When Christopher justifies his reasoning as to why he would be a successful astronaut, it is clear that he tends to make decisions with his brain, not his heart. In this quote, his inclination to thinking logically rather than emotionally becomes evident, which can be supported with scenes later in the book.
In a literal sense, this quote shows that Christopher is considering his future careers and would like to be an astronaut. Though eventually realizes that he cannot actually become an astronaut because of his mental condition, he takes a moment to consider what it would be like and why he would be successful as an astronaut despite his autism. Although he is imagining something that will never be, he thinks logically about what the job would entail, not just the fantasy aspect. Most kids his age would probably only think about flying into space, maybe seeing aliens and other somewhat trivial things. Christopher however thinks in a more realistic fashion and considers what he would bring with him in the rocket ship, why he wouldn’t get homesick, how he would go about his exploration of outer space and what ways he would communicate with scientists back on Earth. He also says directly that he wouldn’t mind being alone, and he wouldn’t get homesick because he would be thoroughly enjoying his time exploring outer space. Other kids wouldn’t enjoy the extensive solitude of it, yet Chris almost implies that he would prefer it. He says he’ll never get homesick because of the computers and machines, which he likes. This exemplifies just how different Christopher is from his peers in his way of thinking. He doesn’t mind being alone, much unlike the other children his age.
This quote speaks volumes figuratively about Christopher’s wa...
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.... He prefers to be responsible for his own fate rather and make his choices using the information that is unchanging and set in stone, because he feels like he cannot be wrong. Because of this, he reacts badly to changes and feels unhinged and disturbed when things that he thought he could rely on have suddenly changed. He can’t adjust to modifications in his life, and in this quote he explains his opposition to using emotions and intuitions to make his decision. Christopher would much rather use the knowledge and things that he is sure of than take a chance and go with his instincts in contrast to other kids his age.
Overall, Christopher is incredibly different from his peers in his way of thinking. While other people may use their instincts to make decisions and don’t enjoy solitude, Christopher prefers the reassurance of concrete facts and things set in stone.
“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, it’s what’s inside counts” This quote reminds people about how they should not judge other people from the outside but look deep into their true personalities. Looking from the appearance and how Chris lives, everyone would assume that Chris is a crazy, foolish person and does everything without thinking. If people try to know more about Chris, they would have different perspective. Chris is intelligent, determined, independent and follows what he believes. He went into the wilderness to escape from the society that tries to suppress him and look for the meaning of life.
Because Chris was fixed on living his life the way he wanted, he was intransigent towards the useful opinions from others. Although Chris was an intelligent individual, his brilliance was detrimental for his own good. More specifically, Westerberg, one of Chris’ closest friends, explained how passionate Chris’ mindset was concerning different aspects of life: “He always had to know the absolute right answer before he could go on to the next thing” (4). Gradually, Chris’ restlessness in consistently wanting to discover the correct answer veered him onto a path of becoming adamant. Hence, he empowered for his premature demise because he never acknowledged the possibility of any situation being too laborious for him. Regrettably, Chris’ father confirmed that his son was a self-absorbed person because he never showed concern for the thoughts of others: “If you attempted to talk him out of something, he wouldn’t argue. He’d just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted” (8). By neglecting the time to reflect on the opinions of others, Chris illustrated how irrelevant he perceived the mindsets of others to be. Chris conveyed that he more so preferred to risk his life in doing something that he loved as opposed to listening to the sheltered and helpful advice from others. When a person is receptive to differing suggestions, they abate their discourteous behavior towards
His reasoning for leaving was justifiable being, “[he] thought [his mom] was dead, but she was still alive. And [his] father lied to [him].And he also killed Wellington,” (Haddon). Christopher's reasoning is definitely valid. But although his reasoning for leaving is valid, his trip was very dangerous and could have ended very badly. Christopher is a minor and has a very young, impressionable mind. Along with him being a young boy, he also has mental disabilities that make it hard for him to communicate with others. This communication barrier is extremely harmful when interacting with strangers. This is very apparent when Christopher is arrested. If someone was there to explain to the policeman why Christopher needs to be handled with care instead of using violent tactics, then Christopher would not have gone to jail. If this could happen on his walk home, then imagine what trouble Christopher could face traveling all the way to
Christopher during the course of the text of the novel learns to disregard other people’s judgments.
