Christopher Boone

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon tells the story of a boy named Christopher John Francis Boone who sees the world in a unique way. The book does not directly state the disability that Christopher has, but I would suspect that he has either Asperger’s syndrome or is on the Autism Spectrum. In the beginning of the novel, Christopher explains, “I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057” (Haddon 2). Christopher later goes on to say that he has a difficult time with the simple task of reading people’s facial expressions. He cannot identify any feeling other than happy or sad. Christopher is unable to imagine anything that he has not directly experienced. He is

an extremely literal person, and he is very good at solving complex math and physics equations, which is why he is in the highest math level at his school. However, Christopher lacks the social skills that most people learn at a very young age. He is a boy who lacks empathy for other human beings. He has a hard time understanding body language and figurative speech. Christopher wants to be good and fit in with society, but he lacks the basic human skills that he needs to do so.
At the beginning of the novel, Christopher discovers that Wellington, the dog across the street, has been killed.

He decides he wants to become a “detective” and solve the crime. As the days go by, Christopher begins to write a novel about his experiences. His father finds the book and hides it. One day, Christopher decides to get the book back, and he ends up discovering letters from his mother addressed to him that his father hid. Christopher’s father told him that his mother had died, so Christopher is surprised to find letters from her that were sent after the day he thought she had passed on. Christopher soon learns that his mother was having an affair with Mr. Shears, and they ran off together to London. Ed, Christopher’s father, was trying to shield Christopher from this pain. Christopher decides he is going to take his pet rat Toby and run away to London to find his mother, even though he hates being surrounded by strangers and doing things by himself. Finally, the police and Ed track him down, and they all return to Swindon where Christopher takes his A-level math exams and receives a puppy from his father with hopes of making amends. Overall, this is a story that teaches us to accept others no matter how different a person may

seem.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a novel that has the ability to educate us about people with special needs.

Through Christopher, we gain a bit of insight into the mind of someone who does not think like an average person does. He is extremely smart, but simple social tasks we need to function in every day society are just not there for him. In a way, the book shows us how important it is to be empathetic for people with social disabilities. It gives us the ability to understand the way they process their thoughts and interpret what other people say. When explaining what his interactions with other people are like, Christopher says, “I know that they’re working out what I’m thinking, but I can’t tell what they’re thinking. It is like being in a room with a one-way mirror in a spy film” (Haddon 22-23). Christopher helps us recognize how difficult it may be for someone with a social disability to interact with another person, which we might think is the simplest task in the world. I think one of the main lessons that this book teaches us is compassion for those with

disabilities.
Haddon’s novel also shows us the workings of a mind that thinks very logically and literally. Christopher has a hard time understanding sarcasm, jokes, and idioms. He listens and responds as literally as a person can. Christopher’s thought process allows us to understand why he reacts the way he does. People become frustrated with Christopher because he does not respond the way a normal person would in certain situations. This book teaches us the value of patience with people who think differently. Most people with special needs desire structure in their lives, and we see this through Christopher. He says, “And I like timetables because I like to know when everything is going to happen” (Haddon 155). Then, Christopher lays out the schedule he likes to follow every day to the minute. To me, this portrays the significance of using visual schedules in the classroom. I know that not all minds think the same, but if a timetable helps Christopher this much in staying calm, then it definitely wouldn’t hurt to use visual lists in the classroom as much as possible, especially for children with special needs.
In conclusion, this book revealed a lot of new information to me about people with disabilities, and I am glad I read it. I discovered how a person with a social disability might process thoughts and emotions, and that made me realize how important it is to be as straightforward and structured as possible as a teacher. Mark Haddon did an exceptional job writing from the perspective of a person with special needs. For me, Christopher came to life, and I could see how much he struggled on a daily basis to overcome his fears and be brave in situations that we might not think are frightening at all. The book is extremely detailed and does an excellent job describing what life is like for someone with special needs. I think every teacher, whether they are in special or general education, would benefit from reading this book.