Higher English : Critical Essays : Cone Gatherers : Character + Theme

disclaimer: This essay is not a model essay. It will not get 20/20, and is simply for future reference for myself. If you wish to read it and pick up ideas from it feel free to do so.

Choose a novel or short story which has a character important to the main theme. Explain the characters role, and how the characters fate casts light on the theme. 

  

"The Cone Gatherers" by Robin Jenkins is a book which explores the theme of good versus evil. The book is based around the everyday life of Callum and Neil, two cone gatherers at the time of the second world war. We understand that their boss, Duror, despises them and this creates conflict in the novel which ultimately leads to the death of Callum. I will be discussing the character of Duror, who represents evil throughout the novel. Duror's role in the book is to represent evil and cause conflict between Callum and himself.  

  

At the start of the book, we are made aware of Durors hatred towards Callum. We understand that Callum represents good through the quote - "beautiful with trust". This emphasises Callums innocence and allows us to see the difference between the characters of Callum and Duror. We understand Durors hatred towards Callum though the quote - "He hated the hunchback so profoundly". This suggests that he has evil intent only for Callum, while also showing us the extent to which it impacts upon his mental state. We are also aware of the deterioration of Duror's mental state at the deer hunt. We are told that Duror's wife, Peggy, is obese and cannot move. During the hunt, Duror kills a deer and pictures it as Peggy - "what has happened to Peggy?" This suggests he wishes to kill his wife, which creates the idea that Duror is violent and discontent with his home life.  

  

Throughout the book, Duror is associated with trees. This foreshadows events, and allows us to understand that he is losing control of himself. The images of trees crescendo - from the "idea sprouting" to "felt his sap poisoned" and ultimately "death was creeping along the roots. This allows us to see that Duror is mentally unfit, and this is closely linked to the books other crucial theme of nature. As Duror is unable to control his body it is contrasted with Callums complete control over his body in the animal world. We can see Callums animal like nature through "as discreet as a squirrel" which Jenkins uses to suggest Callum is incredibly quiet and at one with nature. It builds on the idea of good and evil as we are aware that Callum intends good towards nature, as he feels apart of it and Duror intends to destroy nature & kill life in anyway possible through scenes such as the Deer Hunt which gives him "berserk joy" to end the Deer's life. 

  

We become less aware of Durors motives and thought process as the novel goes on. At the start, we realise "Duror was alone in his obsession". We understand he is the only one that hates deformity - in this case Callum and his wife Peggy, and allows us to see that he is very much rogue in his mind. "felt in the mood for murder" foreshadows the books dramatic climax. It is the main quotation that allows us to realise Durors motives, and builds upon the idea that he has this "evil plan" of what he plans to do to Callum. During the last few chapters, we are unaware of Durors thought process as his thoughts are not shown to the reader. We do realise that he is worsening, as "his tie askew" suggests he has lost interest in keeping up with how he looks, possibly indicating his lack of care for social interaction & detached emotions he is feeling. We are aware, that at this stage Callum has been depicted as Christ. "His going therefore.... a crucifixion" suggests Callums death is much like that of Christ. This builds up to the scene were Duror shoots Callum while Callum was collecting cones, allowing us to see that Roderick, the son of the lady who owned the estate where Callum collected his cones, was right when saying "good did not always win".  

  

To conclude, The Cone Gatherers uses the character of Duror to symbolise evil in the key theme of the Conflict between good and evil. He depicts his evil through skilled use of imagery and reference to trees, while building interest in the reader by keeping his thought process hidden from the reader as the novel progresses. We clearly see the stages of Durors mental deterioration, and are subjected to the saddening loss of the innocent & peaceful character of Callum. This builds on the idea of Duror, allowing us to clearly see his role in the books main theme.