The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Julissa Pichardo
Dr. Vellani
English II Block 1
18 March 2012
Christopher: A Very Unusual Character in a Very Unusual World Many adolescents have difficulty dealing with society. One of the few examples of teenagers struggling to be independent is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Throughout the novel, Christopher endures many situations that made him grow as a person. Mark Haddon’s novel is a significant piece of literature for all generations because it allows people to relate or view life in a different perspective as Christopher did with his difficulty reacting to strangers and dealing with change and his autism. In his journey, he comes across misleading and untrusting individuals who play a bad role in his confidence. Autism is Christopher’s major struggle in the novel; this influences his judgment and his overall reaction to society. Autism is often known as a mental condition that causes difficulty in forming relationships and communicating with others. In Christopher’s case, he is extremely intellectual and excels in logical subjects, such as Math, Science, and English. J. Stephan-Cole once said, “He is smart and very logical though obsessive about order, which serves in part to protect him from the messy emotionalism of other people. Logic, however, does not prevent bad choices that can be dangerous and/or out of sync with the way the rest of the world operates”. Cole explains how intelligent Christopher is, however he still has difficulty making good judgments. Christopher’s autism takes a great toll in his daily life. Although he is very clever, his decision making skills often leads him into problems. His decision to leave home and live with his mother in London was one of the many dangerous situations. When he was stopped by the policeman, he was unable to communicate with the authorities because of his autism. Christopher also has difficulty processing emotions. Christopher once said “I think people believe in heaven because
Dr. Vellani
English II Block 1
18 March 2012
Christopher: A Very Unusual Character in a Very Unusual World Many adolescents have difficulty dealing with society. One of the few examples of teenagers struggling to be independent is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Throughout the novel, Christopher endures many situations that made him grow as a person. Mark Haddon’s novel is a significant piece of literature for all generations because it allows people to relate or view life in a different perspective as Christopher did with his difficulty reacting to strangers and dealing with change and his autism. In his journey, he comes across misleading and untrusting individuals who play a bad role in his confidence. Autism is Christopher’s major struggle in the novel; this influences his judgment and his overall reaction to society. Autism is often known as a mental condition that causes difficulty in forming relationships and communicating with others. In Christopher’s case, he is extremely intellectual and excels in logical subjects, such as Math, Science, and English. J. Stephan-Cole once said, “He is smart and very logical though obsessive about order, which serves in part to protect him from the messy emotionalism of other people. Logic, however, does not prevent bad choices that can be dangerous and/or out of sync with the way the rest of the world operates”. Cole explains how intelligent Christopher is, however he still has difficulty making good judgments. Christopher’s autism takes a great toll in his daily life. Although he is very clever, his decision making skills often leads him into problems. His decision to leave home and live with his mother in London was one of the many dangerous situations. When he was stopped by the policeman, he was unable to communicate with the authorities because of his autism. Christopher also has difficulty processing emotions. Christopher once said “I think people believe in heaven because
Cited: Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. New York: Doubleday, 2003. Print. Kakutani, Michiko. "Book of the Times; Math and Physics? A Cinch. People? Incomprehensible." New York Times 13 June 2003, Arts sec. Print. McInerney, Jay. "The Remains of the Dog." New York Times 15 June 2003, Arts sec. Print. Moss, Pippa. "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review. Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2002. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Osteen, Mark. Autism and Representation. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.