she spent with Clegg. On that day, Miranda felt Clegg was awkward, and she notes that he speaks in a manner that is meant to sound educated even though he is not. She also says that the rapid changes in mood she exhibited over the course of the day were deliberate, as she was attempting to see how he would react to different attitudes.

On October 16th, Miranda talks about how difficult it is to escape Clegg. He seems to have thought of everything, as there is nothing she can use to get away from him. Additionally, she has been outside at this point and knows that there is no one around for miles. During Miranda’s first bath upstairs, she quietly searches the bathroom for anything useful, but she finds nothing of note. Also, the windows are boarded, so there is no chance for her to escape.

Miranda describes Clegg’s home decorations, which she finds atrocious. She thinks Clegg’s behavior is so aggressively ordinary that it is notable. She also thinks about the butterflies Clegg showed her, which she found beautiful despite the violence that was necessary to stage them. The more time Miranda spends around Clegg, the more she feels as if she is going insane. She desperately wishes to be back home with her family, particularly her sister, Minny, to whom she addresses this journal entry.

On October 17th, Miranda hates herself for changing her behavior to give Clegg what he wants. However, she also notes that, generally speaking, Clegg does whatever she asks of him except grant her freedom. She finds it ironic that Clegg constantly buys her expensive gifts only to place them in a dingy cellar. Still, she appreciates the beauty and finds that they make her living conditions slightly more tolerable.

Miranda finds herself feeling superior to Clegg when it comes to judging beauty. Although she does not want to come off as hopelessly classist, she feels that Clegg is the definition of “human ugliness.” At this point, she starts referring to Clegg in her journal entries as Caliban. She asks Clegg to buy her more art books and decides that she might as well use her time in Clegg’s cellar to develop her artistic skills.

On October 18th, Miranda describes showing her fruit sketches to Clegg. She is annoyed that Clegg did not pick the one she liked best, though she is not surprised. She reiterates her belief that Clegg is hopeless when it comes to artistic taste and recognizing beauty. Then, at lunch, Miranda has a conversation with Clegg about nuclear weapons. Miranda asks Clegg what he thinks about nuclear disarmament, which she firmly believes in. Clegg says that he does not have an opinion, other than he hopes he never dies from a nuclear explosion. Miranda prods Clegg, trying to figure out why he does not care more about the state of the world. Clegg responds that it would not make a difference if he did.

Clegg and Miranda argue about the topic for a while, which leads to a conversation about class. Clegg is convinced that Miranda cannot understand people like him; instead, she is someone who can only see things from her own perspective, which he feels is highly linked to her class status. Miranda says that she understands more about Clegg than he thinks, though Clegg is not convinced. Eventually, the topic of conversation returns to nuclear weapons and Clegg offers to write a check in Miranda’s name supporting the cause of nuclear disarmament. At first, Miranda says she would rather Clegg show genuine support for the cause than write a check. However, when she sees she will not persuade him, she settles for the check, hoping it will make some small difference.

On October 19th, Miranda describes getting to go outside for the first time, albeit in the dark. While outside, she senses that Clegg wants to kiss her, which makes her nervous because it seems as though he kidnapped her for sexual reasons after all. While on her walk with Clegg, Miranda hears a car go by, but she does not try to escape. She knows that she will have to be strategic about when she tries to run away and reminds herself not to jump at every opportunity.

As the days go by, Miranda feels more and more dejected, as she feels entirely cut off from the world. She talks about how Clegg often photographs, though she feels there is nothing artistic about how he takes photographs. She also contemplates the complicated feelings she has for Clegg. As much as she hates him, he is the only human being she has any contact with and there are moments where she finds herself appreciating his company. She would never go so far as to call what they have a friendship, but at least it is something. 

On October 20th, Miranda describes attempting to escape by pushing the door to the cellar back into Clegg’s face when he comes to bring her breakfast. However, her attempt barely fazes Clegg, who simply warns her that she could have hurt him. He points out that she claims to be a pacifist and should not be resorting to such methods. In response, Miranda can only shrug and smoke a cigarette. When Clegg is gone, she begins looking around the cellar for any stones that might be loose. She does not find any.

Then, Miranda changes the subject of her journal entry. She begins thinking about her personal life before Clegg captured her. Briefly, she thinks about her strained relationship with her mother, who she has always hated. Miranda’s mother is an insufferable alcoholic, and she does not know why her father, who Miranda loves, continues to tolerate her mother.

Additionally, Miranda thinks about an older artist she is infatuated with, who she calls “G.P.” Miranda appreciates G.P.’s mind and is impressed with how much of the world he has seen. She lists out the various ways G.P. has helped her develop as a person and as an artist. Because of G.P., Miranda feels that an artist should be wholly dedicated to their art. Additionally, she thinks it is necessary to be a Socialist because “Socialists are the only people who care.” In thinking about G.P. and what he has taught her, Miranda is comforted. If nothing else, it is a distraction from her current situation.

On October 21st, Miranda briefly discusses forcing Clegg to cook healthier food for her. She also delights in getting Clegg to buy expensive foods for her that she has not tried. In the evenings, Miranda often flips through art books with Clegg, and she tries to teach him about various painters. However, she feels that he has no mind of his own. Instead, he simply agrees with everything she says. Miranda knows other people like Clegg must exist in the world, but she has never met someone so blind to the beauty of art as him.

Miranda asks Clegg why he does not have more books around the house. Clegg says he has a few, but generally only reads “light novels” such as detective novels. Miranda suggests that he read The Catcher in the Rye, which she is reading currently. Clegg says that he already tried reading it before he gave it to her, and it did not appeal to him. However, he promises to try it for her sake. In response, Miranda tells him, “You make me sick.”

On October 22nd, Miranda feels ill and thinks that she must escape soon if she is to have any chance at all. She decides that she must trick Clegg into leaving the house for several hours while she attempts to tunnel out of the cellar. Then, Miranda changes the subject altogether and writes about her first meeting with G.P. Caroline, Miranda’s aunt, introduced her to G.P. on a shopping trip. Miranda does not like Caroline and is quickly amused when she sees that G.P. does not even try to pretend to care about what Caroline is saying. However, she finds herself feeling ashamed to be in Caroline’s presence. Miranda thinks that Caroline and her mother, who is equally pretentious and boring, represent everything that is wrong with bourgeois women.

One week later, Miranda meets G.P. again by coincidence while taking the Tube. After a brief conversation, G.P. decides that he likes Miranda and tells her she can pay him a visit sometime as long as she does not bring Caroline. At first, Miranda finds herself trying too hard to impress G.P. However, after a while, she settles down. G.P. introduces Miranda to several of his friends and takes her to a number of fashionable spots for artists around London.

While out on the town, G.P. shows Miranda a Rembrandt and tells her that it moves him deeply. Miranda says that it does the same for her. In response, G.P. says, “It can’t possibly. Not for years yet.” He thinks that though Miranda might understand the work, she still has much time before she will be able to feel it. After Miranda sees G.P., Caroline warns her to stay away from him because he has a reputation around town regarding his relationships with women.

On October 23rd, Miranda compares herself to Emma Woodhouse (the titular character in Jane Austen’s Emma). Miranda finds herself admiring how Emma can turn her faults into virtues and feels that she must do the same in order to escape Clegg. At night, Miranda writes more about G.P. She describes the first time she brought some of her studio art for G.P. to examine. G.P. acknowledges that Miranda has a certain level of talent, but ultimately nothing impresses him. He does not think she does anything to distinguish herself from any other art student her age.

G.P.’s comments hurt Miranda, though she appreciates his honesty. G.P. tells Miranda that a true artist only finds their voice over time. He suggests that one day she may become a true artist, but the chances are slim, and it is impossible to know for sure. Meanwhile, Miranda thinks G.P. is a talented painter and is sure he will become famous.

On October 24th, Miranda finds herself contemplating all the things she hates about Clegg. She feels that he is dead inside and speaks in an old-fashioned manner, which includes endless cliches. Miranda blames the social class that raised him; seeing that they grew up in the same place, she knows a good deal about his upbringing. For Miranda, who takes after G.P. in this regard, Clegg represents everything that is wrong with the new middle class. She finds herself wishing that she could flee England altogether for Paris, where art is appreciated.

Then, Miranda recalls a dream she had recently. In the dream, she painted something that pleased her, though she cannot remember what it was. When the painting was complete, Miranda’s mother found it and destroyed it. Miranda wakes up thinking about how much she hates her mother. She recalls that her mother did not want her to be an artist because she wanted her daughter to have a job that earned respect and made more money.

