The Cone Gatherers

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 five autumn days (Monday to Thursday) in 1943, 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". We also learn that because of his wife's illness where she lies in her bed all day growing larger, he relates to Calum in the sense of his deformity and thus conveys a reason why he grew so much resentment towards him.

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.

Symbolism
The novel is filled with heavy symbolism, including some of the following:
 * The woods, representing the Garden of Eden. While the outside world is filled with the death and destruction of the ongoing war, the woods are filled with life and colour.
 * Calum, embodying innocence and purity. Calum is symbolised as Jesus throughout the novel and this eventually leads to his depiction as Jesus being crucified when he is murdered by Duror at the end of the novel.
 * Duror, embodying darkness, and a parallel for the serpent in the Garden of Eden
 * Roderick, demonstrating social equality
 * Lady Runcie-Campbell & Neil, both epitomising their polarised views of the social class division
 * The cones - symbolising renewal, regeneration
 * Calum symbolising the crucifixion of Jesus - sacrificed himself to erase all human sins. Links to Calum's sacrifice as the break in divide of social class and war

Significance
The Cone Gatherers has sometimes been 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 taught as part of the Higher English curriculum.

Adaptations
The novel was adapted for the stage by Peter Arnott and toured by Aberdeen Performing Arts in 2012.