Preview

Comparing The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1429 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
The novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" isn 't just a young autistic boy 's story. Whilst it does describe the protagonist Christopher Boone 's "reality", the narrative is much deeper. The issues that surround Christopher are vital to the storyline, providing a complexity that suggests the "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" is far from simple. While a major part of the novel, autism is not the only theme explored. In addition to autism itself, the effects of this disorder are central to the characters involved in Christopher 's life, and is the root cause of many dramatic events. The break-up of Christopher 's parents Ed and Judy can partially be attributed to their son 's behavioural problems, which leads to more problems. In "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" there are two authors; writer Mark Haddon and Christopher Boone, a sufferer of the disorder autism. Haddon uses Christopher as a means of expressing the human condition - that we all struggle, all achieve and all fail …show more content…
Even though the format of the novel is similar to that of a diary, it contains much more than a day to day account of Christopher Boone 's life. It explores a wide range of themes and issues, mainly on the affects of profound autism and the problems this particular disorder presents to each character in the novel. The main influence of Christopher 's autism is pressure and stress, which leads to different but damaging results in each separate case. Tolerance and understanding are also vital themes, and by examining Christopher and his life, we reflect upon our own existence and the behaviour of those within our lives. Christopher is also symbolic of the human condition, and author Mark Haddon shows us through "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" that we all endure similar hardships and triumphs as we go through

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    What is unique about this book is that the young narrator has Asperger syndrome and the style of his writing is very peculiar. “This will not be a funny book”, says Christopher. “I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them”. But it is a funny book, as well as a sad one.…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, we are introduced to Christopher Boone, a 15 year old boy who has a disability comparatively to Asperger's Syndrome. Christopher only lives with his dad, Ed Boone, because he is told that his mother died a couple of year ago from a heart attack. In the book, we learn Christoper has countless love-hate relationships with irregular objects. He loves math, red objects, and being honest; however he hates, yellow objects, metaphors, and lying. Christopher's main reason to write a mystery book, was to tell readers his process of finding the killer of Wellington, Mrs. Shears’s (his neighbor’s) dog. However, during the process of solving the mystery and writing his book, he comes across…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “And when I am in a new place, because I see everything, it is like when a computer is doing too many things at the same time & the central processor unit is blocked up & there isn’t any space left to think about other things.” – Pg.177…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christopher’s family life leads to him having an internal achievement later in the story. Christopher’s mother is an important person in this novel because she reveals what his dad has been trying to cover up this whole time. Christopher’s mother apparently dies one day at the hospital a couple years before the story takes place. Christopher remembers certain things about his mom and believes his dad when he says that she is dead. One day, Christopher discovers the truth about his mom while looking into the murder of his neighbor’s dog…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Christopher Boone is a teenaged boy with some behavioral difficulties. Christopher becomes a detective and author when his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, is murdered and he chronicles the events in his book. After discovering the truth about his parents, Christopher has to find balance in his life between home and…

    • 50 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher Boone succeeds in his endeavor of escaping the restraining oppression of dependency by finding solace in physical confinement.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever felt misunderstood? Have you ever wanted to be alone in the world? In the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, written by Mark Haddon, Christopher Boone is a young teenager who is intelligent and talented in math. But Christopher has a condition, which is autism that makes him think and speak differently. His autism affect how he interacts with people, develops relationships, and deal with new situations.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time had many humorous situations that occurred with Christopher Boone’s investigation, but also provided many real obstacles that a kid with Asperger’s Syndrome faces. Christopher was hostile when ever someone touched him, including hugs and handshakes. After finding Mrs. Shears dog, Wellington, stabbed with garden fork, Mrs. Shears calls the police to remove Christopher. When the officer approached him he grabbed Christopher’s arm and lifted him up. However, Christopher “didn’t like him touching me like this” and proceeded to hit the officer (Haddon 8). It is difficult for Christopher and anyone who has Asperger’s to stay out of trouble. While it is unbeknownst to them that they are causing harm to a person, their…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story Marigolds, Eugenia Collier writes, “This was the beginning of compassion, and one cannot have compassion and innocence.” How do we know when one has lost his or her innocence? The definition of innocent in free from moral wrong; not corrupted. The definition of compassion is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. The sentence is a paradox because when you lose your innocence you now have compassion.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christopher Boone's Life

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Each person has their distinct characteristics--some prefer an easy-going lifestyle and enjoy their days while others prefer a well-organized lifestyle and set efficient goals. However, life is totally different for Christopher John Francis Boone, the main character in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-time by Mark Haddon. Christopher suffers from an autism-related disorder so he behaves and thinks differently than the majority of the people in society do. Christopher was portrayed as a strict person who cannot empathize with others. Haddon demonstrates Christopher’s mechanical nature by using his special rules such as not eating food that touches each other, differentiating his daily emotions by car colors, and using graphs to interpret people’s emotions.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A scream emerges. Everyone looks around, surprised to see a young adult, crying and rolling on the ground. Someone tries to help him. He hits the person and screams again. This is Christopher John Francis Boone, the main character of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This novel doesn’t have one specific theme because it is written with the perspective of Christopher, an autistic young adult who doesn’t get typical things the way I, and most people do.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The feeling of being a failure as a parent is a great challenge to try and overcome. In the novel, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’, Ed Boone has a very positive relationship with his son Christopher. He has taken a very big duty caring for Christopher, and says to Christopher’s mother “I cooked for him. I…

    • 1030 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nearly everyone has been hurt by the words or actions of others. These wounds can leave someone with lasting feelings of anger, bitterness, and vengeance. However, if one does not forgive, they can that is hurt the most. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, the main character, Christopher Boone, shows the power of forgiveness. Even though his mother, Judy Boone, left him he still forgives her. Judy Boone’s actions were justified, she did not deem herself fit to be a mother at that time. Through the letters she shows remorse, she cares for Christopher and looks out for him, she also shows growth and maturity. Judy has changed and is better suited to be the mother figure Christopher never had before.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This monologue is based on Ed Boone (Christopher’s father) from the novel “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by mark Haden. This scene is set after Christopher runs away from home. Ed gets angry about his leaving. He moves on to reflect on his actions – lying about his wifes death and killing Wellington -following up to this incident. He then goes on to address his flaws as a father. Characters involved: Ed, Roger Shears- his neighbour who had an affair with Ed's wife, Eilene Shears- Roger's wife.…

    • 544 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Adversity At Night

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, relies on the narration of a fifteen year old autistic boy to tell a simple yet convoluted story of murder, betrayal and triumph. At first thought, Christopher Boone, would not seem to be a reliable narrator yet Haddon asks the reader to take a leap of faith by believing in Christopher's abilities despite the limitations of autism. Using Christopher's point of view, straightforward and honest narrative diction, imagery as well as the physical images Christopher draws, Haddon approaches many questions in his writing. Among these are how does society view people with disabilities and differences, how can adversity be overcome, and how does Christopher's family become the catalyst…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays