All Men Are Born Free, but Everywhere We Are Chained. to What Extent Is This Statement True of Clegg and Frank

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Frank and Clegg at first seem free from particular social chains. Social chains being particular laws or moral codes that may in some way shackle an individual. To an extent this is true for both protagonists, however they are prisoners of their own psyche, also that of their parentage and physical inadequacies. Clegg is bound by his obsession for collecting beautiful objects, his position in society, and the struggle to adapt to the freer modern society of the 60’s. Frank on the other hand does not struggle with class issues, nor does he fail to recognize the world he lives in. However, Frank is also a prime example of the effects of primary socialisation, as demonstrated by his eccentric father and his brother who is of a violent mental disposition. A culmination of Frank’s upbringing and penis envy produced a violent sadistic character. Although both characters share some poignant similarities, both share an absentee mother, which represents in their mind the evil of all women; ultimately it’s Clegg that’s more tightly bound then Frank. Clegg wins the pools; it would seem to provide an escape from his mundane life as a clerk. However, Clegg uses his free time to further fuel his obsession for Miranda, this new freedom can be said to act as manacles on Clegg. Clegg says ‘In my opinion a lot of people that may seem happy, would do what I did or similar things if they had the money.’(pg24) When Clegg wins the pools he doesn’t need to work and now has the time with which he can peruse Miranda. However, before Clegg won the pools, he could only admire Miranda from a distance with the normal restrictions that come with a day job. Instead when he ‘had a free moment from the file and ledgers’(pg9) he resorts to marking the letter ‘M’ down in a diary when he sees Miranda from his office window. It’s this lack of social chain that ties down the usual person, that allows

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