Research Novel Response

The Curious Incident of The Dog...- How is the author able to use Christopher's perspective to present the reader with a different view of the world? What does Christopher's attempt to solve the mystery lead him to discover about himself? Others? His place in the world?


Mark Haddon, the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, uses Christopher's perspective to present the reader with a different view of the world. Instead of connecting the reader with the emotions of other characters, or the beauty of something extraordinary, the author puts everything in a logical order. As seen from the beginning of the novel, Christopher is unable to comprehend emotion. For example, one night, he goes downstairs and notices his father is crying. Christopher asks him if he is sad because of the neighbor's dead dog. "Then he said, 'Yes, Christopher, you could say that. You could very well say that.' I decided to leave him alone because when I am sad I want to be left alone" (21). To the reader, it is obvious that the father would not be crying over the dog, but Christopher has trouble understanding this because he prefers logic, and logically his father can't lie to him. Another example is that Christopher bases how good a day is going to be by the color of cars he sees. To him, red cars mean a good day and yellow cars mean a bad day. Instead of believing that how a day goes is completely random, Christopher prefers order and uses colors to determine it himself. Likewise, he doesn't believe in heaven because its existence goes against logic and everything he knows. "But when Mother died she didn't go to heaven because heaven doesn't exist." Haddon uses Christopher's inability to comprehend emotion and belief to present a more logical view of the world to the reader.

Throughout the novel, Christopher attempts to solve the mystery of Wellington's death. Wellington was the neighbor's dog, and his death initiated the start of the story. As the story progresses, Christopher learns a few things about himself. For example, he learns that he does not like meeting new people and is easily provoked when touched by anyone. When a policeman went to hold Christopher down, he immediately punched the officer because he was startled. By the end of the novel, Christopher also discovers his place in the world. "I will get a First Class Honors degree and I will become a scientist. And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything." (221). This quote reveals that Christopher is setting goals for his life and that he remains hopeful despite what has happened in his life. His journey to London, as well as interaction with the rest of society, changed him dramatically. Although he may not know it directly, Christopher has become an independent individual. The events in the novel also lead him to discover things about others around him. For example, he finds out that his mother is actually alive and that she has been trying to contact him. Another discovery is that his father is the one who killed Wellington. Haddon was able to start with a simple story about a boy and his father and expand it to a complex adventure.