3.2.4

Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions

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The Policeman and Ed Visit Christopher

Two visits in two successive scenes show how damaged Christopher’s relationship with his father is.

London Policeman's visit

London Policeman's visit

  • A ‘London Policeman’ visits Christopher to check that he is safe.
  • Christopher’s questioning of the policeman (“Are you going to take me back to Swindon?”) reveals his anxiety about being forced to live with his father.
  • The policeman leaves satisfied that Christopher is not at risk.
Ed's visit

Ed's visit

  • Ed then visits.
  • The scene begins ‘in media res’ (in the middle of the action) so that the dialogue begins with heated tempers and an ultimatum from Ed: “I’m talking to her whether you like it or not”.
Ed's impassioned defence

Ed's impassioned defence

  • In the middle of the dialogue, Ed gives an impassioned defence of his parenting, listing the different ways he has cared for Christopher in Judy’s absence.
  • His tone becomes confrontational (“And you?”) and he forces his way into the house, and into Christopher’s room.
Christopher's reaction

Christopher's reaction

  • Christopher’s reaction, pointing his Swiss Army knife at his father, shows his high anxiety.
  • Ed apologises and attempts to touch fingers with Christopher, but his son ignores him and begins to groan.
  • A policeman then arrives to escort Ed from the house.

Tensions between Christopher, Judy and Roger

A series of successive scenes explore the tensions in Judy’s home and end with Judy making a life-changing decision.

Christopher staying & Maths exam

Christopher staying & Maths exam

  • The first sign of tension within the household is the argument between Judy and Mr Shears (Roger) over how long Christopher will stay with them.
  • Christopher then introduces a problem: he has to go back to Swindon to sit his Maths A-level exam and wants Judy to go back with him.
Christopher explores the area

Christopher explores the area

  • Christopher leaves the flat in the middle of the night to explore his new surroundings, terrifying Judy who thinks he has left.
  • Judy makes him “promise” not to leave the flat on his own again, telling him that he “can’t trust people in London”.
  • This episode perhaps contributes to the decision that Judy is about to make.
Judy loses her job

Judy loses her job

  • After taking two days off work, perhaps caused by the strain of her domestic situation, Judy loses her job.
  • She is under immense pressure, receiving legal threats from Ed and repeated reminders from Christopher about his A-level Maths exam.
  • She breaks down, telling her son that she is “this close to losing it”.

Tensions between Christopher, Judy and Roger (Cont.)

A series of successive scenes explore the tensions in Judy’s home and end with Judy making a life-changing decision.

Postponing Maths

Postponing Maths

  • In one short scene, Judy takes Christopher to Hampstead Heath, buys him an ice lolly, and breaks the news to her son that she has postponed his Maths exam.
  • In a moment which recalls the scene described in Part One where Christopher gets lost while out shopping, Christopher reacts in an extreme manner (“he screams and screams”) and Judy struggles to console him, losing her temper at a concerned passer-by.
Rejecting science books

Rejecting science books

  • ~Another short scene sees Christopher reject some books about Science from Roger: “They’re for children… I’m not going to read them”.
  • The scene demonstrates the distance between the pair of them.
Judy's star-chart

Judy's star-chart

  • Another scene shows the efforts made by Judy to encourage her son to eat more healthily: she has devised a reward system based on a star-chart.
  • Roger’s sarcastic response to the scheme highlights the problems in their relationship.
Roger's violent outburst

Roger's violent outburst

  • Roger’s frustrations eventually spill over into drunken violence as he “grabs at” Christopher after drinking four cans of lager.
  • Judy pulls Roger away from Christopher and promises her son that “this will never happen again”.
Returning to Swindon

Returning to Swindon

  • This series of mini-scenes ends with Judy waking Christopher up in the middle of the night while preparing to leave Roger and return to Swindon.
  • Almost instantaneously, without any transition, both Judy and Christopher are in the house in Swindon.
Jump to other topics
1

Introduction & Context

1.1

Novel & Play

1.1.1Mark Haddon's Novel (2003)1.1.2Simon Stephens' Adaptions (2012)
1.2

Christopher's Autism

1.2.1Christopher's Autism1.2.2End of Topic Test - Introduction & Context
2

Form, Structure & Language

2.1

Dramatic Devices

2.1.1Writing About the Text as a Playscript2.1.2Dramatic Devices
2.2

Genre & Structure

2.2.1Genre2.2.2Structure
2.3

Language

2.3.1Language2.3.2End of Topic Test - Form, Structure & Language
3

Text Summary & Analysis

3.1

Part One

3.1.1Discovering the Dead Dog & Christopher's Autism3.1.2The Policeman & Siobhan3.1.3The Police Station & Ed's Entry3.1.4Mother's Death & Beginning the Investigation3.1.5Ed's Frustrations & Revisiting Mrs Alexander3.1.6Remembering Judy & "Fight" Scene3.1.7Judy's Letters3.1.8Ed's Confession3.1.9End of Topic Test - Part One3.1.10End of Topic Test - Part One 2
3.2

Part Two

3.2.1Preparing to Run Away & Train Station3.2.2On the Train & Arriving in London3.2.3On the Tube & Arriving at Judy's House3.2.4Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions3.2.5Back in Swindon & New Beginnings3.2.6The End & Maths Appendix3.2.7End of Topic Test - Part Two3.2.8End of Topic Test - Part Two 2
4

Themes

4.1

Themes

4.1.1Independence4.1.2Parenting4.1.3Order & Disorder4.1.4End of Topic Test - Themes
5

Recap: Main Quotes

5.1

Part One - Quotes

5.1.1The Dead Dog & Christopher's Autism - Quotations5.1.2The Policeman & Siobhan - Quotations5.1.3The Police Station & Ed's Entry - Quotations5.1.4Mother's Death & Investigation - Quotations5.1.5Ed's Frustrations & Mrs Alexander - Quotations5.1.6Remembering Judy & "Fight" Scene - Quotations5.1.7Judy's Letters & Ed's Confession - Quotations
5.2

Part Two - Quotes

5.2.1Preparing to Run Away & Train Station - Quotations5.2.2On the Train & Arriving in London - Quotations5.2.3On the Tube & Judy's House - Quotations5.2.4Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions - Quotations5.2.5Back in Swindon & New Beginnings - Quotations5.2.6The End & Maths Appendix - Quotations
5.3

Themes - Quotes

5.3.1Independence - Quotes5.3.2Parenting - Quotes5.3.3Order & Disorder - Quotes

Practice questions on Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What does Ed make an impassioned speech in defence of?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What do Judy and Roger first argue about?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Which does Christopher's reaction to his postponed Maths exam (__“he screams and screams”__) recall?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Why does Judy devise a star-chart reward system for Christopher?Multiple choice
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On the Tube & Arriving at Judy's House

Back in Swindon & New Beginnings