Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-4-policeman-ed-visits-and-tensions [Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [IGCSE](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse.md) › [English Literature](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature.md) › [Edexcel IGCSE](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse.md) › Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions # Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions English Lit: Edexcel IGCSE The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, topic 3.2.4 ## 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/e2148239-a410-4d0c-8863-3c46df223e9e/police-british.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/58b4dd42-15fd-4164-9c7c-3dd79edd0db5/man-angry-expression-emotion-.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/a32998d5-01db-4295-87e0-84b54d355cd9/child-baby-father-dad.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/physics/3.1.2%20Internal%20reflection/swiss-army-knife-154314_640-min.png) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/d7a48672-5053-48a4-8796-ebcc16dfc3b8/exam-students.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/biology/4.1.1%20Photosynthesis/moon-1859616_640-min.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/637f08b1-6a1a-4a15-807d-0c7219b3eecb/Angry-Cry-Scream-Anger.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-08/5eaee335-2c7d-4f9c-be1b-1ac3aba87124/hampstead-heath-.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/chemistry/3.1.2%20Moles/stop-min.jpg) - ~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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-05/3fadeba3-cfea-420d-b8ec-73b841f21b43/shutterstock_725746873.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-08/cb37bf7a-b259-4465-8782-6a9cb159d21b/beer-lager-cans-.jpg) - 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](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-08/e4d7f4ab-18a1-47b1-8747-d67e18f5ac08/swindon-.jpg) - 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. ## Test yourself on Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions - What does Ed make an impassioned speech in defence of? - What do Judy and Roger first argue about? - Which does Christopher's reaction to his postponed Maths exam (__“he screams and screams”__) recall? - Why does Judy devise a star-chart reward system for Christopher? [Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/36b9c16b-ef8e-44b2-a41f-f08361a4bbde/section/f0a21d3f-b6c3-47b1-b1cd-fa48c2a2e81e/session) - Previous topic: [3.2.3 On the Tube & Arriving at Judy's House](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-3-on-the-tube-and-arriving-at-judys-house.md) - Next topic: [3.2.5 Back in Swindon & New Beginnings](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-5-back-in-swindon-and-new-beginnings.md) ## English Lit: Edexcel IGCSE The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time contents ### 1 Introduction & Context - 1.1 Novel & Play - [1.1.1 Mark Haddon's Novel (2003)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/1-1-1-mark-haddons-novel-2003.md) - [1.1.2 Simon Stephens' Adaptions (2012)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/1-1-2-simon-stephens-adaptions-2012.md) - 1.2 Christopher's Autism - [1.2.1 Christopher's Autism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/1-2-1-christophers-autism.md) - [1.2.2 End of Topic Test - Introduction & Context](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/1-2-2-end-of-topic-test-introduction-and-context.md) ### 2 Form, Structure & Language - 2.1 Dramatic Devices - [2.1.1 Writing About the Text as a Playscript](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/2-1-1-writing-about-the-text-as-a-playscript.md) - [2.1.2 Dramatic Devices](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/2-1-2-dramatic-devices.md) - 2.2 Genre & Structure - [2.2.1 Genre](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/2-2-1-genre.md) - [2.2.2 Structure](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/2-2-2-structure.md) - 2.3 Language - [2.3.1 Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/2-3-1-language.md) - [2.3.2 End of Topic Test - Form, Structure & Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/2-3-2-end-of-topic-test-form-structure-and-language.md) ### 3 Text Summary & Analysis - 3.1 Part One - [3.1.1 Discovering the Dead Dog & Christopher's Autism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-1-discovering-the-dead-dog-and-christophers-autism.md) - [3.1.2 The Policeman & Siobhan](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-2-the-policeman-and-siobhan.md) - [3.1.3 The Police Station & Ed's Entry](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-3-the-police-station-and-eds-entry.md) - [3.1.4 