Melissa Hawco

My Prediction

From the few pages that I've read, it is already evident that Christopher's mind is a very straight forward, logical place. He does not seem able to understand irony, humour or most emotions. It's as if each person is a puzzle that he has to piece together in order get the right answer and understand them. However, it seems to be a fairly unstable predicament and I don't think he can process too many emotional things, especially if they happen quickly.

                        

Setting

While the setting doesn't drive the story, it is certainly an important part of "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time." Mark Haddon's book takes place in the suburban setting of Swindon, England, where neighbors talk and small towns have many secrets. However, as Christopher begins to discover these secrets it becomes more and more obvious that he is unable to understand some of the harder truths. Things that go against his many rules or seem illogical are just incomprehensible to him. This is where setting becomes important. The author knew that he needed a populated suburban area in order to make Christopher strengths, and more specifically, his weaknesses obvious. To clarify, by not putting Christopher in a remote, country side setting, Mark Haddon can show through his social interactions the length of his autism and how it affects the teenagers perspective. This want for isolation becomes even more blatant as Christopher travels to big city London, where he is forced to be near and communicate with complete strangers at all times. The setting is an important tool in Haddon's book to progress Christopher's character and to depict the negative sides of autism. This depiction comes as an important contrast to all of Christopher's described genius and insight, reminding us that it is a condition and not a superpower.

Character

There are three main characters in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, all revolving around the Boone family. Christopher Boone, though never directly mentioning, is autistic and thoroughly recognizes the fact. He often describes the other kids in his class with a sense of derision because he believes himself to be more intelligent, and wishes to prove it with the completions of his A-level maths. This is one of the characteristics of Christopher's autism, meaning that he is extremely gifted with the sciences and mathematics. However, the same thing that gave him this analytic prowess is also what severely undermines his social skills.

 As an autistic boy, Christoper has great trouble identifying with other people. He doesn't understand their emotions or frustrations, he has difficulty recognizing facial expressions and the meaning behind common metaphors. He explores these personal enigmas several times in his writing, often questioning seemingly inexplicable human acts such as chatting or body language. His mind works in literal ways, where words mean exactly what they're supposed to mean without confusing connotations or hidden truths.

A reoccurring trait of Christopher is his wish to be independent. As you can see throughout the novel, he feels most comfortable when he is alone and often dreams about being the last person on Earth, calling it a "Dream Come True" (ch. 83).

Similar to the way Christopher hugs with
his fingers spread out like a fan.

Throughout the novel, the reader gets to glimpse another prominent characteristic of autism... the inability to emphasize. Christopher does not understand love or why his parent wish to hold him, instead insisting on using a light finger touch to convey the emotions of a hug. The frustration he causes is lost on him because it is impossible for him to identify with it and put himself in another's place. For example, when his mother died, Christopher simply accepted it as a part of life and move on without feeling much grief, as he considers and useless emotion.

Christopher's parents are two extremely different people and they both deal with their son in discrepant ways. Ed Boone is patient and loving with Christopher, only occasionally showing his frustration with his son in times of great stress. However, when these moments do occur, the father is prone to anger that can quickly turn violent. After Christopher discovers his fathers deceit, the reader can see a strong relationship rapidly deteriorating. It is during these tense chapters that we are able to catch our first real glimpse of the thought to be dead mother. Judy Boone, though strong-willed and independent (much like Christopher) does not have the patience or understanding to deal with her son. While she tries to explain that "they were happier without her," it is obvious that this is just her guilt ridden mind trying to reason out why she had left them. Her dreamy, impulsive nature is so at odds with Christopher's own diligently routine like behaviour that at times it is hard for just love to bridge the gap. It was this that decided her to leave.

Each of these characters have weaved an extremely complex relationship with each other, from the parents animosity to Christopher's analytic perspective. Character has proved to be an intense and completely necessary aspect of Mark Haddon's novel.  

