Good vs Evil- The Cone Gatherers

Eilidh, Becca, Ross

Calum Pure and innocent. Calum finds joy in small things, his simplicity

makes him content with . - ‘In the tree here was calum’s happiness’

Comparisons to Jesus- ‘His going therefor must be a destruction, an agony, a crucifixion’ While he detests him, even Duror sees the Christ-like goodness in Calum. He values him as high as Jesus and wants Calum’s murder to be symbolic of him.

‘Calum, demoralised as always by hatred.’- Calum reacts to hate as if it is a personal insult. It goes against all he believes in and makes him feel as though he has done something wrong, as it evokes confusion in him.

Duror ‘Since childhood Duror had been repelled by anything living that had

an imperfection or deformity or lack.’- Duror does not have regular human reactions and emotions to things. His default is to detest, rather than to connect and feel sympathy because here he would be opening up and would have more to loose.

‘He was like a tree still straight, still showing green leaves; but underground death was creeping along the roots.’- On the outside Duror looks normal, he gives no clues as to his declining mental state. He is experiencing inner, mental decay- it is completely out of his control.

‘That he should envy so misbegotten and godforsaken an imbecile as the hunchback was surely the ultimate horror, madness itself?’- Duror hates Calum because he has what Duror does not: Happiness. Duror recognises this even though he is mentally declining. In knowing this, it almost makes Duror hate him more. Calum has a control over him, but Duror is the one who has invented and feeds this control.

Summary One of the main themes throughout the novel is good vs evil. This

is, mainly, portrayed through the relationship between Calum and Duror. Duror uses Calum as an outlet for his own personal hatred, while Calum is largely unaware of this. Duror confuses his self hatred for hatred towards Calum- he blames him for his own troubles. Therefor giving off a more evil vibe.

Bibliography The cone Gatherers- Robin Jenkins