What distinctive ideas are explored in your prescribed text? Explain how these ideas are developed throughout the text.
Mark Haddon explores the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, to purvey distinctive ideas such as the importance of truth, dysfunctional family, and the search for order and stability which are conveyed through the use of language conventions and a non-traditional structure. The novel is told through the first- hand narration of Christopher Boone a fifteen-year-old boy who deals with the tribulation of living with Asperger’, an autism spectrum disorder. Haddon’s portrayal of the protagonist perspective of how he views the world is prominent throughout the novel, as the writer makes sense of Christopher’s
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differences and his will to overcome his daily obstacles. Through doing so Haddon gives insight into life with Asperger’s and creates a stimulating perspective of the world. In addition, the detective genre forms a significant means by which Haddon gives the reader a sense of how Christopher engages with the world. A dysfunctional family is encircled throughout the novel shown through Christopher’s family and the struggles dealing with a disabled son. Haddon conveys this distinctive idea through the use of narration. Haddon’s style of narration is conveyed in a non-linear pattern corresponding to the outlook of Christopher’s world. As a result, readers are given a dynamic perception of Christopher and how he responds to these challenges. Although the word autism is not mentioned in the novel, we are shown what Christopher struggles with in everyday situations including his dysfunctional family. The novel begins introducing Christopher’s dysfunctional family. However, we also get a hint that there was a maternal figure in Mrs Shears after Christopher’s mother supposedly "died". This, however, came to a short end as she no longer could handle Christopher’s complex nature. In addition, we realise Christopher’s mother was not as patient a mother as she needed to be. In chapter 103 we are shown Mrs Shear’s violence towards Christopher through the use of descriptive language “Mother had hit me sometimes because she was a very hot-tempered person, which means she gets angry more quickly than others but father is more level headed person, so I was very surprised when he grabbed me”. This is a surprising statement coming from Christopher as the readers get an insight of the difficulties of raising a child with “special needs”. It's through Judy ( Christopher’s mother) that we get a glimpse of just how challenging it is to care for someone with a social disorder, like when Christopher starts smashing things in a store or refuses to step onto a bus and insists that they walk miles home. This is demonstrated when Christopher mother rings Mrs Gascoyne to postpone his “maths a level” test next year. He quotes “I screamed for a long time and the pain in my chest hurt so much it was hard to breathe.” Christopher was experiencing anxiety as he wasn’t able to take his maths A-level test on the given date respectively relating back to the ideology of order and stability In Christopher life when things do not go as plan his emotional breakdown results in the people around him becoming frustrated and confused. This can clearly be seen when a man asks “if I was ok” and mother said,” well, what does it look like to you?” The use of irony drives the conflict faced on a daily basis, in effect the reader gains a deeper understanding of Christopher characterisation. Thus, Haddon conveys the distinctive idea of dysfunctional family through the use of narration and reader’s gain of what life may be like for those who deal with disabilities on a daily basis. Truthfulness is the greatest and most important of all human virtues, the idea of truth is central to Christopher as it is all he knows and what he lives by. Christopher never tells lies and believes that honesty relies on how much you love someone. This becomes somehow ironic because the people that he loves lie to him. This is evidently showed through Christopher father (Ed).When Christopher uncovers the truth that his mother is still alive. “Mother had not had a heart attack. Mother had not died. Mother had been alive the whole time. And father had lied about this.” The repetition of mother emphasize his frustration’s towards the hurt he feels from people who are supposed to love him and be honest. As a result Christopher often finds comfort in interacting with animals and displays great consternation when he sees them harmed. He engages with animals so readily because he finds them easier to understand than people. For example, “I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking. It has four moods Happy, sad, cross and concentrating”. Christopher appears to be describing how he sees himself: someone who is transparent in his moods and meanings, and who does not lie. In effect Christopher’s honesty gains the believability of his detective genre. Furthermore, the detective genre forms a significant trait by which Haddon gives the reader a sense of how Christopher engages with the world. Hence, we have this statement: “In proper novels, people say things like, "I am veined with iron, with silver and with streaks of common mud." Christopher expresses through insinuation the appeal that the detective genre implies for him because of his interest in investigations. Haddon subtly uses humour such as in the grandiose language of the proper novel in contrast to his non-tradition style. The juxtaposition shown between ordinary novels and Christopher’s murder mystery creates a stimulating dynamic between the readers and the pattern of the novel. Moreover, the assertiveness is also seen in chapter 37. ” This is another reason I don’t like proper novels because they are all lies about things which didn’t happen” “And this is why everything I have written here is true” Christopher's imagination can't cope seeing something that didn’t happen. He can only relate to what he knows to be factually true, putting his readers in a very secure position: we know that we will be given the truth as far as he knows. Hence, Haddon successfully conveys the central importance of truth through the use of detective genre which deepens Christopher’s believability conveyed through the novel, as a result, engages readers to contradict the death of Christopher mother and on-coming events in the novel. The search for order and stability is prominent within The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.
