Christopher Boone Quotes

Christopher abnormally obsesses over everything in his life. This is due to his severe OCD, which he struggles with throughout the novel. Likewise, Christopher’s OCD is depicted as a reaction to the lack of control over his environment. He copes with situations he cannot control by looking for various details within his life that bring him peace-of-mind him. For instance, before the policemen arrive at the crime scene of the murder of the Poodle, he felt tense and anxious caused by Mrs. Shears’s neurotic behavior in reaction to viewing Christopher peer over her dead dog. Later, when the police arrive to investigate the crime scene, Christopher feels a surge of comfort because the policeman is a representation (in Christopher’s mind) of order. When the police arrived Christopher thought: “Then the police arrived. I like the police. They have uniforms and

numbers and you know what they are meant to be doing”(6). Typically, one would get frightened by the police (especially in this situation). However, instead of a feeling of fear, he felt a rather peculiar reaction of satisfaction. This stood out to me because it emphasizes the severity of Christopher’s OCD.

Confused

Initially, I was very confused on the meaning of the title.

I could not come to a conclusion on the significance of the title until a later in the book. I discovered that it comes from the protagonist, Christopher Christopher John Francis Boone, who learns that his neighbor’s Poodle has been stabbed with a garden knife, which motivates Christopher to analyze the situation and find out who killed the dog and why. This helps him discover a greater secret about his parents. The dog symbolizes his care for things that people mindlessly overlook or forget. Yes, people did find it sad that the dog died, but they did not care enough to finding the killer. Christopher symbolizes the things that society ignores and overlooks. He is unusually curious about the murder of the Poodle. In addition, Christopher is very specific in everything he writes. Especially when it involves math or science, and struggles with expressing his (and other’s) feelings thanks to his mental disorders.The title, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is specific, but it is not thought provoking or deep. It is rather

straightforward.

What did this reading make me wonder about?
It is somewhat ironic to see how Christopher cannot express himself to society, but can critically think and solve real world situations. Christopher is socially inept. He cannot comprehend typical signals that people use, so how can he solve a complex mystery?
What questions did it bring to mind?

Why does Christopher mindlessly avoid showing affection towards others including family members?