Villagers debate supernatural warnings
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Winstanley details strange occurrences in the village, including sudden noises, gusts of wind, and Jim's death, all since the dig began. Bert mentions cows going dry and hens stopping laying at his farm.
Bert and Girton try to write off those events, suggesting coincidence, or the weather, as explanations.
Winstanley raises the possibility that Hawthorne is right, while Bert jokes that if the "Old'un" comes, he'll be welcome as a customer, indicating the seriousness of disaster compared to economic needs.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Hesitant but increasingly uneasy. His surface-level skepticism ('Well, no, but...') masks a growing concern, as evidenced by his insistence on the strange occurrences and his challenge to Bert and Girton. He is caught between his rational worldview and the mounting evidence of the supernatural.
Winstanley, the village squire, serves as the reluctant bridge between skepticism and belief in the Cloven Hoof pub. He begins by praising Miss Hawthorne’s televised warnings, acknowledging her resolve, but quickly hedges his support with hesitation ('Oh, I'm not so sure she hasn't got a point. Broadly speaking, you know.'). He lists the village’s recent strange occurrences—unexplained noises, wind gusts, and Jim’s death—as evidence that something unnatural is afoot, directly linking these events to the Devil’s Hump dig. Though he stops short of fully endorsing Miss Hawthorne’s claims, his tone is concerned, and he challenges Bert and Girton’s dismissive attitudes, asking, 'Just suppose she's right, eh?' His physical presence in the pub—leaning in, perhaps, with a glass of ale in hand—contrasts with the skeptical posturing of Bert and Girton, signaling his role as a cautious but potential ally to the supernatural truth.
- • To defend Miss Hawthorne’s warnings without fully endorsing them (preserving his rational reputation while acknowledging the anomalies).
- • To plant seeds of doubt in Bert and Girton’s minds, encouraging them to consider the possibility of the supernatural.
- • The village has experienced unnatural disturbances (noises, wind, Jim’s death).
- • Miss Hawthorne’s warnings, while extreme, may contain a kernel of truth.
Implied as determined and frustrated (based on Winstanley’s defense of her and the villagers’ mockery). Her absence highlights the villagers’ rejection of her warnings, but Winstanley’s hesitant support suggests she may yet gain a reluctant ally.
Miss Hawthorne is the subject of heated debate in the Cloven Hoof pub, though she is not physically present. Winstanley defends her televised warnings about the Devil’s End dig and the impending supernatural threat, praising her resolve ('Good for Miss Hawthorne! She kept her end up jolly well.'). Bert and Girton, however, dismiss her as a 'delusional crank' and mock her claims of death and disaster. Her absence from the scene amplifies her role as the village’s lone voice of warning, a white witch whose arcane knowledge is ridiculed by those who refuse to see the signs. The television behind the bar, now switched off, symbolizes the villagers’ collective decision to ignore her plea.
- • To warn the village of the impending supernatural threat (via her televised broadcast).
- • To disrupt the Master’s ritual by alerting outsiders (e.g., the Doctor) to the danger.
- • The Devil’s Hump dig is awakening an ancient evil (Azal).
- • The villagers’ skepticism will be their undoing if they do not heed her warnings.
Feigned nonchalance masking deep anxiety. His jokes and dismissals are a defense mechanism, a way to assert control over the uncontrollable. Beneath the surface, his reference to the 'Old’un' suggests he is acutely aware of the threat, even if he refuses to acknowledge it.
Bert, the owner of the Cloven Hoof pub, embodies the villagers’ collective skepticism and dark humor in the face of the supernatural. He dismisses Miss Hawthorne as a 'delusional crank' and mocks the idea of her warnings, instead attributing the village’s disturbances to bad weather or coincidence. His most chilling line—'If the Old'un does come along here tonight, he can have my best room. My bread and butter, he is.'—reveals his callous indifference to the threat, treating the supernatural as a potential business opportunity rather than a danger. Physically, Bert is likely leaning against the bar, arms crossed, with a smirk on his face as he engages in the debate. His tone is dismissive, but his joke about the 'Old’un' (Azal) hints at an underlying unease, as if he is trying to laugh off his own growing fear.
- • To dismiss Miss Hawthorne’s warnings as nonsense, preserving the village’s rational worldview.
- • To deflect his own fear by treating the supernatural as a joke or a business opportunity.
- • The disturbances in the village are explainable (weather, coincidence).
- • Miss Hawthorne is a delusional crank whose warnings will disrupt the village’s normalcy.
Not applicable (deceased), but his death is treated with a mix of grief (Winstanley: 'poor old Jim') and indifference (Bert/Girton: attributed to weather). The villagers’ reactions reveal their emotional detachment from the supernatural’s encroachment.
Jim is referenced posthumously as the village’s first victim of the supernatural forces. His sudden death in the churchyard—caused by fright after Frank bolted into the area—is cited by Winstanley as evidence of the unnatural disturbances plaguing Devil’s End. Though absent from the scene, Jim’s fate looms over the conversation, serving as a grim reminder of the stakes. His death is treated as an anomaly, dismissed by Bert and Girton as mere coincidence or bad weather, but Winstanley’s hesitation suggests it weighs heavily on his mind.
