the curious incident of the dog in the night-time Valerie Stocek Jeremy Reid Albert Euric Merla Shao Yu Wang Johnathan Minkovitch October 10, 2012

Plot Summary Wellington’s Murder Christopher wanted to write a murder mystery novel about the murder of a dog called Wellington. During the course of his investigation he discovered that his mother whom he thought was dead was actually alive and living in London. Having lost his trust in his father, who deceived him, he journeys to London to live with his mother. During the journey he overcame many of his fears. In doing so, he grew as a person. In trying to live with his mother, she realized that she needed help to raise her son and returned to Swindon with Christopher. Christopher was repairing his relationship with his father and planning his future. At this point, he was able to write his A-level Math Exam, and evolve as a person who was able to plan his future as a scientist. We went from thinking of Christopher as never being able to live independently on his own to now realizing that he could be a scientist who could have his own apartment, with a private bathroom, a garden, his dog Sandy, his computer and a future.

Detailed Character Sketch Christopher and Narration Christopher’s style of narration differs from traditional first-person narration in many ways. For instance, he never uses metaphors and he is always very concise and detailed in his descriptions. He also has a habit of spending every second or third chapter talking about a past experience, or explaining advanced mathematics. These are all things that are reflected when he speaks, and his narration style mirrors his speaking style exactly.

Detailed Character Sketch Christopher’s Character Traits Christopher displays many character traits, and one of the foremost is that he is extremely introverted. He has difficulties socializing and often finds himself unable to understand figures of speech or even facial expressions. This could be because of his suggested autism, which would also explain a second trait: his highly observant nature. Although he is impaired socially, he pays very close attention to detail, whether he likes it or not. Sometimes, this can cause him to be overwhelmed with information, but more often it enables him to notice things that others never would. With these observations, he demonstrates a third character trait, which is how analytical he is. He is able to take mundane observations and put them together to come to complex conclusions. He can also take complex problems and split them into small, simple parts and find the answer this way, which is why he is so talented with mathematics.

Detailed Character Sketch Christopher’s Behaviour It cannot be denied that Christopher is a very different teenager. He is highly logical, which gives him a unique view on life, but he is rational to an extreme that removes his sense of humour. However, although he is extraordinarily rational, he also has some very illogical, even silly, behaviours. For instance, he hates the colours yellow and brown and gets physically ill if he changes environments. He is also very temperamental, to extremes, if he is pushed too far. He can become violent if touched and screams wordlessly. When he was in London and strangers got too close, he made barking noises to ward them off. At one point, he even threatened a well-meaning man with a Swiss Army knife when he approached Christopher.

Secondary Characters Father After Christopher’s mum and dad separated, Ed Boon, Christopher’s dad became dishonest and irresponsible. He lied to Christopher about his mother’s death. He did not tell Christopher the truth about their marital separation. Mr. Boon used an excuse to try to protect his son, but in the end it back fired and he lost Christopher’s trust.

Secondary Characters Mother Christopher's mother, Mrs. Boone, is a very important character in the book. She is the driving force behind many of Christopher's actions, and always prominent in Chris' mind. One of the most important things about her is that she is very loving, but she is equally prone to losing her patience. She can fly off the handle easily, but is also very quick to compliment and show affection. In chapter 233, she demonstrates this: “If you ever do that again, I swear to God, Christopher, I love you, but ... I don't know what I'll do" (204). Without her, more than half of the book would be gone, as Christopher would have neither a mystery to solve nor an adventure to commence.

Secondary Characters Siobhan Siobhan is Christopher’s kind and understanding school teacher. Aside from Christopher’s mother and father, Siobhan is one of the closest person’s to Christopher. Christopher distinguishes her only as his teacher and not a friend or family. The significance of Siobhan has a tremendous impact on Christopher’s behavior, decision making and actions.

Setting: Swindon, Swindon Train Station and London Swindon: Swindon is a small, quiet, residential town. Most homes have a garden and Christopher likes to lie on the lawn and look up at the sky. Swindon Train Station: There are many people in the Swindon train station the morning of Christopher’s trip to London. Because of the number of people in the station, Christopher feels sick, confused, and nervous. London: London is a very large city. There are a lot of signs and noise which overwhelm Christopher, so he tries his best to block out some of these. Christopher has never been to London so his surroundings are unfamiliar and he feels confused in London. He finds it challenging to find his mother’s address but he does.

