The Cone Gatherers

infobox Book |
name = The Cone Gatherers
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author = Robin Jenkins
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country = Scotland
language = English
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genre = Novel
publisher = Macdonald
release_date = 1955
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
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"The Cone Gatherers" (also "The Cone-Gatherers") is a novel by the Scottish writer Robin Jenkins, first published in 1955.

The background to the novel comes from Jenkins' own wartime experience as a conscientious objector doing forestry work.

Plot summary

Two brothers, Calum (a simple-minded hunchback) and Neil, are working in the forest of a Scottish country house during the Second World War, gathering cones that will replenish the forest which is to be cut down for the war effort. The harmony of their life together is shadowed by the obsessive hatred of Duror, the gamekeeper, who since childhood has disliked anything he finds "mis-shapen".

Lady Runcie-Campbell, the aristocratic landowner, dislikes having the two brothers on the estate, and tries to avoid communicating with them. She is embarrassed by her son, Roderick, who is friendly and welcoming to the brothers.

The obsession Duror has for the brothers grows stronger, leading to the climax, when Lady Runcie-Campbell discovers Calum hanging dead from a tree, having been shot by Duror, who subsequently shoots himself.

Major themes

The novel covers several themes, perhaps the most obvious being sacrifice; Neil's sacrifice for his brother, the sacrifice of the forest being cut down, and the ultimate sacrifice of Calum himself. There is close examination of good and evil, intertwined with Neil's jealousy and hatred for the Lady Runcie-Campbell and her family, and in turn Lady Runcie-Campbell's jealousy and hatred for the two brothers working on the estate. Her turmoil between trying to appear to be Christian, and upholding her aristocratic background recurs throughout the novel.

ignificance

"The Cone Gatherers" is inevitably compared to John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" due to the similarities in theme, plot and characters, although the novel grew directly out of Jenkins' personal experiences in the Second World War.

The novel is often used in Scottish secondary schools, where it is sometimes taught as part of the Higher English curriculum.