The Cone Gatherers By Robin Jenkins Biography Robin

The Cone Gatherers By Robin Jenkins

Biography • Robin Jenkins was born in Cambuslang in 1912 and educated at Hamilton Academy and Glasgow University. He was a conscientious objector during WW 2 and worked in forestry-a direct link with `The Cone Gatherers. ` He taught English in various parts of Scotland in 1956 went to Afghanistan to teach before travelling to Spain and Malaysia. He eventually returned to Scotland was based in Dunoon. He began writing at the age of 38. He died in 2005.

Plot Summary The novel is set in WW 2 on a Scottish country estate. Two brothers, Calum and Neil are employed to pick cones to help reseed the forest. Neil is the older brother and has a sense of injustice because he has had to give up thoughts of independence and marriage to look after Calum. Neil is also bitterly angry about the unfairness of class division in the form of Lady Runcie Campbell. Calum, a hunchback is loathed by the Gamekeeper, Duror who hates deformity and does all in his power to remove the two cone gatherers from `his` forest. Ironically, Duror`s wife is in her own way deformed as she is bedridden and enormously fat. We are then introduced to the rest of the Runcie Campbell family; Roderick, the son and heir, Sheila, his sister and Captain Forgan who is LRC`s brother. Duror persuades LRC to involve the cone gatherers in a deer hunt, knowing that Calum will find that unbearable and in the hope that he will refuse and show himself up to LRC, however it is Duror that exposes his flaws by savagely cutting a deer`s throat and calling out his wife`s name as Calum tries to comfort the wounded beast. LRC is furious with the brothers and says they have to go, however Roderick and Tulloch both defend them so she relent On Saturday, the brothers go to Lendrick by bus and are made welcome in contrast to conscientious objectors who are shunned by the villagers- and Neil. LRC has driven her children and Duror into Lendrick and meet the brothers by accident. Roderick suggests that they drive them back to the estate but Sheila and LRC disagree. Duror visits the doctor and finds out there is nothing physically wrong with him. He refuses to accept the doctor`s advice and goes to the pub where he sees the brothers drinking. We find out more about the background of the brothers-that their mother committed suicide.

Plot summary 2 LRC visits Peggy-Duror`s wife and we learn through her thoughts about her husband`s beliefs and her father[who had been a judge] and his notion of practical charity. When she returns from the visit she tells Roderick to go out into the sunshine. She warns him to avoid The Cone Gatherers but Roderick decides to give them the gift of a cake. In the forest he encounters Duror spying near the Cone Gatherers` hut and he hides. He leaves the cake which is eaten by insects. While Neil and Calum are working in the trees, a storm breaks out. They go to the beach hut and light a fire to dry out. However LRC, Sheila and Roderick also go to the hut to escape the storm. She is furious at the brothers and orders them out. Sheila is in agreement but Roderick takes this cruelty badly. Tulloch learns what happened and tells LRC he will replace the brothers with conscientious objectors. Neil volunteers to stay to the end of the week and even longer if LRC apologises to both him and Calum. However LRC and Roderick argue about her treatment of the brothers and she decides to send them away. While she is discussing this with Tulloch, Duror appears with a doll and makes disgusting allegations about Calum. LRC tells him to go home and she discusses his behaviour with Tulloch.

Plot Summary 3 Meanwhile Roderick decides to show solidarity with The Cone Gatherers and to prove to himself [after seeing Duror in the forest] that he is not a coward. He climbs high into a silver fir and gets trapped. LRC sends Archie Graham for the brothers. When Graham delivers the message, Neil refuses to go. He says that he is not her servant and he will only help if she comes and asks in person. Graham goes back to deliver this response to LRC and on the way meets Duror and tells him about the brothers and his failure to get them to help. Duror heads in the direction of the brothers without speaking to Graham. LRC decides she will go and speak to Neil and Calum but on the way there she hears the sound of a gun. She then sees Calum`s body dangling from the tree and hears another shot. She knows that Duror has killed himself. She hears Sheila shouting that Roderick is saved and has been helped down. The novel closes with LRC going down on her knees while blood and cones fall and mingle.

Plot Points • There are 3 main incidents in the novel: • The Deer Hunt-reveals Duror`s flaws • The Beach Hut- reveals LRC social injustice • The murder of Calum and suicide of Durorlinked with themes of change through symbolism etc

Characters • Calum- spiritual, saint like, pure and innocent. Epitomises goodness, looks up to his brother, loves nature, doesn`t understand violence and cruelty, speaks to all as equals. Physically deformed, but with an angelic face, mentally naive, all instinct, childlike, good at carving • Neil- older brother to Calum, loves, resents and worries about Calum, fierce regarding social injustice yet ambivelant in his treatment of others, athiest, wordly wise, practical, keen sense of his rights,

Characters • Duror-obsessive, hates anything deformed, desperately unhappytried to enlist 3 times, sexual repressed, bitter about his life, cruel and manipulative, lies about Calum to others, brooding, descends into evil or madness • Peggy- now obese and bedridden. Speaks in a very simple, almost stupid way. Yet had been active and pretty. Miserable and whining and constantly harking back to her past. • Mrs Lochie- hard, dour and considers looking after her daughter[Peggy] a Christian duty. Dislikes Duror and is constantly pointing out his faults to him and tries to get him into trouble with LRC. Angry at God for the fate of her daughter –and her.

