Curious Incident - Erika Kozub

      The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Hadden was filled with themes and symbolism that gives all readers the opportunity to take something away from this book. Christopher goes through a lot of difficulties as a teen, especially as a child with ASD. I believe this novel does an incredible job expressing the difficulties and thought processes of individuals who may think differently than the rest of us. The author does a great job of using symbolism to allow his readers to understand the story at an entire new level.
     Christopher lost Wellington, a dog he really cared for. He also had to cope with the death of his mother (so he thought), while his father coped with her leaving. His father deals with the ending of his relationship with Mrs. Shears, and Christopher again with the loss of his pet rat at the end. All of these events are significant with the way Christopher, as an individual with ASD, handles these situations in his life. This goes into something even bigger, as the murder of Wellington turns into the investigation of what happened to his mother. I think the author does a great job with symbolising one event with the other. Through the event of a murder, we see Christopher open up to a whole new world when he discovers that his mother never passed away. Ultimately, we realize that fathers deception and the murder constitute separate parts of the same investigation. Father lied because of the anger and hurt he felt with his wife leaving, and when Mrs. Shears left he reacted in anger by killing the dog. Christopher search for the murderer eventually leads him to the truth about his other and father.
     Another thing I absolutely loved about this book was it allowing me to open up a new world in understanding individuals with ASD. I think this would be perfect to teach in the classroom because the lack of knowledge kids have about this situation is unacceptable. I worked at an after school program where students made fun of a student of mine that had ASD because of the way he reacted to loud noises. After reading this book, paired with a bit of research, I realized how smart and logical students with ASD can be, depending on where they are on the spectrum. Logic puzzles, math problems, and maps symbolize a world that is logical and makes sense to Christopher. He uses these tools to organize his thinking and they serve as his means of achieving a sense of security.
     I found animals to be an important symbol in the book as well. They symbolized solace and understanding to Christopher. He found them easier to understand than people, and many times in the book we find him interacting with them. An animal explains it's wants and needs plainly, something that Christopher needs since it is hard for him to understand the needs of humans. He even praises dogs for being honest and loyal and more interesting then some people in the beginning of the novel. They form a foundation of trust for Christopher.
     These symbols allow readers to connect with Christopher on a deeper level and understand his thought process. It's incredible to see how this story shines light on how intelligent individuals with ASD are and how they think differently.