“Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon” mainly focuses on an autistic boy named Christopher, who has witnessed the death of the neighbour’s dog Wellington, who he was very close to. He decided to investigate who had killed the defenceless dog, only to find out later that his father killed it due to frustration. Throughout the course of the book characters are faced with many adversities, as secrets are unravelled and the story unfolds. The theme overcoming adversity is essential in this novel, as it conveys and focuses on the topic that everyone has their own problems in their life, which they must overcome in order to move forward. The characters had to cope with loss, lies and the irregularity of life which greatly …show more content…
influenced the outcome of the story and their perspectives on others around them. Loss is a big adversity in this novel, as it has happened in more than one occasion. Christopher’s father had to deal with several relationships breaking down. The first one was when he lost of his spouse; he did not handle this well and deceived Christopher by telling him that she had died. After the split-up with his wife, he also had to deal with his relationship with Ms Shears breaking down. He did not resolve in a way that would be appropriate, as he got mad and aggressive, which led him to kill Wellington. In the book Christopher never really showed much emotion when his mother died, however he did wonder what was the cause of the sudden heart attack. Christopher has a hard time understanding emotion, because he has a case of mild autism, therefore at that current situation he didn’t know what to feel. This is shown when he remembered “Mother was a small person who smelt nice”. There were no sentimentalities, which like a normal person would have shown. In society loss is a common thing, may it be a big or small. If the loss is large enough it can leave a long lasting impact, which may need treatment, time and support from loved ones to overcome, much like his father who may need treatment to deal with the loss or failure of his past relationships. The deceptions that Christopher had undergone really made an impact on his perspective on the situation. When he found out that his father had deceived him into thinking that his mother had died and that he had killed Wellington, he became terrified of him and took precautionary measures to get him somewhere safe, away from his father, who he thought of that situation, was aggressive and would hurt him in some way. This led to their relationship deteriorating, as Christopher has lost his trust in him. At the beginning of chapter 83 Christopher says that “I think I would make a very good astronaut. To be a good astronaut you have to be intelligent and I’m intelligent. You also have to understand how machines work and I’m good at understanding how machines work. You also have to be someone who would like being on their own in a tiny space-craft thousands and thousands of miles away…,” this dream comes from Christopher wanting to be free of his father’s authority and control, as if he were to go to space he would be far away from his father who was controlling him. This shows that he already wanted the idea of being away from his father. In the end of the novel he was able to get through all the deceptions that has happened, however his relationship with his father could still use some development. In society deceptions happen daily, some worst than others, however in some cases lying can be necessary as the person might end up getting hurt or upset, when it can be avoided, however this is not always the case and ends up even worse than if they came clean from the start. Christopher had to withstand the irregularity of life.
This was not a simple task as Christopher needs everything to have structure. This is told when Christopher said he had a hard time on vacation, as there were no schedules to follow. He heavily relies on logic and structure to navigate the world. In chapter 19 Christopher says that “Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.” This shows that life does not have a structure; this makes it hard for Christopher who needs structure and stability. Throughout the novel the number of destabilized events that Christopher experiences increases, from finding out that his mother had an affair with Mr Shears and uncovering his father’s lies. In chapter 101 he said that “Mr. Jeavons said that I liked maths because it was safe. He said I liked maths because it meant solving problems, and these problems were difficult and interesting but there was always a straightforward answer at the end. And what he meant was that maths wasn’t like life because in life there are no straightforward answers at the end.” This shows that Christopher had a hard time with his mother’s affair as there was no straight answer on what to
do. In addition, Christopher’s narrowness on how he sees the world prevents from seeing the whole picture of his family’s irregular, complex and tangled relationship. His fear of this was shown when he went to London to see his mother. All the unfamiliar landscape made him paralysed as he had not seen any of them before, this also symbolizes the complexity of the situation and his family. At the end of the novel, it implies that Christopher was able to get through everything that had happened when he states that “And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery...and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.” This shows that he was at eased with everything that had happened. When the novel ended it did not solve everything, this implies life will never be stable or have a structure. In society things happen every day that we would not expect to happen like, a burglary or winning the lottery. We can cope with things changing by adapting to the situation and if needed, searching for a way to fix what had happened. In conclusion, Characters have gone through loss, deceit and life’s irregularities. Overcoming adversity is an essential theme in this book, as it has provided many cases of the characters moving forward in many occasions. This novel shows that overcoming adversity may be hard; however it is an essential to get through it in order to move forward in our lives, as they will never disappear.
