The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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When did you gain independence? (1776 is not quite what I an asking for). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time written by Mark Haddon, is a book about a 15 year old boy named Christopher John Francis Boone. What makes this book stand out is the abnormal life of Christopher. Not to be in read in a negative way, this book shows just a sliver of what it is like to have autism. 

Now back to my question at the top. Every young adult and even some adults have trouble with independence. This is something that I have struggled with. All throughout this book, we see Christopher's transformation, may it be little for now, from depending solely on his father to being able to do things on his own. We see instances where Christopher wants to be on his own, "...I had one of my favorite dreams... And in that dream nearly everyone on the earth is dead..." (Haddon 198). Although this may sound terrible, to Christopher it means complete independence. Later he says, "And I can go anywhere in the world and I know that no one is going to talk to me or touch me or ask me a question. But if I don't want to go anywhere I don't have to..." (Haddon 199). We see that Christopher wants to be on his own and be able to go anywhere without having to tell anyone. In most young adult lives, this is what they want. This situation is a little but different though. I find it interesting to read his thoughts on this because he has ASD. I have experienced kids with autism, but have never wondered if they too want independence. We see this theme all through out the book. This is a classic adolescents literature theme. When Christopher makes the journey to find his mom, we see his confidence in himself raise. He is gaining and retaining skills to become independent. We also see that he is capable of being independent and that he wants to be. He learns how to talk to strangers, which may seem like a minor detail, but it actually proves that he is trying to become independent.  Christopher has a dream of attending an university. This is one step closer to becoming independent. The chapter then ends with this quote, "Then the dream is finished and I am happy" (Haddon 200). Christopher knows that when he becomes independent, he will be happy. 

This book is an eye-opening experience. Reading this has helped me become more aware of ASD. It allows you to follow the story of one of many. You get to see how Christopher reacts to situations and how he, as a teenager, struggles with the same thing that every teenager struggles with like gaining independence. 

Comments

  1. KeyCSeptember 25, 2017 at 5:44 PM

    I agree with the novel focusing on the transition of a child with ASD who finds himself through tragic events that take place within his life. I had an idea of what some individuals with ASD dealt with, but I also think this novel did help in more detail display their thoughts and feelings that they have which makes it hard for them understand life like others may.

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