Christopher’s father, Ed Boone and his mother, Judy Boone both have one important trait or aspect that they share together which is their way of showing their love and protection towards their child. In this case, that would be Christopher. A quote that Christopher’s father said in the book that supports this answer is “”And Father said,”Christopher, do you understand that I love you.” This shows how he desperately wants his son to love him despite all of his efforts in trying to prevent Christopher from knowing about the truth that he is hiding. A quote that Christopher’s mother saying in the book is, “Christopher, I never meant to hurt you. I thought that what I was doing was the best for all of us. I hope it is. And I want you to know that this is not your fault.” This demonstrates that she really cares about Christopher in what is right which is leaving the house just like what his father believes that it was the best decision in preventing Christopher to know the truth about his mother.
Though Christopher is aware of these facts about himself, this no lessens his struggles for self and social acceptance. His self, although different than most, still seeks validation and approval. On the other hand, Christopher seeks a world with people like him, or no one at all. Therefore, he simultaneously attempts to understand others and wishes he did not have to do
Throughout the book he shows great ambition and also the tendency to be self-centered. Chris harbors a lot of resentment toward his father for having a second family, which he only discusses with his sister rather than his parents. Around the time of his college graduation, he seems to have a good relationship with his parents and remained very close with his sister. He took off after this, with seemingly no recognition of his beloved sister or his parents. Chris never contacts his family again, which will in turn leaving them to wonder what they did wrong. Along with this selfishness, Chris shows a somewhat deliberate ignorance towards basic survival skills such as appropriate gear and food. “ He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’s scrounged at a gas station.”(5). It is proven early on that Chris is very intelligent and has a natural talent for outdoor tasks. With this background, Chris would have undoubtedly known the conditions of the Alaskan wilderness and what supplies he would need. These actions show that Chris is over confident in his abilities. He had developed an inflated view of outdoor survival due to extensively reading books by authors such as Jack London. “He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction,
In a lot of ways Krakauer relates to Christopher like their complicated relationship with their father’s,”Like McCandless, figures of male authority aroused in me a confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please” ( Krakauer 134). Using words like “Fury” and “hunger” both describe christopher, they convey Christopher’s anger towards his parents ( more so his father) and his undying will to fool them into thinking that they are all he needs in this world. Krakauer like McCandless has the unconscious behavior to please but also defy at the same time. Krakauer says,” The boy could not pardon the mistakes his father had made as a young man, and he was even less willing to pardon the attempt at concealment. He later declared to Carine and others that the description committed by Walt and Billie made his “ entire childhood seem like a fiction “ ( Krakauer 122-123). The word “ fiction” was used to describe how much of a convoluted story was that Walt had described being that the relationship was nothing that was described. This sheds light on why Christopher was headed towards the adventurous life and why he greatly despised his parents. Krakauer also uses anecdotal evidence to examine Christopher and his parents
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
.... Like Christopher, he also tries to find a pattern which will enable him to make sense of his world.
...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.
At the beginning of the story, he told many incidents of the past of screaming in situations where mass amounts of people were in the same area as him. However, near the end of the novel we see him riding on a train and reaching his mother by himself. This realization of self-worth and ability to do anything he sets his mind to was a major lesson that throughout the book Christopher learned. Also, since Christopher is on the autism spectrum when he learned about complex facial expressions, such as worried or scared, it was an important lesson about human nature and communication. During the course of the novel, Christopher discovered his self-worth and the meanings of complex facial expressions. After reading this novel, I learned that the lessons you learn are based largely on where you start and the things you
In the beginning of the story, Christopher explains how close him and his father are as they only have each other. Christopher's dad has hidden things from him his whole life,
Chris did what he wanted to do hence him traveling the United States to end his journey at Alaska. The unstoppable determination with selfishness added on top made it the determining aspect in the fall of Chris. To go into the wilderness and write in a journal in third person about his time there takes some massive resolve. It seems that “There was just no talking the guy out of it. He was determined.” stated Gallien (someone who knew
The biggest reconnection Christopher encounters is with his mother. It begins when he finds a series of letters addressed to him in his father’s closet. Upon reading the letters, he makes the shocking discovery that his mother is alive, not dead, as his father previously tells him. Later, in trying to explain why he hides the truth, his father confesses he kills Wellington. As Christopher comes to these revelations, he immediately decides, “‘I had to go to London to live with Mother.’” (Haddon 131). This is a very powerful example of adapting. Christopher decides on the spot to go live with his mom despite not seeing her for years. The attitude of ‘sudden decisions’ without thinking long and hard about the full outcome is uncommon for him, and yet he comes to this solution in almost no time at all. Also, the wording of the sentence is very specific. He uses the word 'had' instead of 'can', which proves the idea is already set in his mind. As a result, this proves he already trusts his mother and is willing to adjust to go to her. Besides Christopher, his mother also expresses a likewise characteristic of adaptation to renew