The book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” talks about a curious boy with autism whose name is Christopher John Francis Boone. Christopher tries to solve a case of Mrs. Shears,his neighbor, dogs skeptical death. Christopher lives only with his father. His father tells him that his mother died in the hospital, but she really didn't die. She is still alive and is living with Mrs. Shears ex-husband. The reason why Christopher’s mother isn’t living with him anymore is because she cheated on her husband with Mr. Shears. Christopher starts to slowly understand what was happening then he goes out trying to find his mom in London.
His reasoning for leaving was justifiable being, “[he] thought [his mom] was dead, but she was still alive. And [his] father lied to [him].And he also killed Wellington,” (Haddon). Christopher's reasoning is definitely valid. But although his reasoning for leaving is valid, his trip was very dangerous and could have ended very badly. Christopher is a minor and has a very young, impressionable mind. Along with him being a young boy, he also has mental disabilities that make it hard for him to communicate with others. This communication barrier is extremely harmful when interacting with strangers. This is very apparent when Christopher is arrested. If someone was there to explain to the policeman why Christopher needs to be handled with care instead of using violent tactics, then Christopher would not have gone to jail. If this could happen on his walk home, then imagine what trouble Christopher could face traveling all the way to
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
Nothing hurts more than being betrayed by a loved one, Christopher’s father has no trust in Christopher and tells him that his “Mother died 2 years ago”(22) and Christopher thinks his mother died of a heart attack. When Christopher finds out his father lied, he runs away to live with his mother and his father despritally looks for him and while looking for him realizes the importance of telling the truth. When someone betrays one’s trust, they can feel morally violated. Once Christopher finds his mother, she begins to realize how unfit her living conditions are for Christopher and brings him back to his father, bring him “[..] home in Swindon”(207) Christopher feels incredibly hurt and distressed he does not want to see his father. Whether a relationship can be repaired depends entirely on whether trust can or cannot be restored. Christopher’s father works very hard to regain his trust, he tells his son “[..] I don’t know about you, but this...this just hurts too much”, Christopher’s father is dealing with the result of being dishonest with his son and himself.
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.
Relationships can only survive through adapting to constant change. Without that aspect, they would not last. In Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a boy with Aspergers goes through life surrounded by mystery, dishonesty, and dysfunctionality. Because of this, secrets are revealed, relationships are changed, and the connection between family is brought into a new light. Through these events, the boy and his family discover and rediscover their ties with each other. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the author demonstrates that the ability to adapt and change is the most essential characteristic in life because it strengthens relationships, as illustrated through Christopher, his mother
Christopher’s communications was quite precise, which let the reader understand the text in more depth which made it easier, yet if the book were written in third person the reader would not have understood the social interactions projected. A piece of communication that was in depth was when Christopher got taken to jail. Christopher then listed what he had in his pockets (For Example)
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.
“3.3% of 13 to 18 year olds have experienced a seriously debilitating depressive disorder” (“Depression” 3). Living in a world of perfection and happiness as a teenager is not part of the status quo. The ordinary teenager lives a life of depression and loneliness. Teenagers spend their years trying to affiliate themselves with society. This process takes self-sacrifice and abandoning those who love them the most. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a novel written by Mark Haddon, Christopher Boone is the main character. Whereas Craig Gilner is the main character in Ned Vizzini’s novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Both characters must find their way into society by fighting their fears and realizing who they are. As a matter of fact, Haddon’s and Vizzini’s novels realistically portray the life of a teenager by using main characters who deal with depression, gain independence, and progress through Bildungsroman.
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.
“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen, “advised the great American 20th century novelist Ernest Hemingway. The novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, written by Mark Haddon, inspires empathy in the reader for people who operate in a different manner than themselves. This allows them to perceive the world in a different light and understand another perspective by knowing their situation. Ironically, the tale is told by someone who cannot empathize. The novel is told by a seemingly robotic Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome from Swindon, England who unravels the mystery of his neighbour’s murdered canine. The reader journeys with the young boy in hopes of uncovering the conundrum
The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time will take you on a ride of emotions as Christopher John Francis Boone fights through his autism to prove his innocence to everyone and himself as well. A story of a young boy on a mission to find out who killed his neighbor's dog, but while on the journey he reveals secrets about his family that was kept from him all these years. Mark Haddon did an amazing job on showing how the truth can affect someone in the text, not only the main character Christopher, but the others as well utilizing Characterization.
The trip to London was not at all easy for Christopher especially because he went to London via public transport so he was forced to interact with many people which is something Christopher struggles with. He finds it hard and confusing to deal with others emotions and feelings because often people don't always mean what they say and don't feel the way they say they feel. However, even though the trip to london was incredibly difficult for Christopher he does an exceptional job at overcoming his problems, such as when he was unable to get to the train station so he used the spiral theory to figure out how to