Analysis Of Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime'

1075 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime essay

When solving a mystery you must have a clear mind. In “The curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,” written by Mark Haddon, we see how a lack of a clear mind can make this process difficult. Christopher’s autism restricted him from successfully solving the mystery surrounding Wellington’s death. His Father had to tell him that, in fact his father killed Wellington. Some symptoms that are affecting Christopher is he is easily distracted, he thinks in a two-dimensional orderly fashion, and he is unable to read social cues. Viewing this novel, First person through the eyes of Christopher helps us better understand, what was going through his head and why.

One of the many symptoms of autism is being easily distracted; we see this in many
One example of this is when Christopher was going around his neighbourhood, asking people questions about Wellington. At one point, when he was talking to Mr. Wise, he made a joke and started laughing, so Christopher turned around and left. “Then he laughed. I do not like people laughing at me, so I turned around and walked away,” said by Christopher, page 38. Christopher was unable to recognize that Mr. Wise made a joke; he thought Mr. Wise was laughing at him, so he left. Mr. Wise could have had good information about Wellington that Christopher needed, but his misconception of the situation may have caused him to lose that. Another example is when Christopher’s Father told him to stop looking for Wellington. “You are no to go asking anyone about who killed that bloody dog,” said by Christopher’s Father, page 50. When Christopher’s Father told him to stop looking for who killed the dog, it should have immediately made him a suspect, but due to Christopher’s condition he was not able to pick up on this clue. One final example is when Mrs. Shears stopped coming over to take care of Christopher and his father. This shows that maybe something happened between Father and Mrs. Shears, so Christopher’s father could have killed the dog to get back at her. Christopher, not being able to read social cues, missed a lot of clues, which ultimately led to him not solving the

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Michael Burch's They Cage The Animals At Night?

    1661 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mark was the first boy that Jennings met in the home so he was the one to show Jennings the rules of the home. He slept with Doggie his first night but was panicked when he woke up to find Doggie gone. Jennings thought he had lost Doggie, Mark explained what happens every night with the animals that they are given. Jennings didn’t understand why the nuns would take them away, when he asked Mark “‘But why?’ Mark snapped and said ‘It’s the rules!’ ‘They cage the animals at night. It’s the rules.’”(Burch, 26) Jennings thought that Doggie was his, so when he was lent out to the Carpenter’s he didn’t realize he wouldn’t be able to take Doggie with him. Mrs. Carpenter was a very mean woman and Jennings just wanted Doggie back, he drew a picture of him hoping it would make him feel better. When he got back to the Home of the angels he was very happy to know Doggie was safe and he would get to sleep with him again. Shortly after Jennings got back to the home Sister Clair told Jennings she would be leaving to go help at a school, they were both new in the Home of the angels at the same time. When Jennings woke up, he found Doggie under his pillow with a note attached from Sister Clair that

    Read More

  • Truth Change in Mark Haddon´s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, we are met with a question can truth change. In the book the protagonist is Christopher, an autistic child living with his father. Throughout the book, many things that he thought to be true change. Firstly, Christopher thought that his father would never hurt anything, but he did. Secondly, he was not allowed to take the A-Level Maths because he went to a special school. Lastly, he thought that his dad would never lie to him and that changed as well. He had to fight through both the school and his mother to be able to take the test. Christopher had to go through much change throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Christopher Boone And Temple Grandin Essay

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is Autism? It’s a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Christopher Boone from the novel A Curious Incident in the Nighttime and Temple Grandin, who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry both fall on the high-functioning spectrum of autism. Even so, they do not display the exact same traits and behaviors. Whereas Grandin thinks in pictures and employs this unique gift for practical use, Christopher thinks in patterns and fails communicate his talents with others. However, they both speak their mind and have trouble understanding facial expressions and emotions.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whilst the concept of autism and what it means to be autistic is still widely unrecognised by many, Mark Haddon’s use of conventions of prose fiction and language amplifies the distinctive qualities of the text. Haddon exemplifies key themes such as the struggle to become independent, the nature of difference and the disorder of life through the strategic placement of literary devices.

    Read More

  • Of Mark Haddon's Novel 'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time'

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anger is one of the hardest emotions to control. Often, people hold it in, allowing it to build until it bursts, causing damage. In Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the parents of a child with autism struggle to keep their cool around their son. Christopher’s mother fails to mask her emotions around her son, leaving his father to take care of him. Although his father tries to maintain calm, he often yells at Christopher as his son watches on in careful concentration. Haddon’s authorial choice of making Christopher’s parents lash out reveals irony in that Christopher is the one with the disorder yet is calm, analyzing situations objectively.

    Read More

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is told through the eyes of a fifteen year old boy named Christopher Boone. Christopher has a highly-functioning form of autism which allows him to understand complex mathematical problems, but also leaves him unable to comprehend many simple human emotions. His inability to understand metaphors, distinguish emotions, and his lack of imagination makes it possible to consider Christopher as functioning like a computer rather than functioning as a human being. Throughout the story, Christopher is faced with many challenges which he conquers using the stable and never changing system of mathematics. All of these factors suggest that Christopher does, in fact, function like a computer, but it is apparent early in the story that Christopher, regardless of anything else, is capable of independent thought which separates him from the programmed, dependent world of computers.

