Back in Swindon & New Beginnings

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Back in Swindon

Christopher and Judy’s return is met with tensions and conflict, but a glimmer of hope appears.

Ed leaves

After a bad-tempered exchange with Judy, Ed agrees to leave the house “to stay with Rhodri for a while” in order for Christopher to feel safe.

Meeting Mrs Shears

In the street, Judy and her son encounter Mrs Shears who is still bitter about Judy’s role in the breakdown of her marriage.
But Judy does not allow herself to become embroiled in an argument as she is on a mission – to persuade Mrs Gascoyne to allow Christopher to sit his A-level Maths exam.

Christopher's anxiety

Christopher is in a state of high anxiety about not being able to sit his exam, with Judy telling Siobhan, “He won’t eat. He won’t sleep.”
However, with Siobhan’s help, and with Mrs Gascoyne’s agreement, Christopher is allowed to sit the exam.

Christopher's exhaustion

Reverend Peters, who will invigilate the exam, declares that this is “jolly exciting”.
However, this moment at first appears to be an anti-climax: Christopher is exhausted and can barely read the questions. Christopher, in distress, begins to “groan”.

Siobhan's help

Siobhan’s ‘appearance’ beside Christopher marks the turning-point of the scene.
Although only ‘inside’ Christopher’s head, Siobhan reassures Christopher, helping him to get his breath and encouraging him to “count the cubes of cardinal numbers” to help him regain his focus and composure.
Siobhan’s ‘appearance’ symbolises Christopher’s development and growing independence: he is putting into practice the coping strategies he has learned from Siobhan and taking charge of his own future.

Comedy - stopping Christopher

Stephens includes another moment of humour when Siobhan stops Christopher explaining one of his answers.
She ‘breaks the fourth wall’ by referring to the play’s audience, telling Christopher that “people won’t want to hear about the answer to a maths question in a play” and suggesting that he does so instead “after the curtain call”.
Stephens playfully draws attention to the fact that this is not ‘real life’, but simply a play, a device used in many modern comedies.

New Beginnings

As the play reaches its conclusion, Ed looks to repair the relationship with his son.

Ed visits Christopher

In a short, but significant scene, Ed visits Christopher in the presence of Judy, there to make sure Christopher feels safe.
Ed asks his son how his exam went and a moment of suspense is created where it is unsure how, or if, Christopher will respond.
After a pause, Christopher tells his father that he was “really tired” and that, as a result, he is unsure of how well he has done.

Ed thanks Christopher

Ed thanks Christopher for responding to him. The scene marks a positive shift in his relationship with his son, signalling their possible reconciliation in the future.

Christopher's new flat

In the following scene, Christopher tells Siobhan about the new flat he shares with his mother.
He complains about how “small” it is and about having to use a shared toilet, revealing just how tough the family circumstances are, despite Judy finding a job.

Ed's "project"

Another scene with Ed follows, and again progress is made.
With a timer counting down the five minutes Christopher has agreed to, Ed suggests a “project” to Christopher in which they gradually spend more time in each other’s company in order that Ed can prove that Christopher can “trust” him.

Ed's present: 'Sandy'

Before he leaves, Ed hands Christopher a present.
It is a two-month-old Golden Retriever which Christopher immediately calls ‘Sandy’. The puppy is a symbol of a fresh start in their relationship after the damage caused by Ed’s killing of Wellington.

"Vegetable patch"

In another possible piece of symbolism, Christopher tells Siobhan that his father has “planted a vegetable patch in his garden”, perhaps representing Ed looking to the future and nurturing his relationship with his son.

1Introduction & Context

1.1Novel & Play

1.1.1Mark Haddon's Novel (2003)

1.1.2Simon Stephens' Adaptions (2012)

1.2Christopher's Autism

1.2.1Christopher's Autism

1.2.2End of Topic Test - Introduction & Context

2Form, Structure & Language

2.1Dramatic Devices

2.1.1Writing About the Text as a Playscript

2.1.2Dramatic Devices

2.2Genre & Structure

2.2.1Genre

2.2.2Structure

2.3Language

2.3.1Language

2.3.2End of Topic Test - Form, Structure & Language

3Text Summary & Analysis

3.1Part One

3.1.1Discovering the Dead Dog & Christopher's Autism

3.1.2The Policeman & Siobhan

3.1.3The Police Station & Ed's Entry

3.1.4Mother's Death & Beginning the Investigation

3.1.5Ed's Frustrations & Revisiting Mrs Alexander

3.1.6Remembering Judy & "Fight" Scene

3.1.7Judy's Letters

3.1.8Ed's Confession

3.1.9End of Topic Test - Part One

3.1.10End of Topic Test - Part One 2

3.2Part Two

3.2.1Preparing to Run Away & Train Station

3.2.2On the Train & Arriving in London

3.2.3On the Tube & Arriving at Judy's House

3.2.4Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions

3.2.5Back in Swindon & New Beginnings

3.2.6The End & Maths Appendix

3.2.7End of Topic Test - Part Two

3.2.8End of Topic Test - Part Two cont....

4Themes

4.1Themes

4.1.1Independence

4.1.2Parenting

4.1.3Order & Disorder

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Themes

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