Curious Incident

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In Mark Haddon’s novel, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, we are introduced to a fifteen year old boy named Christopher who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  Christopher excels in solving problems through the use of logic and lives his day-to-day life by transversing his own mentally advanced, logical systems.  Christopher lives alone with his father due to his mother’s alleged death two years prior to the beginning of the novel.  Much like the other novels we have read, Christopher’s parents play a very significant role in his growth as an adolescent over the course of the novel.  
During the introduction of the novel, the audience is introduced to Christopher’s father through his own eyes; this requires the reader to delve deeper to truly understand his father’s characterization and what impact he has on Christopher.  Early on, we can see that Christopher’s father is definitely protective towards him and expresses care towards Christopher, albeit in a mildly confusing fashion at times.  For example, after Christopher is put in a holding cell for assaulting a police officer, his father quickly comes to his defense and shows that he is understanding of ASD and how those who are diagnosed with it react when approached physically.  However, as the book progresses, Christopher begins to reach the truth regarding his mother and the story his father fabricated, thus we see some of his father’s truer qualities emerge; this can be seen when Christopher’s father approaches him about speaking with Mrs. Alexander.  His father lashes out at him and from this point forward, we can see more of a disconnect develop between the two characters.  For example, Christopher is taken aback by his father calling him stupid.  This simple word damages him and chisels a gap between the two. Furthermore, we see this disconnect widen as Christopher learns of his father’s involvement in killing Wellington and how deeply this affects Christopher and his trust towards his father; he turns towards his mother and runs away to find her which his rather indicative of the stern sense of betrayal Christopher has developed.

Comments

  1. Carter McGillSeptember 25, 2019 at 8:52 PM

    Noah,

    I love how you explain the overall problem with Christopher's dad throughout this novel. He seems to hide who he really is to the audience in the first half of the book, then as you stated, lashes out at his son because of his past mistakes. This is just uncalled for because Christopher had nothing to do with the past expect being born. This shows that his father can't handle his son having ASD, which in a sense is extremely weak as a parent. It shouldn't matter if your kid has a condition. It is your job as a parent to meet their needs because your brought them into the world. His mother on the other hand is also weak because she just gives up and runs away from her problem, which is her son. During this time in an adolescents life parents should be there, and try to understand they are just trying to find their way in the world.

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  2. Taylor ScottSeptember 27, 2019 at 6:41 PM

    I like how you mentioned the betrayal that Christopher felt when his father insults him. Most children would still feel some type of tie or loyalty to a parent who did that, but he does not. I think it is a strength of having ASD, because it gives him clarity to act when people do not treat him well. It is unfortunate though that he does not have anyone in his corner really cheering him on in life.

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