Rodericks’s Pilgrimage• Focus on Roderick’s ‘pilgrimage’ and his reaction to the cone

gatherers’ expulsion from the hut. Trace his developing strengths and show to what degree you are sympathetic to his thoughts and feelings.

Pilgrimage - he is on a personal quest to ‘redeem’ the cone-gatherers and ‘protect them from the spite of Duror’; a visit to a place of sanctity or spiritualsignificance -- implies that he views the hut as being in someway symbolic ofpurity and innocence.Compares himself to Sir Galahad and Christian in a Pilgrim’s Progress - on a crusade for good - cake a symbol of reconciliation & friendshipImaginative - views the wood as being full of ‘magic and terror’ - a place of fantasy and enchantmentInnocent, idealistic and principled in his belief that he can right the wrongs of others - willing to stand up and speak up for what he believes is rightSeen by others as quixotic and naïve - old fashioned and out of touchSensitivity & perceptiveness - can instinctively sense the evil in DurorLike Calum - a social misfit yet he holds to the greater truths of life eg. Justice and compassion; physically weak but strong in principleKey idea - the greatest strengths are often found in the weakest

Theme of Evil• Focus on Roderick’s ‘pilgrimage’ and his encounter with and

perceptions of Duror. Explain in detail how Jenkins develops the theme of evil in this episode.

Idea introduced by Mrs Morton ‘there’s evil about’- ironically R interprets thisto mean DurorR’s purpose is blunted by evil ‘Duror was a barrier he could not pass’; thereforeno reconcilliation possibleDuror identified as an evil presence - his presence ‘began to infect the whole visible world with a sense of loss and desolation and fear. Every single leaf was polluted …’Use of darkness and light - the hut ‘irradiating a light illuminating every leaf on all the trees about it’ - represents the goodness emanating from Calum; Duror lurking in the shadows ‘no sunshine struck there, and even the luminance fromthe hut seemed to fail’ - evil in the shadows hidden from goodnessR imagines the evil Duror will do - murder & deathR questions his simplistic view of evil and good - see p119 - ultimately he failsin his quest - ‘In his den of yew Roderick grew cramped; and in an even darker,narrower den of disillusionment his mind whimpered’ - like Calum he cannotcope with evil but is transformed by his experienceSignificance - if R had been successful would Neil have helped rescue him thus preventing the tragedy at the end?

The Storm• Read again Jenkins’ description of the storm assessing its

effectiveness by referring to the literary techniques used.

Key turning point in the text - thunder associated with increasing violence andsymbolic of Duror’s disintegration - nature is torn apartStorm appears gradually - approaching clouds in the distance then the initial drops of rainSignificant - ‘in the expectancy before the storm, the tiny tots from onetransfigured branch to another could be clearly heard’ - transfigured - utterlytransformed and changed; glorifiedThunder is personified throughout; trees are personified in their terror; Neil andCalum compared to helpless woodliceAssociation of increasing violence of storm with bombs and destructionAssociation of LRC with the thunder - ‘the door was flung open to theaccompaniment of the loudest peal of thunder since the start of the storm’; theferocity and effect of her voice is similarly accentuated - ‘perhaps dampnessmade her voice hoarse, it nevertheless was far more appalling to the two menthan any thunder’ - her dramatic entrance coincides with the climax of the stormand her reactions in the circumstances are significant both as a test of her principles and as a prelude to Neil’s refusal to help at the endCalum’s visions of his mother in heaven perhaps foreshadows his death

The Beach Hut• ‘For God’s sake, get out!’ (Chap 11)

• Referring to both chapters in some detail, evaluate the power of these words of Lady Runcie-Campbell.

These words are ironic given her Christian pretensions as described at start of chapter 10 and her visit to PeggySituation is a test of her principles - she fails it and reverts to the code of her classReveals her true aristocratic attitudes - ‘the lower orders’She displays a condescending and disgusted attitude towards Calum - ‘sherecoiled from Calum, as if from something obnoxious’Words are accentuated as being an important revelation as they occur at the climaxof the storm - ‘the loudest peal of thunder’She is shocked by her son’s feelings of pity and resolves to put this rightThe reader loses any previous sympathy for LRC - we previously recognised herdilemma in being caught between her instinctive principles and the pressures ofher social status; now she is seen as vindictive, uncaring and cruel - she has reverted to type