Cone-Gatherers Plot – Summarising for the essay

Question What would you suggest Cone-gatherers is about? Can you say in three sentences!

The plot is an examination for the most part of Duror's descent into madness and the effect he has on those around him as he lashes out. It shows how he has been cursed by: having a beautiful loving wife who has turned into a monster in his eyes a nagging mother in law who destroys his already low self-esteem the implication about his lack of manliness after his rejection for service in the Army to help fight the war

When two brothers - strangers to the area - arrive they become pitted in a struggle with Duror. This conflict can be viewed in terms of the eternal struggle between Good and Evil. The two brothers are different; an embittered Neil who is contemptuous of the upper classes and the way they treat him, and the disabled hunchback with a beautiful face, Calum, who has little understanding of how people regard him.

The background is that the forest is to be cut down to help the war effort and the two brothers are to collect seed cones to enable replanting after the war. During their stay they are treated abominably by the estate owner's wife and daughter yet pitied by the son. They are housed in appalling conditions unfit for humans and forced to take part in a deer hunt which Neil does not want to do, and Calum is afraid to do as he loves all animals.

This is a major turning point in the novel, pointing the way to Duror's future madness and Calum's fear of what is happening to the forest and its creatures which now include him. Another turning point is the storm scene when, after taking shelter in a beach hut, the brothers are forced out by the Lady of the estate and her petulant and spiteful daughter.

Finally, the ending is both dramatic and horrific as Duror, by now almost totally insane, murders Calum and then shoots himself as an act of redemption. By the end Duror has caused so much grief yet has also set the scene for the other characters to atone and perhaps do better in the future, apart from Calum. The fact that he has been murdered gives the other characters a Christ-like figure to revere or remember.

Future Tasks Summarising the plot for exam Remember that when you write a Critical Essay (CE) you should include a very short ( words - NO MORE) plot summary. Do not assume that the marker has read The Cone Gatherers at all.

Example One "During World War Two, a Highland estate is about to have large numbers of trees cut down to aid the war effort. Two brothers are sent to the estate to collect pine cones for the seed to re-establish the forest after it is felled. The plot revolves around the relationships between the brothers, one of whom is mentally disabled, a hunchback, and is the subject of a hate campaign by the local gamekeeper who is himself increasingly unstable. The story also shows the class system that was in existence at the time and how people lived and worked in a remote area which causes more stresses amongst them. The plot has three main turning points including a deer hunt, a storm and the final tragedy when the disabled brother is shot and killed by the now deranged gamekeeper who then kills himself with the same gun. "

Example Two "In WW2, a Highland estate has to have large numbers of trees cut down to aid the war effort. Two brothers are sent to collect pine cones for seed to re-establish the forest after it is cut down. The plot is about relationships between the brothers, one of whom is mentally disabled and a hunchback, who becomes the target of the local gamekeeper who is himself unstable. The story also shows the class system that was in existence at the time and how people lived and worked in a remote area which causes more stresses. The plot has three turning points: a deer hunt, a storm and the final tragedy when the disabled brother is murdered by the gamekeeper who then kills himself."

Example Three "The story is set in World War 2 in Highland Scotland, and is about a series of events that occur between the cone gatherers who are sent to collect seed cones to replant a forest after it was cut down to help with the war and the local people. It shows the class system being destroyed as a result of the war, the way peoples' lives are disrupted by it and the volatile relationships in the novel."