The Cone-gatherers (Canons): 15

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Later in the novel, Duror imagines the evil growing inside him and his wish to shoot the cone men is like a tree: The novel is often used in Scottish secondary schools, where it is taught as part of the Higher English curriculum.

Calum symbolising the crucifixion of Jesus - sacrificed himself to erase all human sins. Links to Calum's sacrifice as the break in divide of social class and war Another incident in the novel is the deer drive scene. Jenkins lets the reader observe just how innocent Calum really is. Calum is at one with nature and animals and when the deer is hurt: Not only is LRC physically getting down in the dirt to care for Calum but it also resembles the change in social class, throughout the full novel LRC has made sure the cone men now where they stand in the hierarchy, but now Calum has died she is realising she hasn't been true to her Christian values and is down at the same level with Calum in the puddle of blood with the social ladder being forgot in her head. LRC to an extent is partly to blame for the death of Calum. If the book reads like a play, then a lot of the action takes place off-stage. Two pivotal moments in the book happen out of the reader’s sight, Duror’s encounter with Lady Runcie-Campbell when she visits his wife, and the final confrontation between Duror and the two brothers. These scenes become all the more powerful because we are left to build them ourselves in our imagination. The character of Duror’s wife is case in point - she only actually appears once to the reader, yet she seems to haunt the book throughout, a dark, uneasy presence. Callum. I don’t know if I’ve seen such a ridiculous portrayal of disability in a text I’m meant to take seriously since reading this book. He’s physically disabled, therefore must be mentally disabled, therefore must be and innocent creature of god who can do no wrong and has zero personality past his disabilities? Yikers if I’m honest.Calum, embodying innocence and purity. Calum is symbolised as Jesus throughout the novel and this eventually leads to his depiction as Jesus being crucified when he is murdered by Duror at the end of the novel. [2] It’s easy to see why The Cone Gatherers is used as a set text for Higher English classes (in Scotland at least - I don’t know if this is the case elsewhere) - it’s a short but dense novel, heavy with symbolism, at times almost threatening to collapse under the weight of its symbolic and thematic density. It’s by no means a difficult read, just very intense….and pretty bleak, it must be said.

The cone-gatherers of the title are two labourers on a Scottish estate during the Second World War, who spend their days gathering pine-cones from the treetops so that the forest can be replanted after being cut down for lumber to help the war effort. A job so unexpected and remote from modern-day life that it sometimes felt like reading about men in a sci-fi novel performing some incomprehensible and repetitive task on an alien world. The trees here are portrayed as a home to the two men. living in such a way is entirely natural and suggests that their way of life is good and they are at one with nature, through the use of pathetic fallacy. The tree here is similar to the first book of the bible, where there is a tree of knowledge Good v Evil. Therefore, we know trees can represent both good and evil in Jenkins novel and the forests represent the idyllic setting of the Garden of Eden. Yet even in this perfect place, mankind rebelled against god and had to be banished.

Jenkins uses the beach hut scene in the novel to create a strong impression of Calums character. Calum and Neil enter the beach hut without permission to shelter from the dangerous storm outside. Calum finds Sheila's doll outside and describes it as: Calum throughout the novel is portrayed as a gentle and innocent character who cannot understand why anyone would want to cause harm. Yet, Duror and to an extent Lady Runcie Campbell do cause harm and for no better reason than he is physically deformed in their eyes. Jenkins uses the persecution of Calum as a direct comment on mankind's brutal nature and an insight to World War 2 where the entire world was involved in killing each other. Durors persecution of Calum is in direct parallel with Adolf Hitler's persecution of the Jews and the disabled as Duror “profoundly agreed” with Adolf Hitler sending millions of “idiots and cripples to the gas chamber”. rape” is the violent sexual assault he will commit on a doll that he will bring to Lady Runcie Campbell to blame Calum for destroying the doll. This doll references to Calum “It was a small wooden doll naked, with a comical red cheeked face: one leg was missing” the doll has a beautiful face but a deformed body just like Calum, with Duror assaulting the foll its like he is assaulting Calum. He is trying to destroy Calum by creating lies about violent sexual actions when Duror is in fact the one doing thee crimes. In a way Duror is projecting his feelings onto Calum. When Duror arrives home he knows he cannot endure it anymore. Jenkins uses Calums death as a catalyst for change in the life of Lady Runcie Campbell. When she sees Calum dangling from the tree: “she wept pity, and purified hope, and joy, welled up in her heart”.This is due to the fact that she has suddenly came to terms that she has been failing her own Christian value and that to an extent she is a part to blame in the death of Calum. She immediately goes to on her knees “near the blood and split cones” and this is showing her at the same level as Calum, the hierarchy and the social ladder doesn't matter. Calums death is made similar to the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus died for the sins of humanity. Will Calums death bring salvation to LRC. This again links to the World War two – will the deaths of the millions at war bring salvation and change our minds and attitudes. Jenkins true hope is that people will become like Calum to be innocent and gentle and not harm other living creatures. Duror is self aware and understands that he is becoming evil. He understand that he is plotting to get rid of Calum and he is going to use Lady Runcie Campbell in his scheme. By telling her lies about Calum. Yet he cannot understand why his feelings continue to darken. It is a troubling symbolism as trees are fed from natural sources like water and the sun. Yet Durors madness is fuelled by a deep rooted angry hatred of Calum. Just as Durors evil is growing and getting bigger so to is this evil tree spreading its way through Durors mind growing and goring making his madness unbearable.

The woods, representing the Garden of Eden. While the outside world is filled with the death and destruction of the ongoing war, the woods are filled with life and colour. Lady Runcie Campbell struggles to make her own decisions as she views the cone gatherers as less and not worthy of several things. Lady Runcie Campbell refuses to give the cone men a lift in her car and her son exclaimed:At the outset of the novel we are introduced to the natural loving lifestyle of the cone gatherers as they are high up in the tree of the forest: both LRC and Duror are in contrast with Calum, as they see him as deformed and beneath them, Calum is loving and caring and views everyone as the same, so much that he helps the animals that he is at one with all the time. Calum views animals as equally important to himself and he is a gentle caring character.