The Spoils of Poynton

James’ Spoils of Poynton offers strange descriptions of the objects that Mrs. Gereth lusts for. The narrator, mostly following Felda’s perspective, narrates the objects in such a loving and lustful way that it’s hard to determine where the line is drawn between people and objects. For example, when describing the transition of the objects from Poynton to Ricks, Felda saw: “She knew them each by every inch of their surface and every charm of their character—knew them by the personal name their distinctive sign or story had given them; and a second time she felt how, against her intention, this uttered knowledge struck her hostess as so much free approval.” Felda’s thoughts on the objects reminds me of the thoughts on someone one loves—knowing every inch and charm, having pet names for them, and knowing all of their stories. Throughout the book, Felda and Mrs. Gereth seem to both represent this distinctive attachment to their objects.

To me, the collecting mania that Mrs. Gereth has developed is excessive. Although Owen is dull and boring, Mrs. Gereth has replaced her love for her child with her love for objects. This is understandable, seeing how Owen has chosen Mona (who seems very beastly) over his mother and her objects, but the level of devotion that Mrs. Gereth shows over the objects (rescuing them, caring for them, protecting them) over what she does to protect her son from what seems to be the most terrible fate of Mona. Her son, on the other hand, sees the objects in a more realistic sense, as a barrier between himself and his mother. It is easy to sympathize with Owen because he seems more rational about the fate of the objects: rather than taking them as the end of the world, he seems to appreciate them for their form, but doesn't accept that they are everything in life.

Felda's relationship with the objects is even more complex than the other characters. Despite appreciating them for their form, beauty and material as Mrs. Gereth does, she is not so attached to them that she approves of Mrs. Gereth's taking all the objects. She sees the balance in the human interaction between the objects. What is confusing is that Mrs. Gereth takes a certain pride in identifying Felda's particular appreciation for the collection, and yet Felda does not seem to believe that Mrs. Gereth should leave the collection intact and rather that she should have selected specific objects to save. This misjudgment on Mrs. Gereth's part is a fatal flaw, and what eventually seems to cost her the betrayal of Felda's intentions and support of her. It is hard to imagine a character that is so attentive to Felda's emotions and devotions would miss the fact that Felda has other loyalties greater than the collection.

On the other hand, it is difficult to interpret from the text how much Felda is disgusted by Owen and only attracted to his possession of the objects rather than he himself. Maybe the real point here is that she is internally attracted to him based on his possession of the treasures she values so highly, even if she does not realize it herself.

I can't seem to think of myself in a similar situation, where I wanted a collection of objects badly enough to forsake family relationships and to essentially steal them away to my own home for personal safe keeping. Mrs. Gereth is certainly an extreme case of collector’s mania. Her being alone and not having anyone to share with other than Felda has driven her to this state where she feels possessed to possess all the objects...really, quite terrifying since they serve no purpose for her except contentment in owning them, as she can't even appreciate all of them herself anyway.