Haddon utilises the protagonist’s interactions and experiences to convey how his world is upended by chaos - the death of a favourite dog, the discovery of a deception about his parents - and how he restores order. For Christopher, the desire for order and stability is actually a necessity of living: as he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, he needs an ordered and stable life to be happy and safe. Anything that jeopardises this not only damages his mental state but also brings him physical pain. Christopher attends a special needs school and feels the need to overcome his disability and prove his not “stupid” that the other kids call him. Haddon uses diction and tone that is colloquial and matter-of-fact, about content that is extreme and antisocial. The rhyme “Sticks and stones can break my bone and I have a Swiss army knife and if they hit me and if I kill them it will be self-defence and I won’t go to prison” demonstrates Christopher’s view upon what other people say about him. Furthermore, Haddon conducts the sentence in a poetry sense, although it is alarming when Christopher admits he is not afraid to become violence and kill the person as he considers it as self-defence. In effect, it gains insight the readers a better understanding of Christopher’s feeling due to his condition and his behavioural problems of him not liking to be touched which can lead to violence approach. As a result 'order and stability', and its importance is developed through the aspects of Christopher's behaviour. Haddon conveys an ability to overcome the limitations implanted in his life in order to dissuade the predictable opinions towards people who suffer from autism. As we see things from within his perspective, readers gain an insight of his personal challenges and his will to overcome
them. In conclusion, Mark Haddon has successfully conveyed distinctive ideas of dysfunctional family, the importance of truth, and the search for order and stability to convey the ideology seen through the first perspective of the unique protagonist Christopher Boone which moves leads readers to a deeper understanding. Within Haddon’s novel, a diversity of text types, Narrative voice, genre and structure creates a supreme portrayal of the relationship dealing with a disability which effectively portrays the experience and spectrum of Christopher’s vibrant and vital mind regardless of his limitations.
In the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”, Mark Haddon’s use of post-modern orthography reflects Christopher’s unusual way of communicating due to his Asperger’s Syndrome. In various points within the book, Christopher bolds and capitalises what he calls “Good Days” and “Black Days” in order to emphasise their importance for his everyday life “5 cars in a row made it a ‘Super Good Day’ … 4 yellow cars in a row made it a ‘Black Day’”. Christopher is unable to understand many aspects of his day due to his Asperger’s and by relying on this method, that uses logic and patterns which he understands, he is able to cope with changes. This system allows Christopher to ab able to show what makes him happy in his day which he was
With every decision one makes. There will always be consequences. In Haddon’s, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the character Christopher and his parents find that their bad decisions could lead to a negative outcome. Mrs. Boone’s choice to leave home and Mr. Boone’s choice to lie to Christopher lead to him leaving home to search for his mother. A common theme of the actions of the characters is acting before thinking. The theme of decisions and consequences reveals the imperfections of each character, ultimately demonstrating the quintessential impatient need for growth.
The curious incident of the dog in the night time is about a young boy with asperger's syndrome named Christopher. asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder considered to be on the “high functioning” end of the spectrum. Affected children and adults have difficulty with social interactions and exhibit a restricted range of interests repetitive behaviours. Christopher found a dead black poodle with a pitch fork in it. It made him very upset and he wanted to find out who killed Wellington, so he did some investigating so he could get the killer arrested but in a plot twist Christopher found out it was his father who killed Wellington. Christopher was very scared and angry with his father because he killed Wellington and lied about his mother dying of a heart attack when really she left Christopher and Ed for another man and moved to London. Christopher didn't like lier's. Christopher packed his bags and ran away from his father while he was at work and decided to go live with his mother. Christopher found the letters she had been writing him and the address was on the letters.
The world is plagued with an inseparable mix of good and evil. People make mistakes, but often start out with good intentions. Often times actions live in the grey zone, a combination of good intentions but bad outcomes. In Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time there are many decisions that could be considered morally ambiguous. The story is told from the perspective of an autistic fifteen-year-old, Christopher Boone, who is investigating the death of his neighbor’s dog. His mother, Judy Boone supposedly died two years back, when in actuality she ran off to London with another man and, in turn, has been shut out of Christopher’s life. His father, Ed Boone hides the truth involving Christopher’s mother, pretending
Christopher is a fifteen-year old boy with Aspergers Autism whose life is full of uncanny surprises. His main focus is on school, and his ability to take the maths A level exams. Unfortunately, that was his focus until he finds Wellington dead on Mrs. Shears’ lawn. Christopher wants to know who killed Wellington and why. He investigates and finds out not only who killed Wellington, but he discovers secrets about his mother and father. In the book “The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time”, the author, Mark Haddon, shows us how courageous Christopher is throughout his journey. According to Aristotle, a man is courageous when he sets himself free from his fears, pain, and poverty instead of running away from it. According to Aristotle’s theory, Christopher profusely shows courage when he investigates Wellington’s murder and travels to London to find his mom.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is best known for its narration from an autistic boy, how it could be changed by a different character, and the impact that a non-autistic narrator could have on the novel. For Curious Incident point of view is one of the most important aspects as it hooks readers from the very beginning. The point of view immediately sets readers for what they can expect. Curious Incident changes how readers feel about first person point of view forever.
The novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time explores the concept of truth and lies through the eyes of Christopher, the main character, who has autism. His narrative perspective only allows the reader to understand what his own mind is capable of understanding such as his views on lying, facial
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time exhibits real life situations experienced by an autistic, 15-year-old boy, from his own panorama. Christopher’s use of first person perspective ensures that his view on events are explained with accurate, detailed description, enhancing the responders understanding of how the mind of one with Asperger’s syndrome functions. This concept is elaborated on in Christopher’s struggle to become independent as the responder is able to grasp Christopher’s defensive mechanisms to dealing with stressful situations. Christopher narration “so I groaned to make the time pass quicker and not think” during a fit where his tendency to shut down and curl himself into a ball is essentially revealed substantiates his struggle to become independent as his
While trust is a somewhat common theme in modern novels, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime manages to portray how it affects people in their day to day lifestyle. The book tells the story of Christopher Boone a young boy with autism and his murder mystery novel about the murder of his neighbor's dog. Why this novel is significant is because Mark Haddon tells the story that many young people with autism, like Christopher, live everyday and who’s view on life and the idea of trust and understanding of the world is drastically different than any teenager.
Have you ever thought about what the world looks like in other peoples ' perspective? "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" written by Mark Haddon tell a story about Christopher, a 15-year-old boy who is autistic, uncovers a secret about his parents while solving the mystery of who killed Wellington, his neighbor 's dog. Mark Haddon uses Christopher as the storyteller in order for readers to understand Christopher 's perspective about the world. He uses simple, straightforward diction and syntax, the motif of disability studies and ecocriticism, also application of science and technology in the story to allow the readers to see the world with fresh and logical angle without taking anything for granted.
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.
The curious incident of the dog in the night time was narrated in first person by Christopher Boone however If it was narrated in third person the audience would not have understood the way Christopher was feeling. Communication, Social Interactions, Relationship’s and Christopher’s Autism spectrum disorder were some of the main areas expressed in the novel.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time chronicles of Christopher Boone of Swindon, England. The book is written by Mark Haddon, who formerly worked with autistic individuals, describes the world through the eyes of Christopher, who is self-proclaimed “special needs”. The novel never explicitly says what Christopher’s diagnosis is, but from the text it is apparent that he would fall on the higher functioning end of the Autism Spectrum.
In Mark Haddon's contemporary novel, "The curious incident of the dog in the Night-Time", the protagonist, Christopher Boone, does seem completely unsuited to narrating a novel, as he takes on his authorial voice, thus demonstrating symptoms of his disability, 'Asperger's Syndrome.' This is a syndrome that enables him to see the world only through his limited perspective, which is closed, frightened and disorientated - which results in his fear of, and inability to understand the perplexing world of people's emotions. His description of events can be somewhat unreliable as he is unable to see the real truths that lie before him. As he narrates, readers are confronted with his peculiarities - whether it is not liking to be touched, his fear of germs, strangers and crowds to his inability to eat foods with particular colors. However, through Christopher's authorial voice, his description of events in his life, and in particular, his description of his oddities those seem completely 'normal' to him, make him an interesting and fascinating narrator. As he can be proven to be an unreliable narrator as he is incapable of lying (and understanding lies) and this limits his ability to perceive the full reality of the world, thus providing him with a strange combination of credibility and unbelievability. Again, this is what makes him a wonderful narrator - at times readers can mistrust his interpretation of such events, or they can believe him.
‘Once’ there was ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ where the two main characters, Felix and Christopher Boone, travelled on their adventures to find their loved ones that were ‘gone’. In this oral I shall be talking about the similarities and differences of both books storylines and then I will begin talking about the similarities and differences in the main characters, exploring the themes and subjects of: Naïve narration, Isolation, Empathy, Tragedy, How the characters think and how they act around other people. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (By Mark Haddon), is a book where the main character Christopher Boone who has autism discovers his neighbour’s dog, lying dead on the ground, he then decides to