Characters • Lady Runcie Campbell- Wife of Sir Colin, estate owner. Has strong Christian beliefs which are in conflict with her position as Landowner and Lady of the Manor. Very beautiful. Thinks she is being fair but is quick to be persuaded by Duror. She is in charge of the estate in her husband`s absence but knows the situation will change back after the war. She asks others for their views and is prepared to change her mind. She is often caught between duty, the ideas of her husband the ideas of her father. Is trying to be a good estate owner. • Roderick- clumsy, physically awkward, has been removed from school for unspecified reasons. Tries hard to be like the brothers, wants to be physically agile. Has a very strong sense of fairness and justice and isnt afraid of speaking out to his mother. Is very imaginative and sees the wood like some magical place for Knights. • Sheila- a spoilt brat- a contrast to her brother- the snobbery of social class. Lacks compassion and is mocking and hard to the brothers.

Characters • Dr Mathieson-seems selfish and greedy but is shrewd regarding Duror`s mental state. • Tulloch- A good man. He is sympathetic towards the brothers but can be detached and say what he sees. He is well thought of and LRC respects his opinions. He tries to be fair to her but is on the side of the brothers. He is also fair to the conscientious objectors even though his own brother was killed in the war. He stands for fairness and compassion and reason. • Effie Morton- easily swayed by Duror although she is generally sensible and kind. She is physically attracted to Duror but he uses her kindness and gullibility.

Setting • Time-World War Two- references to a destroyer, rationing, siege of Stalingrad, soldiers on leave, enlisting, conscientious objectors etc • Time of social upheaval- communism, social order will change- LRC as landowner etc] • At the end of the novel we are brought full circle and there is a reference to a warship in the loch. We cannot escape the wider reality of WW 2 • Place- a wood, an enclosed space which can be claustrophobic. Duror sees the forest as his place, his refuge and the Cone Gatherers have defiled it; Roderick sees it in terms of magic and heroism- what he aspires to; Calum is at home with nature; Neil is hostile to it. What happens in the forest is a microcosm of the violence in the wider world. The forest itself is neither good nor evil but it is what characters bring to it.

Themes • Conflict- setting, characters [Duror and Calum], social class [LRC and Neil] [LRC; position and belief] • Change – Social Class- tensions within society • Good- symbolised by Calum • Evil- symbolised by Duror

Symbolism Cones- rebirth, change, a new way Nature-things have a certain order Trees- silver firs- symbol of class division Trees – rotten tree- symbolic of Duror`s mental state • Calum- symbol of goodness- religious imagery • •

Structure • Fable- read Aesop`s fable with the class • Allegory- Garden of Eden- read Genesis

Learning and Teaching ideas

Listening http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=VV 3 Dmvl. Rc YI • I get the class to listen to this piece and write down all the different feelings it evokes. Then I link it to the atmosphere in the opening chapter

Prior Knowledge • • What do you know about: Conscientious objectors Concentration camps in Germany WW 2 - home front Rationing North African battles Siege of Stalingrad

Connotations • What do these words make you think of? • Homely rests comfortable as chairs • Silence seals playing tag blue sky • Misted in the morning

Connotations • What do these words make you think of? • • • A destroyer had steamed seaward Sudden and swifter than hawks Aeroplanes had shot down from the sky Camouflage Gunshots had cracked

Setting

Who lives in a house like this?

Textual Analysis • It was a good tree by the sea-loch, with many cones and much sunshine; it was homely too, with rests among its topmost branches as comfortable as chairs. • Mini analysis task • In pairs decide on what the atmosphere is. • Then pick out the techniques that helped you decide.

Reading tasks • Each group answers one or two questions on a chapter and the class do this as a grafitti board exercise, filling in gaps, putting question marks at any points they don`t agree with or understand • Each person creates a cartoon of each chapter identifying the key points and using colour etc symbolically

Reading Tasks • Each person fills in a table mat on a chapter using the following prompts • What is the factual information you learned from the chapter? • What did you learn about the characters motivations? • Who did you feel most/least sympathy for and why? • How did the author present theme? • What did you like most about the character/setting/plot? • What did you like least about the character/setting/plot?

Diamond Nine • Most sympathetic to least sympathetic • Most misunderstood to least misunderstood • Most to least moral • Most realistic to least realistic

Wordle • Each group is responsible for creating a Wordle of one character`s quotations from the novel • Using Bloom`s Taxonomy question starters, each group makes up questions on a specified chapter to ask the rest of the class • Each group has to create a board game of the novel and teach the rest of the class how to play

Walking debates • Evil thrives when good men do nothing • LRC will be unable to make a permanent change • Roderick will revert to his class roots • Are Calum and Neil in a symbiotic relationship? • Does Duror need to hate something/someone to validate his existence?

Textual Analysis Read from `It was Calum who first saw the deer. . To `”Peggy? ” he asked. “What`s happened to Peggy? ” 1. Summarise what happens in this extract from the novel. Make at least three key points. 2. Look at Paragraph 1. What is the mood or atmosphere created by the writer and how does the writer use structure effectively to create this mood or atmosphere? 3. Look at the paragraph, `Calum was no longer one of the beaters. ` Show any two examples of the writer`s use of language contribute to a sense of danger or tension. 4. Read from `Screaming in sympathy, heedless of the danger. . To Blood spouted. ` What is revealed about Duror through these lines? 5. By referring to this extract and to at least two other incidents from elsewhere in the novel explain how the character of Duror changes and deteriorates as the story progresses.

Resources • http: //www. bbc. co. uk/scotland/education/eng/c ones/ • http: //www. arts. gla. ac. uk/Scot. Lit/ASLS/Laverock. Robin_Jenkins. html • Scot Notes • Higher pack on The Cone Gatherers • Scran • lynne. ferguson@falkirk. gov. uk