Mother's Death & Beginning the Investigation](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-4-mothers-death-and-beginning-the-investigation.md) - [3.1.5 Ed's Frustrations & Revisiting Mrs Alexander](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-5-eds-frustrations-and-revisiting-mrs-alexander.md) - [3.1.6 Remembering Judy & "Fight" Scene](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-6-remembering-judy-and-fight-scene.md) - [3.1.7 Judy's Letters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-7-judys-letters.md) - [3.1.8 Ed's Confession](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-8-eds-confession.md) - [3.1.9 End of Topic Test - Part One](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-9-end-of-topic-test-part-one.md) - [3.1.10 End of Topic Test - Part One 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-1-10-end-of-topic-test-part-one-2.md) - 3.2 Part Two - [3.2.1 Preparing to Run Away & Train Station](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-1-preparing-to-run-away-and-train-station.md) - [3.2.2 On the Train & Arriving in London](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-2-on-the-train-and-arriving-in-london.md) - [3.2.3 On the Tube & Arriving at Judy's House](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-3-on-the-tube-and-arriving-at-judys-house.md) - [3.2.4 Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-4-policeman-ed-visits-and-tensions.md) - [3.2.5 Back in Swindon & New Beginnings](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-5-back-in-swindon-and-new-beginnings.md) - [3.2.6 The End & Maths Appendix](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-6-the-end-and-maths-appendix.md) - [3.2.7 End of Topic Test - Part Two](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-7-end-of-topic-test-part-two.md) - [3.2.8 End of Topic Test - Part Two 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/3-2-8-end-of-topic-test-part-two-2.md) ### 4 Themes - 4.1 Themes - [4.1.1 Independence](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/4-1-1-independence.md) - [4.1.2 Parenting](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/4-1-2-parenting.md) - [4.1.3 Order & Disorder](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/4-1-3-order-and-disorder.md) - [4.1.4 End of Topic Test - Themes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/4-1-4-end-of-topic-test-themes.md) ### 5 Recap: Main Quotes - 5.1 Part One - Quotes - [5.1.1 The Dead Dog & Christopher's Autism - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-1-the-dead-dog-and-christophers-autism-quotations.md) - [5.1.2 The Policeman & Siobhan - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-2-the-policeman-and-siobhan-quotations.md) - [5.1.3 The Police Station & Ed's Entry - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-3-the-police-station-and-eds-entry-quotations.md) - [5.1.4 Mother's Death & Investigation - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-4-mothers-death-and-investigation-quotations.md) - [5.1.5 Ed's Frustrations & Mrs Alexander - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-5-eds-frustrations-and-mrs-alexander-quotations.md) - [5.1.6 Remembering Judy & "Fight" Scene - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-6-remembering-judy-and-fight-scene-quotations.md) - [5.1.7 Judy's Letters & Ed's Confession - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-1-7-judys-letters-and-eds-confession-quotations.md) - 5.2 Part Two - Quotes - [5.2.1 Preparing to Run Away & Train Station - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-2-1-preparing-to-run-away-and-train-station-quotations.md) - [5.2.2 On the Train & Arriving in London - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-2-2-on-the-train-and-arriving-in-london-quotations.md) - [5.2.3 On the Tube & Judy's House - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-2-3-on-the-tube-and-judys-house-quotations.md) - [5.2.4 Policeman, Ed Visits & Tensions - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-2-4-policeman-ed-visits-and-tensions-quotations.md) - [5.2.5 Back in Swindon & New Beginnings - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-2-5-back-in-swindon-and-new-beginnings-quotations.md) - [5.2.6 The End & Maths Appendix - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-2-6-the-end-and-maths-appendix-quotations.md) - 5.3 Themes - Quotes - [5.3.1 Independence - Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-3-1-independence-quotes.md) - [5.3.2 Parenting - Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-3-2-parenting-quotes.md) - [5.3.3 Order & Disorder - Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/edexcel-igcse/5-3-3-order-and-disorder-quotes.md)