Difference Between The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

The novel, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ by Mark Haddon and the film, ‘Paper Planes’ by Robert Connolly deal with the dynamic nature of families, which refers to how a family functions and the connections between individuals in a family. The creators explore the concept of how people change as they grow with experience, which can impact their family relationships. Specifically, Haddon explores how the nature of a family is unstable, it is something that is changing and shifting. Similarly, Connolly shows how events in people’s lives as well as lack of connection between individuals can affect a family’s nature. As a result, both texts are a demonstration of the dynamic nature of families. The texts explore how the characters

Jack’s regression from being the parent to entering the role of the child in the family forces Dylan to become independent and mature. This drastic change of roles leaves Dylan with the absence of a parental figure, leading him to search for others to fill the role. In contrast, Christopher has no emotional need to fill the role of his mother in his life, however, his father turns to his neighbor, Mrs. Shears, to fill the hole left by his wife. Dylan’s persistence in maintaining his relationship with his father is displayed when he tells Jack of his new found interest in paper planes, however, after asking Dylan “how [he] know[s] all this” and Dylan revels that “Mum taught me,” Jack relapses out of reality and into his depression. Due to this loss of interest from his father, Dylan goes to his Grandpa to see if he “has any ideas” about the paper planes. This represents Dylan relying upon his Grandpa to fill the role that his father is failing at and his Grandpa in return gives Dylan a loving and supporting environment. Yet, in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Christopher does not evidently find someone to fill the role of his mother in his life. Christopher’s condition, Asperger’s syndrome, affects his emotional reciprocity , meaning that he was struggling with connecting with her at an emotional level. As well as being linked to his condition, Judy “had [also] hit

They both explore the concept of loss and how its affect can have either a positive and negative drastic change on a person’s everyday life as well as their relationships with others or how it can have a limited effect on an individual’s life, especially when they struggle to comprehend emotions. Whilst both texts explore the development of individuals as they gain new knowledge, Connolly focuses on the positive outcome of family members having a better understanding of each other. Haddon, on the other hand, gives the audience an insight on the importance of trust in a family, and once broken and the secrets are out, a family can become broken. Connolly and Haddon also both look at how some individuals seek to find others to fill the roles of significant family members in their lives, and in Haddon’s case, how some do not wish to fill the roles of family members that have had a negative impact on an individual’s life. Ultimately, this offers the reader insight into the evolving nature of family and the importance of trusting and understanding one another to help mend and improve their relationships as well as having the ability to live in and understand people and