Year 8 Knowledge Organiser
Stone Cold by Robert Swindells
Spring 2
Plot Summary:
The Plot has a dual narrative divided into the ‘chapters’ which Link
narrates and the ‘Daily Routine Order’ which Shelter narrates.
Link’s Story
Link is homeless after running away from home in
Bradford. His mum has a new boyfriend, Vince, who
doesn’t want him around; he eventually leaves home and
goes to London to find a new life.
He finds himself a bedsit to live in and looks for work. No
one will employ him and he has no chance of getting any
financial support. He is then thrown out by his ‘rat-face’
landlord onto the street.
Link makes friends with another homeless boy ‘Ginger’.
They start hanging round together and Ginger teaches
Link how to live on the street. Everything is fine until
Ginger disappears.
Link then meets a homeless girl called Gail. She asks for
his support and they start travelling around London
together. Link is tricked by Shelter into looking for Ginger.
Shelter then catches Link and intends to kill him.
Gail, who was watching, calls the police. Gail is then
revealed as a journalist who was using Link to research
homelessness.
Shelter’s Story
Shelter reveals information about himself slowly. He was
a soldier who was discharged under mental health
grounds. He intends to clean up the streets of London by
removing all of the homeless people.
He tricks homeless people into going to his house in 10
Mornington Place where he kills them, shaves their
heads, dresses them in army clothes and places their
bodies in his cold cellar in the formation of an army.
He kills Ginger’s friend ‘Body bag’, Ginger and intends to
kill Link before he is caught by the police.
Context:
Attitudes to the Homeless
Throughout the novel, Swindells highlights to the reader the unfair and
prejudiced attitudes people have towards homeless people and also
how vulnerable the homeless really are: they can go missing and no one
cares, not even the police. This creates sympathy for the homeless and
makes us reconsider our own attitudes.
Winter
The setting of winter adds to sense of vulnerability, exposure and
injustice. Winter as a season is cold, harsh and can sometimes be
associated with death. Swindells chooses this time of year to emphasise
and intensify the difficulties faced by the homeless. Descriptions focus
on weather and being unable to get away from it.
Christmas
Christmas is referenced to create a contrast between a time of year
associated with indulgence, excess and spending money with the lives
of the homeless who have nothing.
The Setting of London
The setting of London intensifies the sense of the homeless being
vulnerable and invisible. London is the capital city and largest city in
Britain: the vastness of city makes individual homeless people seem
small and insignificant.
The Setting of Bradford
The setting of Bradford is where Link is from and contrasts with harsh
cruelty of London. Link is forced to move away and seek anonymity of
London to avoid embarrassment of facing the judgemental attitudes of
people he knows.
Captain Hook’s Boats
Captain Hook’s boats are also used by Swindells to show how vulnerable
the homeless are to exploitation. Although the boats provide shelter,
the conditions are cramped, filthy and unhygienic. Captain Hook
charges the homeless and could potentially make a fortune every night.
Key Themes:
Threat
Homelessness
Injustice
Hopelessness
Exploitation
Vulnerability
Prejudice
Key Characters:
Link - Protagonist. A seventeen year old
who goes to start a new life in London
and ends up living on the streets.
Shelter - Antagonist. A former soldier
who intends to clean up the streets by
killing homeless people.
Link’s Mother - Link’s mother is
unnamed, her husband left her and now
she is in an unhealthy relationship with
Vince.
Link’s father - Link’s father is unnamed,
he left his family after having an affair
with his receptionist.
Vince - Link’s mother’s boyfriend. He
controls her and doesn’t like Link living in
the house.
Carole - Link’s sister. She too left home
due to Vince. She is unable to support
him as much as she would like.
Ginger - A homeless person who
befriends Link and teaches him how to
survive. He is caught and killed by Shelter.
Gail - An undercover journalist (Louise)
who pretends to be a homeless person in
order to conduct research.
