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Literary analysis on the book the curious incident of the dog in the night-time
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time: a novel, by mark haddon (fiction) pr6058.a245 c87 2003
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time: a novel, by mark haddon (fiction) pr6058.a245 c87 2003
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In the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, we are met with a question can truth change. In the book the protagonist is Christopher, an autistic child living with his father. Throughout the book, many things that he thought to be true change. Firstly, Christopher thought that his father would never hurt anything, but he did. Secondly, he was not allowed to take the A-Level Maths because he went to a special school. Lastly, he thought that his dad would never lie to him and that changed as well. He had to fight through both the school and his mother to be able to take the test. Christopher had to go through much change throughout the novel. At the beginning of the book, Christopher had thought that his dad would never hurt anything or anyone. Christopher had thought that his dad was a great person, and that he would never do anything wrong. This turned out to be not true. His father denied killing the dog multiple times, but he did admit to doing the act.“I killed Wellington, Christopher.”(p.120) Wellington is their neighbor’s dog. From this quote...
Have you changed your opinion on someone? In the story “William aka Bill”, by Tanya C.Sousa, a boy changed his opinion on a boy named William (that was a bully). William had changed from a bully to a friend. A boy did not like William because when the boy went to the front of the class William would trip the boy. This book teaches readers that people can change.
Mark was the first boy that Jennings met in the home so he was the one to show Jennings the rules of the home. He slept with Doggie his first night but was panicked when he woke up to find Doggie gone. Jennings thought he had lost Doggie, Mark explained what happens every night with the animals that they are given. Jennings didn’t understand why the nuns would take them away, when he asked Mark “‘But why?’ Mark snapped and said ‘It’s the rules!’ ‘They cage the animals at night. It’s the rules.’”(Burch, 26) Jennings thought that Doggie was his, so when he was lent out to the Carpenter’s he didn’t realize he wouldn’t be able to take Doggie with him. Mrs. Carpenter was a very mean woman and Jennings just wanted Doggie back, he drew a picture of him hoping it would make him feel better. When he got back to the Home of the angels he was very happy to know Doggie was safe and he would get to sleep with him again. Shortly after Jennings got back to the home Sister Clair told Jennings she would be leaving to go help at a school, they were both new in the Home of the angels at the same time. When Jennings woke up, he found Doggie under his pillow with a note attached from Sister Clair that
In the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, I claim that Ed Boone, Christopher's father, was justified in lying to him about the death of his mother. Despite the fact that he lied to him about something critical, he did so with the best intentions.
First off, Christopher feels free from the world and that no one can touch him. Before the end of the book, all the problems between Christopher and his father are obliterated by the promise of honesty. In addition, Christopher’s way of philosophy is like no other. He uses basic common sense and logic for everyday thinking. He uses math and patterns to find places he does not know. This way of thinking is very critical to understand throughout the novel because Christopher is constantly thinking outside the box. Christopher believes he is a very special boy. He knows he is smarter than most people are and compares everything to what he believes or sees. He compares cars to good days and bad days, many times throughout the novel. The character Christopher plays in the book is extremely important furthermore, the fights and lies with his father make the book fascinating. Since he has Asperger’s the book is read from not necessarily a different point of view, but from a different way of thinking. Almost all the problems based in the novel are from deprived family dynamics. The household that Christopher is a part of, makes it difficult for him to function normally, therefore, understanding difficult facts to comprehend is tough in everyday
When Christopher’s dad said “I killed Wellington, Christopher.” it all made sense because Christopher stated in the book that someone must’ve been mad at Ms.Shears and killed the dog to make her sad. But he said “Anyway, we’re yelling at eachother and it’s in the garden relieving itself. So when she slams the door behind me the bugger’s waiting for me. And… I know I know. Maybe if I’d just given it a kick it would probably have backed off.” and he was mad so he killed the dog. This changed things because Christopher didn’t feel safe and he went all the way to London alone with his mom.
