Mrs Alexander
Mrs Alexander tells Christopher about his mother's affair (from a recent UK tour of Gielgud theatre production)
Mrs Alexander is an elderly lady who lives on Christopher's street. He sees her as a stranger and visits her during the course of his investigation.
She is kind and welcoming whenever she sees Christopher but the audience might see her as a gossip when she reveals to Christopher that his mother had an affair with Mr Shears.
| How is Mrs Alexander like this? | Evidence | Analysis | |
| Kind | Mrs Alexander is very welcoming and kind when Christopher first visits her during his investigation. | "I'm afraid marzipan is yellow too. Perhaps I should bring out some biscuits instead. Do you like biscuits?" | Mrs Alexander kindly tries to accommodate Christopher by offering him biscuits when she discovers he doesn't like the colour yellow and so won't eat Battenberg cake. It is likely that she is so kind because she is lonely and will do anything to get a visitor to stay. |
| Gossip | Mrs Alexander is at first reluctant to discuss Mr Shears with Christopher but eventually she discusses his mother's affair directly with him. This could be seen as gossiping. | "I am going to say something to you and you must promise not to tell your father that I told you this." | Mrs Alexander knows that she should not be discussing the details of the affair with Christopher so she tries to make him keep it a secret. It could be argued that she feels that she is doing the right thing but it is not very responsible of her to discuss this information with Christopher. |
| Kind | |
|---|---|
| How is Mrs Alexander like this? | Mrs Alexander is very welcoming and kind when Christopher first visits her during his investigation. |
| Evidence | "I'm afraid marzipan is yellow too. Perhaps I should bring out some biscuits instead. Do you like biscuits?" |
| Analysis | Mrs Alexander kindly tries to accommodate Christopher by offering him biscuits when she discovers he doesn't like the colour yellow and so won't eat Battenberg cake. It is likely that she is so kind because she is lonely and will do anything to get a visitor to stay. |
| Gossip | |
|---|---|
| How is Mrs Alexander like this? | Mrs Alexander is at first reluctant to discuss Mr Shears with Christopher but eventually she discusses his mother's affair directly with him. This could be seen as gossiping. |
| Evidence | "I am going to say something to you and you must promise not to tell your father that I told you this." |
| Analysis | Mrs Alexander knows that she should not be discussing the details of the affair with Christopher so she tries to make him keep it a secret. It could be argued that she feels that she is doing the right thing but it is not very responsible of her to discuss this information with Christopher. |