“… the mansion behind its giant private fence of silver firs.”
- The word choice of “giant” suggests they create an effective barrier (representing the insurmountable class barrier).
- The word choice of “silver” has connotations of a precious metal and wealth emphasising how rich the family are.
- Finally, the metaphor of the ‘fence’ highlights the metaphorical class barrier between the cone gatherers and the family of the estate.
“I suppose it is sentimental of me to think that a living deer is much handsomer than a dead one.”
- Here Lady R-C tells Duror that she does not enjoy killing deer as she thinks they’re beautiful creatures.
- This shows that she is hypocritical as she does not support Calum in his similar beliefs (she forces him to take part in the deer drive).
“Duror noticed that in spite of the confidence in her voice the hand holding the telephone trembled… He guessed that within her was a struggle between her Christian sympathy for the weak-minded hunch-back and her pride as a patrician.”
- “Telephone trembled” is alliterative and tells us that she is nervous while taking charge. She has never had to do this before as her husband was always the one in charge.
- Lady R-C’s inner conflict is highlighted with the contrast between her ‘Christian sympathy’ and ‘pride as a patrician.’
- Lady R-C wants to be a good Christian, but she feels she has to be a good landowner (so she feels like she has to act as her husband would have).
“..if you [Duror] are convinced his reluctance is genuine, for whatever reason, just leave him in his tree to gather his cones.”
- Lady R-C leaves the decision up to Duror. If she had met Calum she may not have forced him since he is also physically incapable of taking part easily (it’s not just his love of animals as Tulloch and Duror suggest). Her leaving it up to Duror is a weakness and shows her doubt in her own decisions.
“they were to be like insects, not bees or ants which could sting and bite but tiny flies which could do no harm…”
- This quote sums up the idea that Neil feels that they are at the bottom of the hierarchy of the forest – below even the bees and ants. They can do no damage (even accidentally) as shown when Calum accidentally breaks a branch and Neil gets really angry at him. This links to the theme of class division.
“If she wants our help, let her come and ask for it… We could have perished in the storm, for all she cared.”
- Here we see the consequences of Lady R-C’s actions. Neil refuses to help her as she has treated them so poorly. This symbolises the break down of the class system (people are no longer willing to follow it just because of rank).
Lady R-C: “Graham, will you come with me?.. No, I was forgetting, Graham. You must be tired. Stay here and rest…”
- This shows a fundamental change in Lady R-C. She considers Graham’s age and health (as she didn’t do before for him or the cone gatherers). Neil’s refusal has had an immediate impact.
“She could not pray. But she could weep; and as she wept pity, and purified hope, and joy, welled up in her heart.”
- “She could not pray” suggests that Lady R-C recognises her failings as a Christian.
- “Purified” suggests that with Duror’s destruction the wood has now been cleansed (made pure).
- “Hope” suggests that Lady R-C now looks to the “abundant future” positively, and is no longer desperate to preserve the old ways.
Neil about Lady R-C: “Does she think she can treat us like dirt one day, and the next order us about?”
- This links to the key theme of social class. Here we see Neil’s class resentment. He is not happy about having to follow Lady R-C’s rulings (because he believes she treated them badly by refusing to give them the beach hut).
Lady R-C: “To obey Christ by being humble must mean to betray her husband, and also, perhaps, to amuse her equals.”
- The word choice of ‘humble’ relates to Christ’s meekness and suggests that Lady R-C’s Christian side would like to reflect that.
- However, the word choice of ‘betray’ emphasises that her husband requires her to maintain her status as landowner.
- Also, “amuse” emphasises that her peers (other landowners) would lose respect for her. This again relates to Lady R-Cs inner conflict between her Christianity and status as a baroness.
“The door was flung open to the accompaniment of the loudest peal of thunder since the start of the storm.”
- The pathetic fallacy adds mood.
- “Loudest peal” tells us that this is an event of the greatest importance – the storm is at its highest.
- The real storm in the chapter is between Lady R-C and the cone gatherers. They offended her previously (the Deer Drive) and now they do so again. She does not let them stay (as her Christian conscience would have allowed).
- She forces them out into the dreadful weather – her social upbringing leads her to take a decision which removes sympathy from her and places it on the cone gatherers.
