Order & Disorder

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Theme of Order and Disorder - Christopher's Logic

Christopher interprets the world through logic and facts.

Christopher's investigation

The plot of Part One is driven by Christopher’s need to make sense of the killing of Wellington by finding out the identity of the ‘murderer’.
During his investigation, we see how Christopher depends upon precise details (“It was seven minutes after midnight…”), reasoning and deduction (“I only know one person who didn’t like Mrs Shears and that is Mr Shears… This means that Mr Shears is my Prime Suspect”).

Stage design - grid

Stephens and his production team even use the stage design to provide a visual metaphor for Christopher’s reliance on logic and deduction by projecting a mathematical grid on the floor of the stage, allowing Christopher to draw graphs and diagrams while solving problems.

Coping strategies

Christopher also takes comfort from the certainties provided by science and mathematics.
One of his ‘coping strategies’, used to calm himself down when under pressure in the Maths exam, is to repeatedly “count the cubes of the cardinal numbers”.
Christopher finds safety and security in a world which can be measured and predicted precisely, hence his interest in subjects such as physics and astronomy.

Theme of Order and Disorder - Real World

However, the real world of human beings, with their often irrational and unpredictable behaviours and emotions, is not something that can be made to make sense on a piece of graph paper.

Christopher's distress

The complex and often chaotic nature of the world around him causes Christopher great distress at various moments in the play.
As Christopher tells us early on, he finds people “confusing”, unable to ‘read’ their facial expressions or tone of voice and at times, even their language: Christopher considers metaphors to be “lies” because “imagining an apple in someone’s eye doesn’t have anything to do with liking someone a lot”.

Siobhan - value of "stories"

Siobhan tries to help Christopher develop by getting him to see the value of “stories” as a way of making sense of the world.
Christopher is initially reluctant to allow his notebook to be turned into a performance, because acting is “pretending” and so “is like a kind of lie.”

Sherlock Holmes example

But Siobhan offers the example of Sherlock Holmes stories to argue that “people find things which are kind of true in things which are made up”.
Siobhan tries to teach Christopher that the imagination, through stories and drama, can provide another way of understanding the world around him, particularly the complexities of human relationships.

Learning to interpret emotions

Christopher must also learn about how to interpret and communicate emotions.
Even at the end of the play, Christopher does not appear to feel any happiness about achieving an A* in his Maths exam and, when asked by Siobhan about how he is getting on with his father, Christopher avoids talking about emotions, instead listing facts about what they have done and will do together.

Final reflections

The play ends with the audience reflecting on Christopher’s future, and whether he will be able to cope in an often messy and unpredictable world.

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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