The thought of change is very difficult to think about. Whether it involves changing schools, moving houses, or welcoming a new baby into the family. It is definitely a difficult concept to swallow for anyone in the right mind. However, Christopher Boone in The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time is far from having a decent mind. Someone with a mind set similar to his cannot even fathom the idea of altering his daily routine. Christopher has Autism, and this limits his ability to welcome new elements into his day.
Christopher's behaviour does not change throughout the novel. Though it may seem that he improves himself in the sense of social stability, his personality really has not changed at all. Whenever it may seem Christopher has changed, it is in fact a misconception, as Christopher is only acting this way out of a mere childish instinct. Also, Christopher's habits do not change. He still has apprehensions concerning physical contact, he still gets along better with animals than he does with humans, and he is very meticulous about germs. Finally, his abilities to interact with those around him are no different. He still feels uncomfortable with strangers, he still cannot read human emotions, and he still learns better visually than he does in an auditory sense.
Ultimately, Christopher Boone does not change throughout the course of the novel. It is not Christopher's fault, however, because he cannot control it. Autism prevents a person from changing, as a person with ASD will agree to being in a familiar environment with routine and structure. Christopher could also possibly have ADHD, something common in children possessing Autism. This would explain his obsession with small details, and w...
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...her cannot read human emotions for the life of him, nor can he understand most jokes or metaphors. This shows that Christopher is a very straightforward person and insists on everything else complying with this. Also, Christopher, like many other children, prefers the visual learning style to the auditory. This is shown constantly throughout the book whenever he uses a picture, diagram, or any other kind of drawing to get his point across.
In conclusion, Christopher Boone faces many limitations throughout his journey. He may find ways to overcome some minor dilemmas, but this does not mean that he, as a person, has changed. In the end, a person stays the same, even though they may occasionally cover up their weaknesses to confide to society's idea of perfect. Everyone has his or her own flaws, even Christopher, and a person can never permanently mend a flaw.
He says, “I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person. But it is not because I am a good person because I can’t tell lies.” This means that because of his learning disabilities, his mind physically can’t let him tell something that is not true because he just is not wired that way. People without autism have a better grasp on lies and being told them. He thinks that telling the truth is just something that should be done no matter what and just because he tells the truth does not make him a good person. His mom, however, understands that everyone else lies and she is trying to tell Christopher that he is a good person by not
uncertain of what change will bring. He thinks change will bring adventure and exhilaration, but
In the story Stray by Cynthia Rylant the theme is people can change. One example to show this theme is when Mr. Lacey said “ I sure don’t know where it came from but I sure know where it’s going.” This shows that at the beginning of the story Mr. Lacey was not going to let Doris keep the dog. But by the end of the story he ended up bringing the dog back after seeing where she would be living. For instance at the end of the story he changed, “I wouldn’t leave an ant at that place,” he said “So I brought the dog back.” It really showed that his attitude changed when he said “Well are you going to feed it or not?”This theme is shown throughout the story that if people want to they have the ability to change. Another example was when Doris changed
Christopher during the course of the text of the novel learns to disregard other people’s judgments.
...m causes him to struggle with many things that a normal person would not have a hard time with. If following someone without autism readers would not be able to see the difficulties for an autistic. This scene, or the entire book, would not be nearly as captivating. Christopher’s role throughout the story is not only to narrate but also to pull readers into the life of an autistic.
In the beginning of the short story we learn Alan’s parents didn’t find out about his intellectual disability until he was 16 months old. We can assume the doctor wasn’t able to diagnose Alan for over a year, because he still went through the Sensorimotor Stage, just at a little slower pace than other children. In the sensorimotor stage we know that children learn object permanence and the use of their 5 senses. We know from the way Terry describes him, he is passed the first stage of development. This puts Alan into the Pre-Operational stage. In the Pre-Operational stage we know that children are very ego-centric meaning everything is their way. When they talk they only describe what they know, because they fail to understand other minds. Alan does just that throughout the story. For example Terry stated, “He was unpredictable. He created his own rules and they changed from moment to moment. Alan was twelve years old, hyperactive, mischievous, easily frustrated, and unable to learn in traditional ways.” (The Village Watchman, Pg. 29.) We as students and educators watch children go through this stage they are much like Alan. Children have a hard time sitting for long periods, they act out and if they can’t learn something easily they get frustrated just like Alan in the story. Most children eventually move passed this unlike Alan, because they learn from educators and get through the obstacles. Alan is not able to be educated through school and textbooks like most children in the story instead, he is learning through his experiences and interactions with the world helping him to develop cognitively. Terry tells us that he would vocalize whatever was on his mind with punctuated colorful speech. (The Village Watchman, Pg.30.) This tells us that Alan has yet to think through his actions. He does not know that he is being rude in
A character can change many times throughout a novel, or film, whether it’s good or bad. It can be a character’s willingness to change or it can be a life changing journey he or she went on that made it happen. The novel, A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, talks about characters such as Grant, Jefferson, and Paul along with the life changing journey they went through in their life in Bayonne, Louisiana. In the novel, Grant said, “we are […] all of us on this earth, a piece of drifting wood, until we […] decide to become something else” (Gaines 193). Grant’s change of mind set, Jefferson’s ability to stand up for himself, and Paul wanting to be a part of the change, shows how they went from a drifting piece of wood to something
...fe for oneself. McCandless primary tragic flaw being his unwillingness to form long-term relations brought him both to the happiest moment of his life, but also to his demise. McCandless never had a problem with people, but rather with the status quo of society, the idea that a man or a woman has to live inside of a coordinate plane. McCandless left home and went on his adventure simply for his own well being, he achieved both what he wanted to accomplish while learning a valuable lesson along the way. He learned that happiness must be shared, and while everyone has his or her flaws, it is important to let these go. Christopher McCandless should teach people the importance of following your dreams, and the importance of enjoying the natural serenity of life.