On October 25th, Miranda writes about the time she took some of her friends to meet G.P. at his apartment. During the meeting, she feels G.P. goes out of his way to be rude to her friends and will not discuss any of his work with them. After some time, G.P. puts on a record and then lies down dramatically on his divan. Miranda’s friends feel like G.P. is striking a sort of pose, though Miranda does not see it herself. The mix of the pose and the music make Miranda’s friends laugh, which sends G.P. into a rage. He orders them to get out of his apartment.

Miranda comes back after her friends have left to apologize to G.P. She expects an apology in return but does not get one. Instead, G.P. tells her that they will not be able to sleep together because he is not interested in her. Miranda says she understands, and, after this incident, their relationship returns to normal. The next time she sees G.P., they have a friendly outing together, and he is exceptionally sweet. However, he never apologizes for the incident at his apartment.

On October 26th, Miranda writes about the absurd amount of money Clegg spends on her. She admits to liking whenever he comes back from a shopping trip because it is like Christmas every day, even under the circumstances. Still, Miranda does not lose sight of the fact that, underneath all of the gifts, Clegg is trying to emotionally manipulate her. Miranda spends much of her day attempting to draw G.P. from memory, though she finds herself having a hard time.

On October 28th, Miranda thinks about G.P.’s faults as a person and artist. She believes that he hates many talented painters for no reason and knows that he is notorious for his lascivious ways. Miranda often sees women in his apartment, who she assumes he has slept with. Additionally, one day G.P. propositions Miranda herself for sex. Surprised, Miranda rejects his advances, claiming she only wants to go to bed with someone she loves. G.P. tells Miranda she is making the right decision and warns against getting romantically involved with him in the future. Then, he goes on a lengthy rant about the women he has slept with and how he despises many of them. He also tells Miranda that she would be boring if it was not for her beauty. After, G.P. and Miranda play a game of chess together and Miranda thinks G.P. is letting her win.

On October 29th, Miranda writes more about G.P. She finds herself increasingly hurt by the many women he is sleeping with. When she complains to Caroline, Caroline warns her to stop spending so much time with G.P. Miranda feels that she should cut G.P. out of her life altogether, though she has no real plans to do so. When Miranda confronts G.P., he warns her that he is not a good man. Rather, his value is in his experience and willingness to speak frankly.

After their conversation, Miranda and G.P. play chess and G.P. wins. Following this meeting, Miranda only saw G.P. a few more times, but never when he was by himself. Miranda wonders if G.P. thinks that she belongs to the same middle-class faction that she desperately wishes to remove herself from. In retrospect, Miranda realizes that G.P.’s primary goal was to sleep with her, though he never tried to use force.

Later, Miranda also writes about Clegg, who is reading The Catcher in the Rye to please her. After reading for a while, Clegg asks Miranda if he can photograph her in a bikini, though he does so in a roundabout manner. Clegg claims that he would find the experience “interesting.” At this point, Miranda thinks he is telling the truth, as he seems to think of her more as a specimen than an object of desire. However, Miranda does not include her response to Clegg’s question.

Miranda also records a conversation she has with Clegg about his family. Clegg does not want to talk about his parents or his other relatives, but Miranda forces it out of him. Quickly, Miranda finds herself feeling pity for Clegg, as she realizes that his staid middle-class upbringing is what turned him into the person he is today. When Miranda speaks poorly of Aunt Annie, Clegg quickly defends her because he feels indebted to her for taking him in as a child. Quickly, Miranda and Clegg’s conversation turns into an argument, which ends with Miranda telling Clegg to “shut up” because he is “ugly enough without starting to whine.” Then, seeing that she has hurt Clegg, she moves to comfort him. After the situation is less tense, Miranda once again asks him what he wants with her. Clegg simply says that he loves her.

On October 31st, Miranda looks at some art with Clegg and attempts to psychoanalyze him. She realizes that sitting close to her makes Clegg especially rigid. She thinks about how living with Clegg has become her new normal, even though everything about the situation is bizarre. Miranda also writes about a time when she went over to G.P.’s house and was upset. G.P. puts on a record and lays next to Miranda while she cries. When the music is over, G.P. asks Miranda if he can go to bed. Miranda let him go but, in retrospect, she wishes she had kissed him.

