Mark Haddon's Coming Of Age

Raja Boddepalli

Glory Brooks

English I

9 January 2023 Coming Of Age

What is coming-of-age and its significance? It is a process where a character grows from a childhood-like state to a maturity of an adult; coming of age is a technique used by many authors to show how a character has grown and developed, as well as give how the plot has improved the character from the beginning to the end. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is a book by Mark Haddon about a 15-year-old named Christopher who writes a murder mystery novel that depicts his coming-of-age journey. The novel shows Christopher’s growth throughout the story and how he gains maturity. By showing the many hardships

For example, in a quotation from the novel, Christopher explains how he will interrogate the neighbors about Wellington but is scared too. “Talking to strangers is not something I usually do. I dislike talking to strangers” (Haddon 34). The quote explains how Christopher matures because he dislikes talking with new people. After all, interacting with others is too overwhelming, and it takes a long time to have the courage to speak with them. The excerpt shows coming of age well because it develops an incoming scene later in the text about how Christopher is better at talking to new people and becoming more confident speaking to them. Haddon uses more characterization to develop coming of age. For example, at the end of the book, it states, “... I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? And I found my mother, and I was brave, and I wrote a book, and that means I can do anything” (Haddon 221). The quote shows coming of age because he learns how to overcome his disability and how mature he is, causing him to be more self-confident. This scene also shows how he could establish self-confidence because of the many hardships and struggles he went through, and those scenes, in particular, helped him grow his self-confidence. These scenes

Self) to develop the coming-of-age theme to explain how Christopher becomes more independent as the novel continues. For example, when he plans on living with his mother when he thinks his father will kill him. “I looked up and saw him staring through the bars at me. I had to get out of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me because I couldn’t trust him, even though he had said “Trust me,” because he had told a lie about a big thing… Which meant that I had to go to London to live with Mother” (Haddon 122-131). The quote explains how he will make a big decision with no one’s help or advice; this shows coming-of-age since it describes how he is ready to be independent by making his own choices, even knowing the risks that will happen. As the novel progresses, Haddon uses conflict frequently in the novel to show the theme coming-of-age theme. On page 193, a scene shows Christopher deciding on whom to stay with. For example, it states, “And there was a policeman outside the door, and he said, “Are you Christopher Boone?” And I said I was. And he said,

“Your father says you’ve run away. Is that right?” And I said, “Yes.” And he said, “Is this your mother?” and pointed at Mother. And I said, “Yes.” And he said, “Why did you run away?” Then he said, “Do you want to go back to Swindon to your father, or do you want to stay here?” Moreover, I said, “I want to stay here.” Moreover, he said, “And how do you feel