CONE GATHERERS- DUROR

extended metaphor for a decaying tree, casts shade eventually grows fruit (outcomes)

"over-spreading tree of revulsion." "OVER-SPREADING" suggests it will overwhlem him and affect others. "REVUSLION." powerful word choice for disgust foreshadows his madness?

"He had not anticipated.. the sickening of his very will to hate."

word choice " SICKENING." suggests a decline in duror, he is becoming ill

"He was like a tree still straight, still showing green leaves, but underground death was creeping along the roots."

context- begins assending tree to tell C&N their assitance is required as beaters in the deer drive.

Similie on outside appears sane, false appearance he puts on, underneath/internally he gradually becoming less and less mentally stable. Also foreshadows his inevitable death.

similie comparing duror's outward appearance with that of a tree "straight." suggest outwardly appears stable and upright. colour "green" has connotation of good health suggesting duror's madness is outwardly unrecognisable. however colour is also associated with envy perhaps depicting his jealously of the cone gatherers, especially calum, being able to climb the tree with such grace and ease unlike himself.

imagery of "death crepping along the roots." is a metpahor for duror's internal corruption and madness highening, also foreshadows end is near

"God knew how many inhibtions, repressions and complexes were twisting and coiling there,like snakes of damnation."

religious connotations, imagery, comparing duror's condition with the devil  who in the garden of eden took the form of a "snake" associated with evil

"damnation" foreshadowes Duror's tragic death

"The sweetness of her youth still haunting amidst the great wobbling masses of pallid fat..."

Word choice of "HAUNTING." suggests that peggy is now a ghost of her former self, evokes sympathy.

the imagery of "wobbling masses of pallid fat." peggy literally symbolises the extent of duror's internal problems.

"He felt in the mood for murder, ****, or sucide."

foreshadows outcome of novel, murders calum then commits suicide. **** suggests sexual fustration as a result of peggy's obesity and uglieness being the root of his madness.

unusual punctuation of the comma after **** allows reader to pause for thought emphasising the horrifficness of these acts.

pauses could also reflect unstaleness of Duror's sanity and his disjointed thinking, contrasting greatly with his outward appearance.

physical positioning on edge of pier highlights a man on the brink.

actions he considers are associated with brutality but also finality.

direct contrast between outward appearance and inner feelings.

"He walked slow but steadily."

outwardly appears sane, he walks calmly however word choice of "BUT" suggests deliberately putting on a false appearance.

"Since childhood Duror has been repleeed by anything that had an imperfection or deformity."

illustrates that duror had always been disliked anything less than perfect.

ironic that duror's imperfection is that he cannot stand imperfection.

"He felt as terrified and desolate as an infant child seperated from his mother in a great crowd."

word choice "infant" has connotations of immaturity and innocence and is associated with depending on another. perhaps suggests duror's madness is still in early stages, in it's infancy and has along way to still progress until it reaches it's full capacity.

word choice "mother." has connotations of stability associated with love and care, this serperation perhaps suggests that Duror is frightened of the little stability he has left being removed.

the imagery of duror being lost amongst this "great crowd." suggests duror feels extremely insignificant indicating his low self esteem and perhaps lost amongst his thoughts.

"More owls cried."

owls are predators, symbollic of duror crying out in hatrid, perhaps foreshadowing the approach of evil acting as a warning. noise is spooky/haunting sound associated with an attack. creates omnious mood, perhaps foreshadows durors attack on calum

"the owl could not be blamed; it lived according to its nature.."

word choice "blamed" suggests duror not responsible for actions. suggesting he was born evil and therefore agruable not responsible for evil actions "nature versus nurture debate."

"Duror had been afraid that in her presence he might feel shamed.."

duror is evil- lady rc religious figure symbollic of light which could make durors intertal evilness apparents and perhaps lead him away from the straight path

"Her father the judge had bequeathed to her... a determination to see right done, even at the expense of rank or pride."

Lady RC and Duror opposites, contrasting characters.

Duror determined to do wrong. Rank & pride everything to him. Irony that Duror sees himself as a superior to the inferior cone gatherers when he is one of the lower class. sense of rank causes him to see certain things as inappropriate ie-sharing car.

"Now he was going to lie again."

Lying is associated with deceitful behaviour and has connotations of evil. Duror is a compulsive liar depicting his true character; evil. His ability to lie to those above him in the social order suggests he is some what arrogant.

"At the edge of the harbour he halted and stared down at the water, which he could her slapping against the slimy wall."

Imagery of Duror staring downward is significant because it suggests his descent into evil is not yet complete. Duror is extremely uncomfortable when above ground level but he can still continue to fall.

"Halted." is coming to a sudden stop and is associated with reaching the end, perahps Duror has realised he is unable to end his own suffering.

Duror "stared" at the water suggesting he is looking for himself, seeking an answer in his reflection. However as it is dark he can see no reflection and therefore receives no answer.

"Another step and he'd fall.."

connotations of religion, "The Fall." is associated with humanitys fall from the garden of Eden and suggests a "fall" from good. Duror's character is symbolic of an eternal battle between good and evil.

"..enveloped in the bag of his own wish for death; perhaps; like the she-cat he'd once drowned..."

imagery depicts the removal of life and Duror as the killer. Throught the novel theme of live and death is portrayed through the setting during ww2 in which lives rapidly lost in great numbers. The natural cycle of life is also a significant aspect to the novel. Duror killing a female cat has great significance as the female species are the produces of life. Perhaps Duror drowned her because she kept having kittens. This characterises Duror as a murderer foreshadowing his later acts of evil.

The imagery of "enveloped" suggests Duror is surrounded, completely trapped with no escape, he is enclosed in his own madness with nothing but hope for it all to end. This evokes sympathy from the reader as the realisation that death is more preferable than life is expressed through the word choice "WISH."

"He was not a strong swimmer and would soon enough sink..."

This imagery suggest Duror is aware of human failure as well as his own flaws in acknowledging that he is  not a skilled simmer.

"her... mythical sense of responsibility as a representative of the ruling class."

perhaps suggests Duror's need to worship someone. Lady RC above him in social hierarchy, kind and generous (unlike him) lots of responsibility whilst he avoids his responsibilities to peggy.

easy to imagine duror viewing Lady RC as a god-like figure

"Duror often associated religion... with the smell of... her perfume."

Religion linked to scenes, scent of sexual attraction, worships Lady RC

"All that would happen would be a broke leg."

Duror appears to be in a state of utter helplessness, the word choice "broken." conveys the deterioration of his mental state beyond repair. Fears that he would even be incapable of even committing suicide emphasising the extent of his low self esteem.

"His triumph had become a handful of withered leaves."

"his life had been stunted, misshapen, obscene and hideous, and this misbegotten creature was its personification."

"Rushing upon the stricken deer and the frantic hunchback, he threw the latter off with furious force, and then, seizing the former's head with one hand cut the throat savagely with the other."

alliterative sounds of the fricative "f" in "furious force." reflects the unpleasantness of the situation.

word choice along with "savagely." show Duror has changed from a civilised person to a primitive beast.

occurs in front of majority of key characters, duror's problems no longer internal.

"Since your wife's illness you have never had relations with her?"

Dr Matheson a reliable character is used as a plot device to reveal the truth about the root of Duror's madness- sexual frustration.

"infinite desolation." "damnation" foreshadown earlier.

killing calum bring duror no satisfaction instead he is filled with an eternal emptiness- as a result he commits suicide.