...though Christopher functions more like a computer than a human, but he possesses the ability to think independently, which over all else represents a human characteristic. No machine can operate efficiently without being instructed and following exact orders. Christopher also needs to be told exactly what to do because the vagueness of common phrases is confusing to him, but knows that people break rules and also knows that he can make decisions for himself. On his journey to find his mother, Christopher makes the decision to break away from all of his rules in order to find her. He is able to go to London against almost all odds, and does so by stepping out of his comfort zone and into a world of uncertainty. Even though he uses computer-like thinking to come to the conclusion of going to his mother, it is his underlying human qualities that make the trip possible.
Autism is a developmental disorder that damages the ability to communicate and socialize. For Christopher Boone, the math genius, a factor that ties in with his
Instead, rage drives Christopher McCandless to pursue his journey. Pure anger from the secret that was kept from him throughout his childhood. McCandless’s childhood was an entire lie, which sent him into a spiraling rage to leave everything he owned and loved. McCandless is frowned upon for his actions however no one seems to understand. He deserved to be angry at his family, they betrayed him. He deserved to set out for an adventure to find himself because
What is Autism? It’s a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Christopher Boone from the novel A Curious Incident in the Nighttime and Temple Grandin, who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry both fall on the high-functioning spectrum of autism. Even so, they do not display the exact same traits and behaviors. Whereas Grandin thinks in pictures and employs this unique gift for practical use, Christopher thinks in patterns and fails communicate his talents with others. However, they both speak their mind and have trouble understanding facial expressions and emotions.
Christopher Boone is a 15 year old male young-adult, of British descent. Christopher describes himself as a machine, We have reports of him saying “I sometimes think of my mind as a machine” (Haddon 7). Christopher is currently living with his mother, who has asked not be named, and his father, Edward Boone. Christopher comes from Swindon,UK, where he was born and grew up, until the divorce of his parents were his mom moved away with Roger Shears (Christopher’s former neighbor and ex-husband of his father's former girlfriend). Christopher Boone suffers from many behavioral/emotional problems such as being irritable, unstable, and not talk to people for a long time. He also has problems like not eating or drinking for long periods of time and refusal to being touched. Christopher is currently in High School, enrolled in Level A math. Christopher’s father, Ed Boone, has been renowned for killing his neighbor's dog, Wellington. On page 1, (at midnight) Christopher walks into the neighbor's backyard after looking out his window to see Wellington stabbed with a pitchfork. Christopher says “I stroked Wellington and wondered who had killed him, and why”. Christopher cared deeply for Wellington, and loved dogs. We have a hypothesis that Christopher had abandonment issues after his mother leaving. Christopher’s trust in his father diminished, but after buying Christopher his own puppy, he started to gain Christophers trust back (“he bent down and put his hands inside the box and he took a little sandy-colored dog out”) (Haddon 219). Christopher also tends to perform poorly in social situations/a school environment. Some examples would be; not interacting with other kids, getting bullied, and acting aggressively when being touched. Some of ...
If the book were to be narrated in third person the reader wouldn’t understand how Christopher feels about certain situations. This is also an affect given in the book because the author wants to project Christopher’s autism spectrum disorder condition to the reader.
...helps him not to give up. He takes hard actions during his struggle, but he had faith that everything will be okay. Everything will be okay as long as he works hard. In the end, Chris Gardner hard work helped him reach his overall goal, happiness.