Conflict

The major conflict in Mark Haddon's book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" begins with Mrs. Shears dog Wellington. However, as the novel progresses it becomes obvious that this is not the only secret to be solved in Christopher's sleepy Swindon neighborhood. The real conflict arises as the autistic boy slowly peels back the layers of secrets his family has donned, starting with the perceived unforgivable deceit his father committed. With little trust and much fear of his father, Christopher goes on to search for his mother who he had previously thought to be dead due to his father's lies. The action leading up his mother's reunion includes investigations, discoveries and a harrowing journey into the heart of big town London, England. There is a constant battle waging between the characters, one that centers around Christopher, though he does not completely recognize this. The mother and father are fighting for their son while Christopher is simply fighting for his independence, his only true desire. The conflict in this story is very interesting as there is no completely obvious answer. Often you see Christopher struggling against his parents for some independence or the truth, which would suggest a character vs. character conflict. However, I believe the most prominent conflict is an internal battle where Christopher must try to understand the rapidly changing landscape of his own life.

Theme

There are several themes in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," the most prominent of which is the long fought teenage struggle for independence. Throughout the novel, Christopher expresses his wishes to be alone and independent, going to collage, working an isolated job and perhaps having a wife waiting for him at home. Often he describes his daydreams of being the only person in the world or becoming an astronaut far up in space with "no one else near [him] for thousands and thousands of miles." He is an extremely solitary person who prefers being alone, not understanding others need for human contact in the least. Unfortunately, due to Christopher's autism, he finds it difficult to be as independent as he would like. While being a genius in maths and sciences, he cannot decipher normal human emotions or reactions and has difficulty handling new situations or places. His journey to independence is set into motion by the murder of Wellington as he slowly gains self-confidence throughout his investigations. Another source of pride for Christopher is the completion of his A-level maths, which signifies to him a place in this world, something most teenagers come to ponder. However, his greatest step to independence comes from his whirlwind of a trip to London, one that intensifies all of his previous fears. He is forced travel in crowds with too much information, talk to new people- not all of which are pleasant by any measure- and see new places. This break of routine is both terrifying for him and somewhat reassuring as it proves to himself that he can make it in the world, "and I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything."

Another important theme of the book is that of the general chaos of life, something that Christopher has a hard time coming to terms with. The protagonist has a set of rules in place that don't always make sense in the regular world but keep Christopher in a state of calm. Instead of puzzling out each decision in life, where often each possibility would take too long to consider, Christopher has set out a list of rules he follows each day. These include liking red and hating brown or yellow, having black days and super days and telling the truth equates to love. However, as the novel progresses, he is forced to recognize the disorder of life as his world begins a downward spiral. Revelations such as his mother's life and his father's deceptions forces his narrow view of the world to widen enough for the reader to see the complexities of his family's relations, one's that he has ignored in order to keep his life stable. One of his most interesting insights was on this manner;

"Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all of the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them"

This quote is significant for the fact that Christopher seems similar to prime numbers in many ways, as neither appears to fit any sort of pattern or are easily identifiable. It's something that both comforts and fascinates him.

There are other, more minor themes, such as loss or perspective included in Mark Haddon's book. However, I find these two to be the most prominent message.

Theme Questions

1. In what way does the theme of Independence connect the reader to Christopher?

Most reader's can identify with that time in Christopher's life, one of uncertainty as they confront the world and must find their place in it. The struggle for independence is one that almost everyone has familiarized themselves with throughout their teenage years. Therefore the reader is able to empathize with a character who is incapable of feeling such an emotion as empathy.

   2. How does Christopher's and his fathers methods of dealing with the mother's loss differ?

The protagonist is able to simply accept the fact that his mother has passed away as a normal part of the human cycle. In many ways, this sort of straightforward loss is much easier for Christopher to understand and deal with as there are no complications and it still corresponds with his set of rules. The revelations that his mother is, in fact, alive and living with another man is another kind of loss that he finds more difficult to understand. His father, however, has chosen to deal with the loss of his wife by completely cutting her off from his and his son's life. This deception soon leads to another significant loss of Ed Boone's; his son's trust.

   3. The book often switches between the main plot line and little excerpts from Christopher's memory or his feeling on certain unrelated subjects. As a reader, how do these chapters develop Christopher's character and make you feel?

This allows the reader to develop a stronger connection with Christopher as more about his character and the nature of his autism is revealed. We are able to glimpse his quirks, his likes and dislikes and discover the different things that fascinate him. This also shows some contrast in the novel, going between the solemnity of the plot and the little things that Christopher muses over or finds interesting. It allows a more realistic viewing of another's perspective, especially on that is autistic.