On November 1st, Miranda finds a nail while she is out of the cellar. She tricks Clegg into turning his back for a moment, so she can grab it and hide it. Clegg suspects she is trying to fool him but does not find the nail. Miranda also writes about speaking to someone G.P. slept with in the past, who she calls the Nielsen woman. Nielsen is frank about her relationship with G.P. and also mentions that he is interested in Miranda. The casual nature of the conversation shocks Miranda. Miranda finds herself feeling jealous and also wishing that G.P. was far younger, so it would make more sense for them to be together.

On November 2nd, Miranda gives Clegg a lengthy list of items to purchase in London, hoping it will keep him busy for several hours. One object, in particular, catches Clegg’s eye: Miranda wants a painting from George Paston (G.P.). When Clegg asks Miranda about G.P., Miranda says he is simply an old friend whom she wants to support. Clegg says he will try to find everything on the list the following day. While he is away, Miranda intends to escape. She finds herself feeling bad for Clegg because she thinks he will be in a great deal of pain when he finds her missing.

On November 4th, Miranda writes about her failed escape attempt. Although she managed to work a few stones out of the wall with her nail, she only found another wall of stone on the other side. She tried to put the stones back in place, but it was no use. She knew Clegg would know what she had done. Now, Clegg has put the stones back where they belong. Clegg also presents Miranda with the various things she asked him to buy, including a painting of a young woman from G.P. Miranda thinks that G.P. has done far better work, but she appreciates its authenticity. Miranda is grateful for the painting and treats Clegg kindly for a few days.

However, on November 5th, Miranda finds herself in a fit of rage. She smashes more of Clegg’s china and nastily insults him to his face. In retrospect, she feels that she went way too far. However, she was annoyed because she spends all day talking to Clegg, and he does not listen to what she is saying. She finds herself growing increasingly paranoid about Clegg dying while out on one of his trips, leaving her in the cellar to rot.

On November 6th, Miranda fakes appendicitis by rubbing talc on her face. She is confused when Clegg leaves the door to the upstairs open and wonders what happened to him after he ran out of the basement. She slowly makes her way upstairs only to find Clegg there waiting for her with something—possibly a hammer—in his hands. For a moment, she wonders if Clegg intends to attack her. Rather than continue her escape attempt, she turns around and goes back down into the cellar. Once again, she finds herself feeling more like a specimen than a human being. She worries that trying to escape is futile.

On November 7th, Miranda has a conversation with Clegg about The Catcher in the Rye, as he has now finished the book. Clegg says he does not like the book because he cannot stand how Holden Caulfield speaks. Miranda tells him that she thought he would like the book because he would relate to Caulfield, who feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere. Clegg responds that the book is not realistic because Caulfield acts too disaffected for someone who comes from rich parents.

Miranda finds herself thinking Clegg is stupid and hates having to put up with him. She feels that society’s only hope lies with its teachers and artists, not the new middle class that Clegg belongs to. Despite everything, Miranda thinks she is superior to Clegg because she has an artistic temperament and cares deeply about the world. She considers herself a martyr who is being sacrificed to satisfy the Calibans of the world.

On November 9th, Miranda changes her mind. She realizes she is not an artist yet, but rather an aspiring artist. Additionally, she realizes that Clegg is not a typical representation of any social class. She writes about how poorly Clegg spends his money, buying many furnishings for his home without any sense of taste. In this way, she thinks he is similar to the new middle class, who also spend and consume without an artistic eye. Despite her feelings of resentment toward Clegg, Miranda often wishes for his company when he is not around because she is so lonely.

On November 10th, Miranda argues with Clegg about his money. She wants him to donate it to a good cause, but he refuses to do so. He thinks all charities are corrupt and will waste his money. Miranda also accuses him of failing to make a charitable donation in her name as he promised. Clegg assures her that he did as she asked but claims he does not have a receipt because he made the donation anonymously. Miranda does not trust him but has no proof one way or the other. Through their conversation, Miranda realizes that Clegg will only spend money on material things that he can see and touch because, to him, there is no world outside of his own.

On November 12th, Miranda writes about her conflicted feelings regarding Clegg. If she ever escapes his clutches, she genuinely wants to put him in touch with a psychiatrist and even plans to introduce him to some of her friends. However, these things will only occur if Clegg lets her go when he promised.

