Key Incident - The Beach Hut
Chapter 11 and 14
Purpose of Analysis
In the key incident we learn about:
- Duror’s evil lies
- Calum’s goodness
- further evidence of Duror’s evil
- some understanding of the nature of Duror’s evil.
This incident is important because it reinforces Duror’s evil intent, further developing the theme.
In pairs complete the following tables to give details of how some understanding of Duror’s evil nature is revealed.
Context(Understanding) / Textual Reference
(Quote / Evidence) / Comments on Evidence
(Analysis)
Neil and Calum are working up in the trees when they notice a storm in the distance. / “Then that cascade of light streaming into the larch ceased, leaving it dark and cold. Black clouds were now overhead. Thunder snarled. Colour faded from the wood. A sough of wind shook the gloomy host of trees. Over the sea flashed lightning.” (pg 149) / The storm is both physical and metaphorical; trouble is brewing for the Conegatherers and danger is headed their way. The reference to “light...ceased” and darkness highlights the battle at work between good and evil and the writer makes use of pathetic fallacy to foreshadow what is about to happen.
Neil tries to persuade Calum to seek shelter from the storm in the beach hut, even though they are forbidden. / “I don't want you to do what you think is wrong, Calum; but sometimes we've got to choose between two things, neither of them to our liking.” (pg 152) / This shows, once again, Calum’s goodness and innocence; he does not want to go against the wishes of LRC and get into trouble. The reference to choosing “between two things” is significant as it reminds us of LRC herself and her struggle between her Christian morals and social duty. The irony is that it will be LRC who brings the metaphorical ‘storm’ to the CGs.
Neil looks around the beach hut and is immediately aware of the contrast between its luxury and the life he and Calum have in the shed. / “There were some pink basket chairs with a sofa to match, a table stained with different colours of paint, a carpet, a large hamper, and pictures on the walls. Looking at this luxury, Neil felt his rheumatism particularly painful. (pg 154) / The beach hut is a physical representation of the social divide that exists in the novel. Looking at the comforts brings a sense of physical pain to Neil; he is hurting both physically and emotionally from the life that he has to live.
Calum finds a broken doll in the toy box within the beach hut and immediately wishes to take it and fix it. / It was a small wooden doll, naked, with a comical red-cheeked face; one leg was missing. Calum held it tenderly. 'It's broken,' he murmured. (pg155) / Calum’s motivations for fixing the doll are entirely innocent; he sees the doll as a representation of himself. While he can fix the doll, there is no ‘fix’ for Calum. He holds it “tenderly”, showing the empathy he feels and the self-awareness of his own predicament. Despite the doll being naked, Calum is innocent to its sexual connotations; however these are not lost on Duror, which reveals the depth of depravity to which he has sunk.
On being discovered in the beach hut by Lady Runcie-Campbell, Neil is ashamed and embarrassed. / “...could not lift his head; he tried, so that he could meet the lady’s gaze at least once, no matter how scornful and contemptuous it was; but he could not. A lifetime of frightened submissiveness held it down.” (pg 157) / LRC is clearly annoyed with the CGs for their intrusion into the beach hut. The words “scornful” and “contemptuous” show the degree of her anger. This goes against her Christian values where, instead of throwing them out into the storm, she should be offering them shelter. Neil is ashamed and unable to even make eye contact with her. He is aware that what he has done has broken the unwritten code of society and that he is not the social equal of LRC. The use of “lifetime” makes it clear that this has been ingrained from an early age and a suffering that Neil has had all of his life.
Lady Runcie Campbell is talking to Mrs Lochie on the telephone, discussing Duror’s recent behaviour. / “…..but even as she made these reservations, into her mind kept coming some understanding of the horror that might be in Duror’s.” (p179) / Lady Runcie Campbell has seen the sinister transformation in Duror but she is also aware that Mrs Lochie exaggerates; LRC, as always, struggle to decide on what the truth of the matter really is. The revelation that Duror has Sheila’s doll and has made some foul suggestions makes her more aware of the evil inside Duror and the use of “horror” highlights that degree of depravity.
Duror brings Sheila’s doll to Lady Runcie Campbell andtells her he found it in the cone-gatherers hut. Mr Tulloch points to the fact that Calum would have taken it to make a new leg for it, but Duror informs her differently. / “…the mostloathsome accusations against the littlecone-gatherer……In Duror’s repetitious incoherence the word seed kept recurring.” (p192) / In Duror’s accusations against Calum he makes suggestions of a sexual nature, perhaps hinting at paedophilia. Duror’s evil lies show just how perverted and openly evil he has become. This contrasts with the “little cone-gatherer” which reminds us the innocence of Calum and his inability to do such a thing. His use of the word “seed” refers both to the cones and to the idea of impregnation and conception. This could relate back to Duror’s own sexual frustration and lack of children.
Mr Tulloch makes it quite clear that he thinks Duror is ill and telling lies. / “ ‘What he said about Calum were lies,’ he said.” (p158) / Mr Tulloch is the voice of common sense. Though he cannot fully explain Duror’s motive for slandering Calum, he is logical in his attempt to understand the extent of Duror’s evil. His inability to understand Duror’s motive is reflective of Duror himself, who is unable to explain his own hatred.
Lady Runcie Campbell is not entirely convinced that Duror’s unhappy circumstances should lead to such an attack on Calum. / “..unhappiness is no excuse for vicious slander.” (p158) / Tulloch’s logical explanation of Duror’s behaviour is that it is a simple dislike founded on instinct. He finds parallels in nature of similar instinctive or unreasonable behaviour and comments on the inexplicable way men in war could kill each other without any personal bias or hatred. This helps to assure Lady Runcie Campbell that although there is no excuse for his evil there is perhaps a way to explain it.