   4. In your opinion, was Christopher at all aware of his father's deception, perhaps subconsciously, or was he truly shocked.

I believe that while Christopher was well aware of the tension in his parents relationship and the possibility of a divorce, he completely believed his father when he was told that his mother had died.

Even as Christopher reads the letter she wrote to him, he continues to invent different reasons they could be there, though to the reader the meaning is all too clear.

5. By the end of the book, were you able to somewhat adopt Christopher's point of view and gains an understanding for his actions/reactions?

At the beginning of the novel, the way he thought was nearly indecipherable in it's strangeness. However, as the story progressed, it was easier to see the world through his eyes. It was a place of logic where everything had a rule and each component was sorted in a neat, orderly fashion. While some of his reactions were still incomprehensible, the reader was at least able to emphasize and understand why it was confusing to him.

   6. Does Christopher parents encourage his independence or hinder it?

Though his father loves him very much, I believe he spends too much time trying to protect him from truths that would be better known. The mother, however, seems more apt to let Christopher be independent although this could be simply because she doesn't know how to be a patient parent.

   7. In what way does Christopher's fascination with the Universe connect with his teenage struggles?

Often, Christopher would lie awake at night and dream of the vast solitude that is space. His admiration of the universe seems to parallel most teenagers own musings of their place in the world, the part they play in the complex machine of the Universe.

    8. After reading The Curious Incident, does normal human behaviour appear more irrational to you? Why or why not?

The Curious Incident gives a new perspective to what was previously seen as regular human behaviour as viewed by the logical mind of Christopher. It  reveals the irrationality of many emotions and seems to render most of our actions or feelings as negligible. Perhaps this is because of the simple way in which Christopher explains these senseless and fallacious actions that we are prone to make. It is certainly a unique perspective that makes one think through their emotions much more logically before acting.

   9. Though Christopher is unable to emphasize, can the reader emphasize with Christopher? In what way(s)?

I believe that Christopher is easy to emphasize with as he is faced with the common struggles of adolescents and overall humans. His battle for Independence mirrors that of any teenager and the feelings of loss both he and his father feel in regard to the mother and themselves are similar to any other person who has experienced such things.

   10. How does Christopher's struggle for independence differ to that of a regular teenager? How is it similar?

Christopher's autism greatly hinders his journey as he cannot talk to strangers, lie or focus in new places or large crowds. He is dependant on his father in ways that he doesn't always like. Christopher couldn't go buy groceries or move to a new town or handle negotiations and it is in this that the biggest differences appear. However, a common goal unites Christopher with any other teenager and it is the longing for independence. Though the methods and circumstances may be different, the desire is the same.


Comments

I was unable to post the last 5 comments on the blog due to what I assume are some technical difficulties with the website. So they will be written here.

5) Discussion Question- Who do you think is the better parent?

Khunsha raises a good point with Judy having to deal with both depression and Christopher, which is in no way an easy task. However, it still does not excuse the fact that she left them. Though she invented many reasons why it was better for her to abandon them, it was simply that she could not handle being his mother. And letter, no matter how many, cannot make up for that.

6) On Amal's question concerning a different country as a setting.

This is an interesting idea because the country could really affect how the story plays out. If it were placed in North America, there wouldn't be a huge difference bit if it were in say Africa, the changes would be drastic. For example, there might not be a formal neighbourhood, certainly not the suburban type. Perhaps different places refuse spouses separation or treat those affected with depression or autism differently. Were the story to take place in a difference country, I believe the entire plot would change.

7) On the book review posting

Many say that once must write what one knows and Mark Haddon has done an excellent job of that. He has drawn upon his own experiences in helping autistic children to create an original and authentic novel.

8) On Brianna's Theme; Relationships

You have a good point as the issues of relationships are touched upon quite often. As we soon find out, Christopher has been almost blind to the complexities of the relationships that surround him until Wellington's murder puts his journey in motion.

9) On Khunsha's comment about the backgrounds discussion question.

It's interesting how you described humming birds and what they signify. It really seemed to fit in with the novel though and is definitely a new idea for me to consider.

10) On Brianna's posted pictures.

I really enjoyed the variety of pictures you posted, they really gave a face to some of the characters and elements from the novel.