Ed Boone, Christopher’s father, deceives himself in that he embellishes the truth about where his ex-wife truly is. As a result, Ed begins to believe the fabrication himself to make him feel better about her departure from their lives. Self-deception, as used in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, promotes the instability that Christopher encounters after being deceived. According to Paul Ekman in Lying and Deception, “Self-deception presumably occurs when the deceiver does not realize he is misleading himself and does not know his own motive for deceiving himself.” Granted that Ed Boone misleads himself he may not even recognize that he is deceiving himself. Not only did Christopher’s Father create a distortion of the truth to mislead himself, but he also mislead Christopher. Consequently, Christopher believed his mother to be dead, but in reality, she had abandoned them. In Mr. Boone’s account with self-deception, he doesn’t realize that the deception could potentially hurt those he had lied to due to his moral implications fading. According to Ann E. Tenbrunsel in Ethical Fading: The Role of Self-Deception in Unethical Behavior, “We argue that the process of self-deception is at the root of this juncture of disciplines. Self-deception causes the moral implications of a decision to fade, allowing individuals to behave incomprehensibly and, at the same time, not realize that they are
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.
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
At first glance, Ed seems very protective of Christopher, claiming to his son, “I did it for your own good, Christopher. Honestly I did. I never meant to lie. I just thought . . . I just thought it was better if you didn’t know” (Haddon 114). Ed doesn’t want his son to have to live with the feeling of his mother leaving him; he doesn’t want his son to feel like it is his fault. Furthermore, Ed is trying to protect his son from the negative influence of Christopher’s mother. In the letters to Christopher, Judy confesses that “I’m not like your father. Your father is a much more pacient [sic] person. He just gets on with things and if things upset him he doesn’t let it show. But that’s not the way I am and there's nothing I can do to change that” (Haddon 106). Because of his autism, Christopher needs to be treated the best he can be. However, Judy admits that she cannot handle troublesome situations as well as Ed. Therefore, it is best for Christopher if he is shielded from his mother's hurtful behaviors, showing the positive motivation. By first accepting that the action is based on good intentions, it allows Ed’s lie to be seen as morally
When Christopher finds Wellington dead on Mrs. Shears’ front lawn, he picks up the dog and strokes it. Christopher is determine to find out who killed Wellington because he likes dogs. Father tells Christopher to leave the dog alone and do not poke into other people’s business. But Christopher has to find out who killed him, thus he decides not to listen to father and go find out and investigate Wellington’s murder. Christopher’s courage began to show when one Saturday, he decides to go around his block and ask questions. Christopher does not like to be around people he does not know and he is scared of some of the people on his block, but he faces his fears--not out of fear, but because he knew it was something he had to do. Christopher mentions that talking to people on his block was brave. He knows what courage is and he knows that he has to be brave. Notice how Ch...
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, lying means to tell an account of an untrue event or give false information.
Whilst the concept of autism and what it means to be autistic is still widely unrecognised by many, Mark Haddon’s use of conventions of prose fiction and language amplifies the distinctive qualities of the text. Haddon exemplifies key themes such as the struggle to become independent, the nature of difference and the disorder of life through the strategic placement of literary devices.
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
In the beginning of the story, Christopher explains how close him and his father are as they only have each other. Christopher's dad has hidden things from him his whole life,
After the child encounters the dog they being to play with one another. The passage notes; “the dog became more enthusiastic with each moment of the interview, until with his gleeful caperings he threatened to overturn the child. Whereupon the child lifted his hand and struck the dog a blow upon the head.” (Crane) With this we see the first act against the dog. The dog does not turn violent or try to run away. Instead he summits and begs for forgiveness. He rolls onto his back and gives the child a look of prayer. The relationship roles here become clear the child can play god with this dog. Knowing how the dog reacts to this is showing how the dog’s character is to please his master. They play for a while longer, until the child loose interest in the dog’s antics. He began to head home, when he notices the dog is following him. He decides to get a stick and hit him with it. The dog still summits to this act and continues to tag along. When they finally reach ...