The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

808 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character development introduction

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is a 2003 mystery novel written by a British writer by the name of Mark Haddon. With this novel Haddon was able to win three awards; one of which was the Whitbread Book Award for Best Novel and Book of the Year. Haddon writes the book in a first-person perspective, through the eyes of the protagonist Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with behavioural difficulties. Throughout the novel Haddon uses numerous techniques to present this special world of Christopher’s to the reader enabling us to understand and see what he thinks and sees. To express this special world of Christopher’s, Haddon uses techniques such as language and symbolism as well as graphics to provide the readers with the foundation required to create this imagery in their mind.
The language used and the way this novel is set out can be seen to be quite different to most other novels this is due to Haddon presenting this book from the point of view of his character, Christopher and this perspective makes the language fairly simple and comprehensible. One more noticeable form of language used in this novel is how the same words, such as ‘and’, ‘then, and ‘because’, are used quite often to build longer sentences. As this is how Christopher would speak, how everything in this special world of his is essential to be connected into chronological order for him to comprehend and explain it; for example, “And then it started to rain and I got wet and I started shivering because I was cold. And then it was 11:32 p.m. and I heard voices of people walking along the street. And a voice said, ‘I don’t care whether you thought it was funny or not,’ and it was a lady’s voice.” (p.233) Haddon also expresses the imp...

... middle of paper ...

...vel as intermittent roadblocks to keep them busy. For example due to the use of puzzles like “The Monty Hall Problem (Figure 1)” , a reader can resolve the apparent puzzles of Christopher's story, thereby gaining insight into Christopher's special world and way of narrating, perhaps revealing answers to why he epitomizes things in different ways.
Mark Haddon uses a number of techniques to present Christopher’s special world to the readers in the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”. Writing techniques and devices such as language, symbolism, and graphics are utilised in order to engage the reader and create an understanding of the protagonist Christopher, his way of thinking and the way he sees the world differently from everyone else.

Works Cited

Mark Haddon, 2010. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. 0 Edition. Gardner Press.

Show More
Related

  • Christopher Boone Betrayal

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon educates the audience about how betrayal

    Read More

  • Use of Literary Techniques by Jon Krakauer When Writing Into the Wild

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the novel “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer tells the story of a Chris McCandless through different points of view perceived from people close to him. Despite the fact the Krakauer did not personally know Chris McCandless, Krakauer uses opinions from himself and others to help conclude meaning and impact behindMcCandless’s journey. Krakauer introduces events in the story in an order such that it also introduces the significance behind them. These techniques help the reader conclude the mystery behind Chris McCandless’s journey.

    Read More

  • Identity in Tender is the Night and Appointment in Samarra

    2696 Words  | 6 Pages

    ... Is the Night." Modern Fiction Studies 4.2 (Summer 1958): 136-142. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed.

    Read More

  • Eliezer Wiesel's Relationships

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    Winters, Kelly. "Critical Essay on Night." Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • What Is The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    With every decision one makes. There will always be consequences. In Haddon’s, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the character Christopher and his parents find that their bad decisions could lead to a negative outcome. Mrs. Boone’s choice to leave home and Mr. Boone’s choice to lie to Christopher lead to him leaving home to search for his mother. A common theme of the actions of the characters is acting before thinking. The theme of decisions and consequences reveals the imperfections of each character, ultimately demonstrating the quintessential impatient need for growth.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Interlopers And Story Of An Hour

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is important to note how each individual story is similar and different, because it allows us to understand how the emotions in the book affect us. ‘The Interlopers’ and ‘Story of an Hour’ are two of my favorite short stories. They are both very different, and have their own unique style. They are, also, somewhat similar. This is because the authors of the book are both similar and different, both in their backgrounds and personalities. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting both short stories from my own point of view.

    Read More

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time, Mark Haddon writes about Christopher John Francis Boone who is an autistic child. Throughout this story Christopher attempts to solve a murder case of his neighbor’s poodle. Christopher wakes up one day at seven minutes past midnight, and he notices the next-door neighbor’s dog laying on the ground. So he decides to go over and check out what happened, soon he found a garden fork sticking out of a dog named Wellington. Since Christopher likes murder mystery novels, he decided to write his own murder mystery novel starting with finding out what happened to Wellington. Throughout his attempt in solving the mystery of the murder of Wellington, several hidden secrets erupted and were revealed to Christopher.

    Read More

  • The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

    1965 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time chronicles of Christopher Boone of Swindon, England. The book is written by Mark Haddon, who formerly worked with autistic individuals, describes the world through the eyes of Christopher, who is self-proclaimed “special needs”. The novel never explicitly says what Christopher’s diagnosis is, but from the text it is apparent that he would fall on the higher functioning end of the Autism Spectrum.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time uses distinctive qualities to enhance the reader’s understanding of coping with difficulty and accompanies appropriate language and prose action to express

    Read More

  • Relationships In The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Relationships can only survive through adapting to constant change. Without that aspect, they would not last. In Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a boy with Aspergers goes through life surrounded by mystery, dishonesty, and dysfunctionality. Because of this, secrets are revealed, relationships are changed, and the connection between family is brought into a new light. Through these events, the boy and his family discover and rediscover their ties with each other. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the author demonstrates that the ability to adapt and change is the most essential characteristic in life because it strengthens relationships, as illustrated through Christopher, his mother

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Trust In The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mark Haddon’s book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime mirrors the idea that trust is the glue that holds relationships together and how a lack of honesty and truth can create barriers between loved ones and shows how being honest can fix these problems. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a innovative and ground breaking novel that continues to show the understanding of the world by Christopher Boone and his

    Read More

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • First Person Narration in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    The curious incident of the dog in the night time was narrated in first person by Christopher Boone however If it was narrated in third person the audience would not have understood the way Christopher was feeling. Communication, Social Interactions, Relationship’s and Christopher’s Autism spectrum disorder were some of the main areas expressed in the novel.

    Read More

  • Tom’s Midnight Garden

    1536 Words  | 4 Pages

    Time is one of the basic components of life that one does not often stop to dwell upon. Each second marks a transition in an individual’s life, but it is rare for someone to consider the true magic of this small measure of history. In Tom’s Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce examines the concept of time in a truly unique manner as she tells the story of a child who comes to terms with time in an extraordinary manner. As Pearce crafts this beautiful yet simply written novel, she intertwines both a moving plot and universal ideas in order to reveal more than meets the eye in terms of the power of time. The novel revolves around a young boy by the name of Tom Long who, in an adverse situation is shipped away from his home to live with his childless Uncle and Aunt for the summer. While Tom is disgruntled by the notion, he comes to adjust his views when he discovers a magical garden that opens his eyes to new experiences and feelings. With the discovery of this mysterious world in the garden, Tom is forced to decipher the power of time, companionship, and imagination and through this journey, he evolves from the childish, inconsiderate young boy he once was into one with a more mature and sensitive outlook on his own life and the world as a whole.

    Read More

More about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Open Document