Miranda thinks back to the past, two months ago, when G.P. had just returned from a trip to Spain. G.P. tells Miranda that he wishes she went to Spain with him. Then, he says that he wants to marry Miranda. After he says this, there is a brief pause and Miranda will not meet his gaze. Then, G.P. says that, because he wants to marry her, he thinks it would be better if they did not see each other anymore because it would never work between them. He also tells Miranda that she is more mature than him in many ways, especially in matters of morality.

On November 18th, Miranda writes that she is on a hunger strike and has been for five days. She refuses to eat anything Clegg gives her, despite the concerning pain beginning to develop in her stomach. She plans to resume eating the following day because she does not want to die. In her current state, she finds herself despising Clegg more than ever.

On November 19th, Miranda declares Clegg her permanent enemy. She has just woken up in her underwear after being dosed with chloroform the night before. She thinks about Clegg undressing her and it makes her upset, although she does not think his intention was sexual in nature. Miranda also recalls telling Clegg that she intends to kill him. For his part, Clegg says he will let her go in another four weeks, but Miranda does not believe him. She hates herself and Clegg for the current situation. She feels she has prostituted herself to Clegg, letting him spend great amounts of money on her while waiting to gain her freedom. Now that it does not looking like her freedom is coming, Miranda is angrier and more dejected than ever. In her mind, she completely dehumanizes Clegg, instead thinking of him as “empty space disguised as a human.”

On November 20th, Miranda is on a hunger strike and refusing to talk to Clegg. As such, Clegg leaves her alone for the most part. Miranda finds that her mood is rapidly changing as she sits and waits for her next opportunity to escape. Everything begins to have a slight quality of unreality. In part, Miranda knows she is suffering because of her complete lack of social interaction. She feels like she is in a trance.

On November 21st, Miranda writes in her journal after managing to remove a gag from her mouth. As she writes, her hands are still bound together. In her journal entry, she describes attacking Clegg with the axe she found lying on the ground. She deliberately hit him with the blunt side of the axe, thinking it would be enough to stun Clegg and let her get away. When Clegg caught her, Miranda felt sure that she had finally gone too far, and that he was going to do something terrible to her in retaliation. However, he simply returned her to the basement, albeit with a ferocious look in his eye.

On November 22nd, Miranda feels bad for using violence to try to escape. She has always preached nonviolence and feels she has betrayed her principles. She decides to take a gentle approach with Clegg once again, thinking of him as someone who needs sympathy. However, after spending the day with Clegg, Miranda worries her task is hopeless. She does not think Clegg is capable of learning anything about art and his manner of speaking annoys her more than ever. She thinks that even the concept of art is shocking to Clegg, much like sex.

On November 28th, Miranda decides that she will seduce Clegg, feeling as though she has run out of all other ideas. Although she plans to engage in sexual behavior, she decides that she will not have full intercourse with Clegg no matter what. She feels certain that Clegg will respect this boundary. However, she is less certain that Clegg is able to have sex. She suspects he might not be interested in her because he is impotent. Either way, she will learn the truth soon.

On November 20th, Miranda declares that her relationship with Clegg is worse than ever. She recounts attempting to seduce Clegg. As she suspected, he was awkward throughout the entire encounter and could not perform. She felt she was taking him by force and had to do everything in the interaction. Although Miranda is left feeling humiliated and out of ideas, she is glad that nothing worse happened to her.

On December 1st, Miranda feels that Clegg hates her because she has learned he is impotent. She grows frightened of him as she worries that he no longer has an incentive to keep her happy and safe. Over the next few days, as Clegg is supposedly preparing a room upstairs for her, Miranda’s mind is filled with thoughts about G.P. She cannot decide whether she loves or hates him.

Then, on December 7th, Miranda falls ill. At first, she does not think the illness is a big deal. However, as she quickly grows sicker, she worries she is going to die in Clegg’s cellar. As her condition worsens, she curses God and thinks that God cannot be good if he allows so many people to suffer unnecessarily. She writes, “God is impotent. He can’t love us. He hates us because he can’t love us.” By the end of the day, Miranda feels herself losing the ability to write, and she feels horribly alone.

Over the next few days, Miranda writes brief and fragmented journal entries. In one, she states that she is going mad and hopes Clegg has gone to fetch a doctor. She insists that she won’t die but is also growing delirious. She also attempts to write something to G.P. but does not have the strength to finish it. Her final journal entry sees her begging God not to let her die over and over again.