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.

Corruption

Denmark, along with the King and Queen are marked by chaos and disposition. There is a threat of war, along with scandal, murder, and incest. Hamlet's actions and words in Act II further enhance the atmosphere of chaos in the play. In order to take revenge for his father's death, he decides to act insane. This allows him to plot a scheme against the King without arousing suspicion. "He took me by the wrist and held me hard. Then he goes to the length of all his arm, and, with his other thus o'er his brow, he falls to such perusal of my face as he would draw it. Long stayed he so." In this quote, Ophelia is talking to Polonius about how Hamlet acted crazy and distraught in front of her. They do not know that he meant to do so on purpose, so news of his insanity would reach the King as fast as possible. That action increases the chaos in the play.

The chaos is also increased by Hamlet's words. In scene 2, he openly makes fun of Polonius by calling him a "fishmonger" and saying "For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion - Have you a daughter?" Hamlet also goes on to threaten that he can or already has impregnated Ophelia. This conversation with Polonius adds to the build up of chaos. "O, what a rouge and peasant slave am I!......Why, what an ass am I!......Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell......The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King. In this soliloquy on pages 117 and 119, Hamlet uses imagery to compare himself to the first player, feeling distraught about his situation. He also reminds himself that his father was murdered by his uncle, and conspires to catch his Uncle in the lie by putting on a play and monitoring his reaction. Hamlet's dialogue and actions in Act II enhance the chaos and insanity present in the play so far.

Death

Death is one of the driving forces behind Act I right from the beginning. Hamlet thinks of death from different perspectives, questioning almost everything. He contemplates whether or not he should commit suicide, and the only thing keeping him from going through with it is his religious belief. Hamlet also ponders on why his father has come back as a ghost and whether or not he should follow him. King Claudius and his wife Gertrude have a different perspective on death. In his speech, Claudius tells Hamlet that fathers come and go, which shows that he thinks of death as a normal process in humanity. Unlike Hamlet, he does not question it any further. Ultimately, this shows that Hamlet has a philosophical trait to him, while King Claudius does not.