Aspergers Syndrome Character Analysis

Statement: ‘Because the story is narrated from Chris' point of view, we learn little about other characters.' Discuss.

The reason we are left with a small understanding of the other characters is because the story is told from Chris' perspective. Telling a story from a first person perspective encourages us, the readers, to listen and relate to Chris, the speaker. Using a first person perspective allows the reader to see exactly what Chris is thinking, it also allows Chris to be further developed through his own style in telling the story. Chris neglects to tell us much about the other characters in the book because he is alleged to have Aspergers Syndrome, he sees himself as a dog rather than a human, he only writes what interests him and he is told specific instructions by his teacher, Siobhan.
Chris shows many of the symptoms of Aspergers Syndrome, a psychiatric disorder, characterised by impairments in social interaction and repetitive behaviour patterns.
We are told of this when Chris lists some of his behavioural problems, "Not talking to people for a long time", "Not noticing that people are angry with me" and "Doing stupid things". Being a sufferer of the syndrome also involves the incomprehension of metaphors and descriptive words. These language techniques provide an image in the readers mind and give us a better understanding of the world, including people. So without them we are left without any images of our own and a lesser understanding of the other characters and situations. The above symptoms weaken Chris' ability to get to know and therefore describe the other characters in the
book.
Early in the novel, Christopher gives his opinion on dogs, "I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking. It has four moods. Happy, sad, cross and concentrating. Also, dogs are faithful and they do not tell lies because they cannot talk". Christopher appears to be describing how he sees himself; someone who is transparent in his moods and who does not lie. Likening himself to a dog in this way further limits Chris' ability to learn about and understand the other characters because dogs do not have personalities and therefore cannot understand human personalities.
Being told in the first-person perspective, the novel is based around what Chris is interested in and what he would be interested in reading himself. "Siobhan said that I should write something I would want to read myself". This restricts Chris' story because he goes on to say "Mostly I read books about science and maths. I do not like proper novels". Stating this reveals that the book will be more about science and maths then it will about feelings, emotions and other characters like a "proper novel" which would be more likely to discuss characters.
At Chris' school, he is aided by Siobhan. Siobhan advises Chris about the way he should write his book, stating "It was best to describe things that were interesting or different. She also said I should describe people in the story by mentioning one or two details about them". Siobhan therefore holds Chris back from describing the characters firstly because people do not interest him, so he won't write about them and secondly only writing one or two details about the other characters. Because Chris is very obedient and literal he will stick to these boundaries and not elaborate, constricting our ability to learn about the other characters.
By the end of the novel, the reader is left with a small, obscure understanding of the other characters. When Chris states "I find people confusing" it is clear that he cannot understand the other characters, leaving the readers to gather their own thoughts and form their own opinions and assumptions about the other characters.