In What Ways Do Christopher And His Parents Show Affection For Each Other?

One of the ways that Christopher and his parents show affection for each other without excessive, physical contact is the special routines they have for each other. Christopher despises physical contact, so much so that he sometimes becomes violent when grabbed, like when a police officer does just that in the beginning of the novel. After Christopher is arrested for assault, his dad drives to the jailhouse to explain the situation. Christopher then describes how his father comforts him in similar stressful situations: “ Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug,
Another routine of affection appears in Christopher’s father’s meticulous catering to Christopher’s sometimes unwieldy needs. Christopher absolutely cannot stand his food touching; he simply will not eat anything if someone does not make sure his food remains untainted. Christopher’s father, even though he is a busy man with little enough time to make dinner for his son every day, still makes sure to accommodate Christopher’s needs, as is seen in Christopher’s description when he returns home after doing detective work: “When I got home Father was sitting at the table in the kitchen and he had made my supper … The supper was baked beans and broccoli and two slices of ham and they were laid out on the plate so that they were not touching” (48). The significance of this seemingly innocuous action intensifies once one realizes that he did this after learning that Christopher was snooping around for Wellington’s killer (something he expressly forbid Christopher from doing). Christopher’s father still accommodates for his son’s needs, even after Christopher directly disobeys