Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is a story about a young boy, Christopher Boone, seeking to uncover the mystery of his neighbor’s murdered dog. Along the way, he faces a number of his fears and discovers the truth about his allegedly deceased mother. I really like how Haddon uses Christopher’s character to show what life is like for an autistic child. Through Christopher’s different perspective of his surroundings, his need for order and organization, and his extremely impressive talents, Mark Haddon provides a deep understanding of an autistic child’s mind not easily understood by most people. The way Christopher sees the world allows the reader to understand…show more content…
In the story, Christopher has to know everthing he will be doing before the day begins. He wants to create a mental timetable that must be followed. Christopher does this because he does not like surprises, and following a set schedule gives him comfort. The reader can recognize how important routine is for Christopher because of his need for a timetable. Without a timetable, Christopher feels lost and confused; he does not know what to do or where to go. Another habit of Christopher’s that Haddon displays in the story is Christopher’s inclination of the color red and his hate towards yellow. Anything that is yellow, Christopher will not go near; if food is yellow, he puts red food coloring in it before he eats. One might think this is strange, but Haddon is trying to make people understand that although Christopher’s tendencies are different, they all have reason just like anyone else’s habits…show more content…
Despite Christopher’s disability, he has extremely talented math skills and a great photographic memory. A subplot of the story is Christopher’s attempt to reach the next level in math. Numbers and mathematical equations bring Christopher comfort. When he is scared or stressed, Christopher will do equations in his head or count by multiples or prime numbers. Through this, Haddon is explaining how autistic people have certain talents or hobbies that they are experts in. In this case, Haddon illustrates Christopher as an expert in mathematics. Christopher also has a photographic memory that he uses continually throughout the book. When Christopher runs away from home in attempt to find his mother, he has no information on how to find her except for his memory of reading her current address on a letter. During all the excitement that Christopher runs into, he doesn’t forget his mother address; his memory can visualize the letter and the address on it. Haddon is trying to tell the audience how even autistic people can have rare talents not given to most people. A further understanding is made that autism is not a setback on ones abilities to learn and reach success. The Curious Incedent of the Dog in the Night-time is a great book to read. It gives an understanding of autism that most do not recognize. This book exemplifies that autistic people are just like everyone else. Like Christopher,

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