Analysis of Christopher

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When Christopher justifies his reasoning as to why he would be a successful astronaut, it is clear that he tends to make decisions with his brain, not his heart. In this quote, his inclination to thinking logically rather than emotionally becomes evident, which can be supported with scenes later in the book.

In a literal sense, this quote shows that Christopher is considering his future careers and would like to be an astronaut. Though eventually realizes that he cannot actually become an astronaut because of his mental condition, he takes a moment to consider what it would be like and why he would be successful as an astronaut despite his autism. Although he is imagining something that will never be, he thinks logically about what the job would entail, not just the fantasy aspect. Most kids his age would probably only think about flying into space, maybe seeing aliens and other somewhat trivial things. Christopher however thinks in a more realistic fashion and considers what he would bring with him in the rocket ship, why he wouldn’t get homesick, how he would go about his exploration of outer space and what ways he would communicate with scientists back on Earth. He also says directly that he wouldn’t mind being alone, and he wouldn’t get homesick because he would be thoroughly enjoying his time exploring outer space. Other kids wouldn’t enjoy the extensive solitude of it, yet Chris almost implies that he would prefer it. He says he’ll never get homesick because of the computers and machines, which he likes. This exemplifies just how different Christopher is from his peers in his way of thinking. He doesn’t mind being alone, much unlike the other children his age.

This quote speaks volumes figuratively about Christopher’s wa...

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.... He prefers to be responsible for his own fate rather and make his choices using the information that is unchanging and set in stone, because he feels like he cannot be wrong. Because of this, he reacts badly to changes and feels unhinged and disturbed when things that he thought he could rely on have suddenly changed. He can’t adjust to modifications in his life, and in this quote he explains his opposition to using emotions and intuitions to make his decision. Christopher would much rather use the knowledge and things that he is sure of than take a chance and go with his instincts in contrast to other kids his age.

Overall, Christopher is incredibly different from his peers in his way of thinking. While other people may use their instincts to make decisions and don’t enjoy solitude, Christopher prefers the reassurance of concrete facts and things set in stone.

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