Representations of autism in pop culture has a tendency to polarize the wide range of experience and qualities of people on the autism spectrum into a small box of stereotypical traits: computer-like, rational yet not always comprehensive, introverted, easily frustrated, and/or a savant. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon presents his readers a detective fiction novel narrated by 15-year-old Christopher Boone, who described himself to have "behavioral problems" (46 Haddon). Despite Haddon 's claims that his novel was not intended to represent Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christopher 's traits fulfill so many autism stereotypes that his original intent is irrelevant; Christopher is almost a living breathing autism …show more content…
As detailed by Quirici, the savant is a societal idea that is based on stereotypical representation of autism rather than an "empirical medical phenomenon" (71 Quirici). This trope of the savant presents an individual with autism that has extraordinary abilities, often related to mathematics or a similar logic-based area. The representation of this trope is incredibly damaging as it creates expectations of people with autism that are ultimately isolating in terms of othering and dehumanizing (71 Quirici). Neurotypical people who come into contact with these representations are more likely to have preconceived notions of autism and subsequently have unrealistic expectations of their autistic peers. Furthermore, talents that a person with autism might have are more likely to be credited to their autism rather than to their own talent or hard work (71 Qurici). Christopher is described to have talents that fit into the savant trope, and additionally attempts to distinguish himself from his peers, who are also in special education, stating "I am not a spazzer [...] not like Francis, who is a spazzer," (26 Haddon) and "All the other children at my school are stupid," (43 Haddon). Quirici emphasizes that the neurotypical society 's fascination with the spectacle of savants is a way of "redeeming" autism to neurotypical people (71 Quirici). Haddon attempts to redeem Christopher 's autism, which he depicts as a nuisance, through his accompanying abilities. He attempts to allow the reader to empathize with Christopher not through a realistic depiction of autism, but through offering his extraordinary abilities as a value that is meant to outweigh how his autism is treated as an obstacle in this
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
A few aspects of Asperger Syndrome include limited understanding, outburst of blunt honesty, as well as phobias to specific ideas depending on the person. This affects the individual’s social interactions by making them awkward because they do not understand clichés. Asperger also influences an individual’s academic growth because, though they become intelligent, it takes longer for them to comprehend what he or she is learning. For example, in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the character, Christopher, dislikes the color yellow because he fears that it will cause his day to become awful, or as he refers to it, a “Black day”. He also does not let people touch him, so to hug his parents, they will just touch palms; however,
How would you feel if you couldn’t convey your emotion? People with Asperger’s Syndrome the answer. The Curious Incident in the Night-Time (The Curious Incident) is a novel that was authored by Mark Haddon. In this novel, the narrator is a teenage boy, Christopher John Francis Boone, who is exactly 15 years and 3 months old, and he has Asperger’s. He struggles with his social ability and has an odd hatred for the color yellow. Alix Generous is a co-founder of the company AutismSees and grew up battling Asperger’s as well. This conflicts his social skills and renders him emotionless at times. The effects of being emotionally detached as a result of Asperger’s can be devastating, and also uncomfortable. But, some may be envious.
The novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time explores the concept of truth and lies through the eyes of Christopher, the main character, who has autism. His narrative perspective only allows the reader to understand what his own mind is capable of understanding such as his views on lying, facial
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.
In Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism By Temple Grandin, the center of novel surrounds Grandin’s life and how autism impacted her career at a very young age. The book includes references to extensive reviews of research pertaining to effects of autism and possible treatment options. Grandin (2006) articulates how the word “autism” still conveys a fixed and dreadful meaning to most people (p.1). Therefore, she was able to embrace her visual ways of thinking, ultimately being an inspiration to others. With insight from her personal experience, readers have a better understanding of what is like working with individuals who have physical impairments. However, this paper will focus on how Grandin’s autistic ability affected her relationships
Do you ever feel annoyed, frustrated and above all, alone because you are just simply different? Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone experiences this every day due to his autism disorder. Christopher struggles with understanding people, dealing with new surroundings and expressing himself. In the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, Christopher proves that despite these deficits, he can find independence in the world.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is told through the eyes of a fifteen year old boy named Christopher Boone. Christopher has a highly-functioning form of autism which allows him to understand complex mathematical problems, but also leaves him unable to comprehend many simple human emotions. His inability to understand metaphors, distinguish emotions, and his lack of imagination makes it possible to consider Christopher as functioning like a computer rather than functioning as a human being. Throughout the story, Christopher is faced with many challenges which he conquers using the stable and never changing system of mathematics. All of these factors suggest that Christopher does, in fact, function like a computer, but it is apparent early in the story that Christopher, regardless of anything else, is capable of independent thought which separates him from the programmed, dependent world of computers.
Not all autistic persons are savants. There are a few numbers of people who have the extraordinary skills of Raymond Babbitt. People with savant skills at the level of Raymond Babbitt are exceedingly rare (but they do exist). Finally, not all savants are autistic. While the frequency of savant syndrome is much lower among the mentally retarded than among autistics, mental retardation is a much more common condition. The point is while both are developmental disabilities; mental retardation and autism are separate conditions. There can be some similarities, and some mentally retarded persons can have some autistic features, but in general those two conditions require separate approaches. The savant abilities are grafted onto the basic autism or mental retardation, and savant syndrome exists as a special condition in either of those two disabilities.
Every individual's mind functions in a different and unique way. We all have idiosyncratic behaviours and functions. These distinctive characteristics are what make us who we are. But not all neurological differences help us in our day -to-day lives. Every individual also possess some psychological defects. These issues are clearly portrayed in the novel, The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. In this story the protagonist is an autistic boy who faces many challenges in his life. Both his parents also face some complications in coping up with their son. Therefore the central theme in the novel, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, delineated by Christopher (the autistic boy), the father, and the mother, is that everyone has psychological problems that they need to overcome.
How far would a parent go to ensure the comfort of their child? What if the child had a mental disability? Children with autism can be difficult to deal with and it can be easy to misconstrue a parent’s intentions toward their disabled child. According to Petra Kuppers’s essay “Dancing Autism: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Bedlam,” an autistic child has a, “distanced view of the rules that make up love, relationships, need, and care,” and therefore can be more challenging to raise (Kuppers 193). Christopher is one such example of an autistic child. In Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher’s father is portrayed in a negative light, but actually proves himself to be an outstanding father.
While trust is a somewhat common theme in modern novels, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime manages to portray how it affects people in their day to day lifestyle. The book tells the story of Christopher Boone a young boy with autism and his murder mystery novel about the murder of his neighbor's dog. Why this novel is significant is because Mark Haddon tells the story that many young people with autism, like Christopher, live everyday and who’s view on life and the idea of trust and understanding of the world is drastically different than any teenager.
In the book The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time, by Mark Haddon, a boy named Christopher suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. Throughout the book Christopher tries to find his dog Wellington's killer but it turns into a Quest about finding the truth about his parents.
Whilst the concept of autism and what it means to be autistic is still widely unrecognised by many, Mark Haddon’s use of conventions of prose fiction and language amplifies the distinctive qualities of the text. Haddon exemplifies key themes such as the struggle to become independent, the nature of difference and the disorder of life through the strategic placement of literary devices.
Andrews, K. (2002). Interpreting autism: a critique of Davidson on thought and language. Philosophical Psychology, 15(3). Retrieved from: