Avoidance (Chapter 98): Summary, Analysis, and Themes
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
In “Avoidance,” the speaker is walking through a city when he notices a man approaching from the opposite direction. Hoping to sidestep an unwanted encounter, the speaker abruptly stops and pretends to study the window of a store that has already closed for the day. As the man passes by, the speaker realizes that the person was not the individual he had feared meeting—only someone who resembled him. Despite this relief, the speaker’s mind remains unsettled. Throughout the entire walk home, he finds himself wondering where the real person might be, and that question lingers even after he reaches his destination.
The poem is deceptively simple: a brief urban moment, a mistaken identity, and a lingering thought. Yet Collins uses this compact scene to explore how avoidance can paradoxically keep us tethered to the very thing we try to escape. The speaker’s initial action—stopping to look at a closed storefront—is a physical gesture of evasion, but the mental aftermath shows that true avoidance is impossible when the mind refuses to let go.
Key Events
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The speaker sees a man walking toward him in the city.
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To avoid an encounter, the speaker stops and looks into the window of a store that is closed.
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The man passes by without incident.
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The speaker realizes the man was only someone who looked like the person he wanted to avoid.
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Despite this, the speaker spends the entire walk home wondering where the real person might be.
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The thought persists even after the speaker arrives home.
Character Development
The poem features only the speaker as a developed character; the man is a fleeting figure who never speaks or interacts. The speaker’s development is internal and subtle. Initially, he is reactive and evasive—he sees a potential threat and immediately adopts a defensive posture by feigning interest in a shop window. This action reveals a tendency to avoid confrontation or uncomfortable social situations.
When the speaker discovers his mistake, one might expect relief to dissolve the tension. Instead, the realization triggers a deeper preoccupation. The speaker’s mind shifts from the immediate physical avoidance to a broader, more abstract wondering about the whereabouts of the person he feared. This suggests that the speaker’s avoidance is not merely about the present moment but about a larger unresolved relationship or anxiety. The fact that the thought follows him home indicates that the encounter, though based on a misidentification, has stirred something that cannot be easily dismissed.
The speaker does not undergo a dramatic transformation, but the poem captures a moment of psychological insight: avoidance often leaves us more entangled than we were before. The character’s quiet obsession with the other person’s location reveals a mind that is not at peace, even when the immediate threat is gone.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Avoidance and Its Paradox – The central theme is avoidance, but the poem complicates it. The speaker tries to avoid a person, yet the act of avoidance itself becomes the catalyst for persistent thought. The closed store window symbolizes a barrier—a way to block out the world—but it also represents a dead end, a place where no real engagement can happen. The speaker’s gaze into the window is a form of hiding, yet it does not protect him from his own mind.
Mistaken Identity – The man is not the person the speaker feared, but the mistake reveals how our perceptions are shaped by anxiety and expectation. The speaker sees what he expects to see, and even after correction, the imagined person remains more powerful than the actual one. This motif speaks to the way memory and imagination can override reality.
Urban Anonymity – The city setting is essential. In a crowded urban environment, encounters are frequent and often unwanted. The speaker’s tactic of stopping to look at a storefront is a common urban gesture of disengagement. The city allows for this kind of non-interaction, but it also amplifies the sense of isolation and the internal echo of unresolved thoughts.
The Lingering Question – The poem ends with an open question: “where in the world he could possibly be.” This motif of wondering suggests that the mind cannot easily release a person who has emotional significance. The question is not answered, and the lack of resolution mirrors the speaker’s inability to truly avoid the person in his thoughts.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Avoidance” is a compact but resonant chapter in Musical Tables. It exemplifies Collins’ ability to find profound meaning in everyday moments—here, a simple walk down a city street. The poem’s brevity is deceptive; it packs a meditation on human psychology, the nature of memory, and the futility of trying to escape our own thoughts.
In the context of the collection, this chapter contributes to a broader exploration of how ordinary experiences can trigger unexpected emotional responses. It also showcases Collins’ characteristic wit and clarity, as he turns a minor incident into a universal reflection on avoidance and obsession. The poem invites readers to consider their own moments of mistaken identity and the ways they might linger on people they have tried to forget.
For students and readers, “Avoidance” offers a rich case study in how a short poem can generate multiple layers of meaning. It demonstrates the power of implication and the importance of what is left unsaid. The speaker never reveals who the man is or why he wants to avoid him, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps—a technique that makes the poem feel personal and relatable.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the speaker’s action of looking into a closed store window reflect the theme of avoidance?
The speaker’s decision to stop and look into a closed store window is a deliberate act of disengagement. By pretending to be interested in the window, he creates a physical barrier between himself and the approaching man. The fact that the store is closed underscores the emptiness of this gesture—it is a hollow excuse, a way to avoid interaction without actually addressing the underlying anxiety. The action symbolizes the speaker’s attempt to block out the world, but it also reveals that avoidance is often a superficial solution that does not resolve the internal conflict.
2. Why does the speaker continue to wonder about the man’s whereabouts even after realizing it was a mistaken identity?
The speaker’s continued wondering suggests that the encounter has triggered a deeper emotional response. The mistaken identity brings the real person to the forefront of his mind, and the brief moment of fear or anticipation reopens a mental door that he had tried to close. The fact that he wonders “where in the world” the person could be indicates that the thought is not just about the physical location but about the person’s life and circumstances. The speaker’s mind is unwilling to let go, perhaps because the unresolved relationship or feeling still occupies a significant place in his thoughts.
3. What role does the city setting play in the poem’s meaning?
The city setting is crucial because it provides the context for the encounter. In a city, one can easily avoid others by blending into the crowd or by using storefronts as shields. The speaker’s tactic is a common urban behavior, but the city also amplifies the sense of anonymity and isolation. The closed store window is a symbol of the city’s impersonal nature—a place where people can pass by without acknowledgment. Yet the city also allows for the kind of internal reflection that follows the encounter, as the speaker walks home alone with his thoughts. The setting thus reinforces the themes of avoidance and the persistence of memory in a modern, disconnected world.