- • None (deceased), but his death serves as a warning ignored by the skeptical villagers.
- • Posthumously, his fate forces the villagers to confront the possibility of the supernatural—though most refuse to do so.
- • The village was safe (a belief shattered by his death).
- • Frank’s instincts were reliable (implied by his trust in the dog’s behavior).
Inferred as fearful and alert (based on his earlier actions in the churchyard, which are referenced here). His absence in this scene underscores the villagers' denial of the supernatural.
Frank, Jim’s loyal dog, is referenced indirectly as the animal whose behavior—bolting into the churchyard and barking wildly—first foreshadowed the supernatural presence. Though not physically present in this scene, Frank’s actions are invoked by Bert as evidence of the unnatural disturbances (e.g., 'Frank was telling me his cows have gone dry'). His role here is symbolic, representing the raw, instinctual awareness of the supernatural that humans like Bert and Girton dismiss.
- • To warn Jim (and by extension, the village) of the supernatural threat through his behavior (bolting, barking).
- • To serve as a silent witness to the unnatural forces at play, even if his warnings are ignored.
- • The churchyard and Devil’s Hump are sites of danger (implied by his bolting).
- • Humans are blind to threats they cannot see or rationalize.
Surface-level skepticism masking potential fear. His quick agreement with Bert suggests he is either genuinely dismissive or too afraid to entertain the possibility of the supernatural. His body language—closed, defensive—hints at an underlying tension.
Girton, a villager and regular at the Cloven Hoof pub, aligns himself fully with Bert’s skepticism, dismissing Miss Hawthorne’s warnings as 'nonsense' and attributing the village’s disturbances to bad weather. His role in the scene is that of the loyal skeptic, reinforcing Bert’s dismissive attitude and providing a chorus to Bert’s mockery. Physically, Girton is likely seated at the bar or a table, nodding in agreement with Bert, his body language closed and defensive. His dialogue is minimal but pointed, serving to underscore the villagers’ collective denial of the supernatural. His alignment with Bert suggests he is either deeply skeptical or too fearful to acknowledge the truth.
- • To reinforce Bert’s dismissals of Miss Hawthorne, preserving the village’s rational narrative.
- • To avoid confronting his own fear by treating the supernatural as a non-issue.
- • The disturbances in the village are explainable (bad weather).
- • Miss Hawthorne’s warnings are the ravings of a delusional woman.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The television behind the bar in the Cloven Hoof pub serves as a symbolic prop in this event, representing the villagers’ brief exposure to Miss Hawthorne’s warnings before they collectively choose to ignore them. Though the television is switched off during the scene, its presence looms large in the conversation, as Winstanley praises Miss Hawthorne’s televised broadcast ('Good for Miss Hawthorne! She kept her end up jolly well.'). The television’s role is twofold: first, it is the medium through which Miss Hawthorne’s warnings reached the villagers, and second, its switched-off state symbolizes the villagers’ decision to turn away from the truth. The object’s functional role is to broadcast information, but its narrative role is to highlight the tension between knowledge and denial.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Cloven Hoof pub functions as the neutral ground where the village’s skepticism and creeping unease collide. As the gathering place for locals like Winstanley, Bert, and Girton, the pub’s dimly lit, intimate atmosphere amplifies the tension between rational dismissal and supernatural warning. The pub’s role in this event is twofold: first, it serves as a microcosm of the village’s fractured trust, where Miss Hawthorne’s warnings are debated and ultimately rejected; second, it acts as a refuge from the unnatural disturbances outside, though the disturbances themselves (e.g., Jim’s death, Frank’s behavior) are invoked within its walls. The pub’s physical details—the switched-off television, the ale glasses, the close quarters of the patrons—contribute to a sense of claustrophobic denial, as if the villagers are physically and psychologically barricaded against the truth.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The BBC is indirectly involved in this event through its role as the broadcaster of Alastair Fergus’s live report from the Devil’s Hump dig, which includes Miss Hawthorne’s warnings. Though the BBC itself is not physically present in the Cloven Hoof pub, its influence is felt through the television (now switched off) and the villagers’ references to Miss Hawthorne’s televised broadcast. The BBC’s involvement highlights the tension between public dissemination of information and the villagers’ private rejection of that information. The organization’s role is to serve as the medium through which the supernatural threat is first communicated to the villagers, setting the stage for their debate and denial.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Strange occurrences reported by villagers escalate with Constable Groom's near-violent actions, demonstrating growing supernatural power."
Hawthorne’s Wind Warning and Groom’s Corruption"Villager skepticism is contrasted with Groom's experience of supernatural influence, highlighting the theme of denial versus growing threat."
Hawthorne’s Wind Warning and Groom’s CorruptionThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"WINSTANLEY: 'Good for Miss Hawthorne! She kept her end up jolly well.'"
"BERT: 'The woman's round the twist if you ask me. Always has been.'"
"WINSTANLEY: 'Well, no, but there have been a lot of queer goings on the last few weeks. Strange sudden noises and gusts of wind, and poor old Jim dropping down in the churchyard.'"
"BERT: 'Well, I'll tell you. If the Old'un does come along here tonight, he can have my best room. My bread and butter, he is.'"