    Read More

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christopher Boone, the protagonist of this novel, has encountered a lot of hardships dealing with people because of his mental disability. One of his biggest problems he faces is his incompetence to decipher between emotions. In order to make out the more complicated emotions, Christopher “...got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant.” He keeps this piece of paper in his pocket and uses it as reference when he has difficulty understanding other people’s emotions. “I like dogs” says Christopher, you always know what a dog is thinking. It has four moods. Happy, sad, cross and concentrating.” (5.2) He also finds it difficult to follow instructions. Since he is a very logical person he needs the directions to be precise and specific. “And this is because when people tell you what to do it is usually confusing and does not make sense.For example, people often say ‘B...

    Read More

  • The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime Obstacles Essay

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    “You can either allow the obstacles in your life to be the excuse for your failure or make them the reason behind your success.” Although the quote’s author is unknown, anyone can connect to this quote in some way about how you can let obstacles stop you from doing what you want to do or you can use them as a reason for success. This holds true for Christopher, the main protagonist in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Christopher is a 15-year-old in the autism spectrum, and although gifted in mathematics, he struggles with communicating and has extreme likes and dislikes. These obstacles definitely make it seem as if his goals are far from reach and as secrets come out his success seems almost unattainable, but because of these hardships he learns many lessons about human nature and himself, including that deciphering facial expressions to find the emotions connected to them and that he is capable of doing anything regardless of the obstacles thrown at him.

    Read More

  • Relationships In The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Relationships can only survive through adapting to constant change. Without that aspect, they would not last. In Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a boy with Aspergers goes through life surrounded by mystery, dishonesty, and dysfunctionality. Because of this, secrets are revealed, relationships are changed, and the connection between family is brought into a new light. Through these events, the boy and his family discover and rediscover their ties with each other. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the author demonstrates that the ability to adapt and change is the most essential characteristic in life because it strengthens relationships, as illustrated through Christopher, his mother

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Kelli Stapleton Can T Forgive Herself

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    Autism spectrum disorder, commonly known as autism, is a complex disability that affects a person’s ability to effectively communicate and interact with others (“What is Autism?”). Every year thousands are diagnosed with autism and is quite commonly recognized in children between the ages of two and three years old. People who live with autism primarily associate themselves with a number of behaviors such as “delayed learning of language, difficulty making eye contact or holding a conversation, difficulty with executive functioning which relates to reasoning and planning, as well as narrow, intense interests, poor motor skills, and sensory sensitivities” (“What Is Autism?”). Although these are only some of the most common struggles that people

    Read More

  • First Person Narration in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    If the book were to be narrated in third person the reader wouldn’t understand how Christopher feels about certain situations. This is also an affect given in the book because the author wants to project Christopher’s autism spectrum disorder condition to the reader.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Autism

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Autism’s most obvious signs tend to appear between ages 2-3 years old. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is at neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout your life. The centers for disease and prevention (CDC) estimates autism's prevalence as 1 in 68 children in the United States. This includes 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls. An estimated 50,000 teens with autism become adults. Around one third of people with autism are nonverbal. Around one third of people with autism have an intellectual disability. Certain medical and mental health issues frequently accompany the autism. They include seizures,

    Read More

  • Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime Analysis

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    “It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs.Shears's house.” The way an author narrates their book is a very important factor in the reader’s understanding. The book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon is narrated in first person by a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher Boone. Having the book narrated by an autistic boy is not a good idea because readers can understand some situations better than Christopher could, he has trouble determining how others feel and he’s always explaining things he doesn’t understand, but most readers do. Christopher is an inadequate narrator which frustrates the readers.

    Read More

  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

    1845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

    Read More

  • Sherlock Holmes

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes,” states Sherlock Holmes (Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles loc 1238). According to TV Tropes, mystery is a genre of fiction where the plot revolves a mysterious happening that acts as the driving question. With any given problem there is a solution; however, and the question is “how does one come about to that solution”? Extremely high intelligence level, keen observation, creative imagination and sensitivity to details are just some of the qualities that Holmes possesses. In the process of solving mysteries, there is always a borderline between mere guessing, a coincidence, and a scientific approach that Holmes calls deductive reasoning. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Dr. Mortimer seeks advice from Holmes as he explains the curse that has been plaguing the Baskerville family. With the power of deduction, Holmes realizes that Mr. Stapleton is actually a Baskerville descendant and has been planning to get rid of the other members of the family to claim the family fortune. Conan Doyle tells the reader what their mind is capable of doing by incorporating Holmes through his novels as he uses observation, deduction and knowledge in solving his cases. One important key that makes him different from most people is that he sees everything that people often neglect to pay attention to. A remarkable proof which shows that Holmes holds an extraordinary analytical mind and is uniquely capable of solving a mystery through his great sensitivity to minute details and the ability to draw connections from it was shown as he observes and deduces information from the letter received by Sir Henry Baskerville the moment he arrived...

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime'

Open Document