Analysis Of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

1098 Words3 Pages

Mark Haddon’s novel; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time centers on the complexities and ambiguities of the human relationships, illuminating these difficulties through the idiosyncratic perspective of a young boy marginalised with a disability that affects his everyday interactions with others. Through the distinctive metafictional form and blending genres of bildungsroman, epistolary and crime fiction interwoven with stylistic features, it allows the composer to portray the unique narrative voice of Christopher. His autism affects the way he interacts and communicates with others, positioning the reader to consider the influence upon relationships to be complex and persuade us that ‘difference’ is acceptable in society.

Haddon’s …show more content…

Through this experience, the reader is more aware of what is going on than Christopher does, creating a dramatic irony that is sustained throughout the text and becomes part of its unique style. Within the letters, his mother conveys a confessional tone through her misspelled words and confession that “I was not a very good mother...Maybe if things had been differant, maybe if you’d been differant, I might have been better at it”, highlighting that if his parents were together, life would be easier. Through this, we clearly see his mother may have had a limited education, and the emotional stress it has caused her, inviting the reader to respond with empathy rather than contempt to his mother’s decision of removing herself from her family. This positions us to understand the importance of love and empathy and we clearly see that Christopher’s mother still loves Christopher, despite her emotional immaturity. Her character reveals to the us the symbolic profound confusion, conflict and angst that characterise human relationships. …show more content…

Throughout the novel, Christopher deals with new environments, and starts to take some initiative and make his own decisions for himself. The unique form of bildungsroman provides insight into Christopher’s relationship with his world through the visuals and figurative language. accentuating his overwhelming feeling and showing his vulnerability in situations that most neurotypical people find easy. While Christopher is waiting for the train, he examines the patterns and the flashing signs on the walls, highlighting that he needs to process this new information and shows that he finds it difficult to adjust to unfamiliar areas. The simile “And I had to think to myself the people are like cows in a field ”, illustrating he sees everything with a sense of newness and wonder, showing he overcomes obstacles by making it seem less threatening which positions us to understand the difficulty for people with disabilities to navigate their world. The trip to London embodies everything Christopher finds distressing about the world and he overcomes these hurdles by gaining confidence in his ability to face any challenge on his own. Thus, we clearly see the difficulty for people with disabilities as they challenge themselves to move out of their comfort zone, enabling them to communicate with their world to achieve their

Open Document