The Cone Gatherers Flashcards
“A destroyer had steamed seawards…”
The word choice of ‘destroyer’ has connotations of ruin and destruction. The introduction of the warship, therefore, introduces the theme of war. The sibilance with ‘steamed seawards’ emphasises the impact of the ship through sound. Sibilance often has negative connotations which emphasise the negative presence.
Duror about John Farquarson (“soldiering in Africa”): “The envy that he felt, corrosive and agonising, was again reduced outwardly to a faint smile.”
Duror is burning up with jealousy as he wants to fight in the war. The contrast between ‘smile’ and ‘envy’ highlights that he is masking his emotions – this will not be helping his mental health.
“Didn’t somebody say on the wireless that in war-time everybody’s equal?”
This quote relates to the key themes of class division and war. The alliterative ‘everybody’s equal’ highlights the key idea that after the war the class system will be damaged and there will be more equality.
“… the mansion behind its giant private fence of silver firs.”
The word choice of “giant” suggests they create an effective barrier (representing the insurmountable class barrier). The word choice of “silver” has connotations of precious metal and wealth emphasising how rich the family are. Finally, the metaphor of the ‘fence’ highlights the metaphorical class barrier between the cone gatherers and the family of the estate.
“… he was as indigenous as squirrel or bird… Chaffinches fluttered round him, ignoring his brother…”
The word choice of “indigenous” emphasises Calum’s belonging in nature. The chaffinches are an allusion to St Francis of Assissi, emphasising Calum’s pure and innocent nature. In contrast, the chaffinches ignore Neil, highlighting that he is not ‘at one’ with nature.
“…overspreading tree of revulsion in him…”
Duror’s tree becomes a motif throughout the novel. This is natural imagery but it has been corrupted. His “revulsion” (disgust) is inspired by Calum but he cannot control its growth within him. - Metaphor
“… the Germans were putting idiots and cripples to death in gas chambers. Outwardly, as everyone expected, he condemned such barbarity; inwardly… he had profoundly approved.”
To everybody else, Duror acts like he doesn’t like what the Nazi’s are doing to disabled people (killing them). Secretly, he actually agrees with what they are doing.
“Other boys had stripped the wings off flies, he had been compelled to squash the desecrated remains…”
This tells us Duror’s motivation. Even as a child, he felt he had to destroy anything that was imperfect. “Compelled” suggests he had no choice. “Desecrated” suggests he felt the remains had been ruined.
“To hate the hunchback… was reasonable; but to… covet his hump, his deformed body… was, in fact, already to have begun the exchange.”
It makes sense to Duror for him to hate Calum. However, we see here (through the word choice of ‘covet’) that he is actually jealous of Calum’s hump and wants it for himself. They are opposites. Duror is corrupt on the inside, beautiful on the outside. Calum is pure on the inside and deformed on the outside.
Duror about his deer drive plan: “… a conscious surrender to evil… the dwarf… must be driven by the sight of butchered deer into a drivelling obscenity.”
The word choice of “conscious surrender” tells us that he is making a choice to follow an evil path. “Dwarf” reduces Calum to his physical traits. “Drivelling obscenity” highlights that Duror wants to reveal Calum’s weakness for animals in front of everyone.
Duror to Effie (Mrs Morton) “The hunchback’s not right in the head… The papers are often full of what such misbegotten beasts have done… I’m referring, of course, to assaults on wee lassies.”
The word choice of ‘beasts’ relates to the motif in the novel where Duror suggests Calum is animal-like. Here he is capitalising on the widely-believed (but obviously false) idea at the time that there is a link between learning-difficulties and sexual assaults. He is suggesting that Calum is a risk for this.
“..if you [Duror] are convinced his reluctance is genuine, for whatever reason, just leave him in his tree to gather his cones.”
Lady R-C leaves the decision up to Duror. If she had met Calum she may not have forced him since he is also physically incapable of taking part easily (it’s not just his love of animals as Tulloch and Duror suggest). Her leaving it up to Duror is a weakness and shows her doubt in her own decisions.
“… he was like a tree still straight, still showing green leaves; but underground death was creeping along the roots.”
Here we see Duror’s jealousy as he cannot climb like Calum can. The natural imagery highlights that although Duror can still put on a good face, he sees himself as corrupted from within.
Neil about Lady R-C: “Does she think she can treat us like dirt one day, and the next order us about?”
This links to the key theme of social class. Here we see Neil’s class resentment. He is not happy about having to follow Lady R-C’s rulings (because he believes she treated them badly by refusing to give them the beach hut).
“When Calum saw them, his cry was of delight and friendship, and then of terrified warning as the dogs too, and Duror, caught sight of them and rushed in pursuit.”
There is a contrast here between Calum’s reaction to the deer (joy and delight) and Duror’s reaction (pursuit and violence).