Topics & Themes Special Needs Challenges Many experts view Asperger's Disorder as high-functioning autism. It is thought that Christopher might have this disorder. His brain functioning is very high. In the beginning of the novel we are under the impression that Christopher will never be able to live on his own and function independently in society. By the end of the story, we come to realize that yes, although he does have special needs or challenges to his daily life, he can overcome some of these and work around others by having help. He will be employable (as a scientist) and therefore will earn an income. He will manage an apartment with a small garden. He will live with his pet dog and will hire help with the cooking and day-to-day activities that he cannot manage on his own. It reminds us that there is hope for people with special needs and that they can benefit us all and contribute positively to society.

Topics & Themes Religion Christopher does not have any belief in religion or fate. He says people are foolish to believe in God. He has a high understanding of the universe and its complexity, but when it comes to spiritual beliefs, he does not fully grasp what it is. On the other hand, he does have his own superstitions. He detests colors yellow and brown and will not touch anything that is yellow or brown. Another example is if he sees five red cars in a row then that makes it a "Super Good Day". It goes against what he says about religion and God because his way of thinking is also very irrational.

Topics & Themes Science / Logic Logic plays a heavy role in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Christopher lives his life by the use of logic, and bases every decision he can on it. His autistic nature may impede his social skills, but he makes up for it with his intellectual prowess. It is this prowess that allows him to thoroughly think through every aspect of his life with rationality. He is aware that many of his habits and behaviours are illogical, but throughout the book, he uses logic. Logic drives Christopher to make the decisions he makes, and narrate the way he does, which is what makes the book so unique.

Symbols Timetable A timetable is a system of organized schedules. It symbolized Christopher because he liked everything to be organized as he wanted it to be. From the story The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, Christopher said, “I like timetables because I like to know when everything is going to happen” (155). He made a timetable for himself from the time he wakes up to the time he goes sleep. Christopher feels secure when he knows what will happen next or what he is supposed to do.

Symbols A-Level Math A-Level Math is an advanced level of math. It symbolize’s how Christopher differs from his school mates. Christopher recognizes that he is different from them. From the story The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, Christopher says, “I’m the first person to do an A level from my school because it’s a special school” (56). Although he is a special needs child, he is very intelligent and proud to take an A level math test.

Symbols Toby Toby is Christopher’s pet rat. Christopher treats Toby as a member of his family. Christopher allows Toby to have freedom to run around his bedroom and be free of his little cage for periods of time. Toby becomes a companion to Christopher, hidden in his coat jacket pocket when Christopher travels to London.

Genre Bildungsroman The first and perhaps foremost genre found in The Curious Incident is Bildungsroman: a literary genre that focuses on the growth of the protagonist, almost always a youth. This book is the picture of the Bildungsroman genre; Christopher's journey through all the difficulties presented in The Curious Incident change him in a permanent way, forcing a maturity he might never have developed without experiencing these events. In the beginning of the book, Christopher seems exactly what he is: a dependent, intelligent, autistic teenager. However, by the end, he has grown into somebody capable of taking care of himself, overcoming obstacles, and thinking maturely.

Genre – Detective Fiction/ Murder Mystery Another important genre to the book is Murder Mystery. Just as the book is beginning, Christopher himself says, "This is a murder mystery novel" (4). Despite this, anyone who has finished the book knows that The Curious Incident quickly evolves into something else. However, before the hefty revelation midway through the book, the first half of the story is based primarily on Chris' attempts to find out who killed his neighbour's dog, Wellington. By using logic, willpower, and some creative thinking, he is able to solve the mystery, although not in the way he intended. Despite this, the mystery is the beginning of much more vital points in the story, and is essential to the book.

Genre Quest Narrative Finally, Quest Narrative is very important to The Curious Incident. Quest Narrative is a way of writing a book in which the narrator details a goal that they would like to achieve, and that goal becomes the basis for the story. In this book, the goal changes drastically halfway through, moving from Christopher solving a murder to surmounting a massive obstacle in his life. Another way that this book could have Quest Narrative is Christopher's quest for independence. He explains his hopes and dreams early in the book, but they are not the point of the story. The point of the story is that Chris overcomes some of the challenges autism poses and finally gains something he longed for: self-confidence.