The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime

The theme of the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” by Mark Haddon, is you must overcome many hurdles to gain independence. Throughout his life, the main protagonist- Christopher is treated as a child, because of his special disorder and his views on the universe are extremely different. Because of this his father constantly babies him by, “[Cooking] his meals.[He] cleaned his clothes….[He] worried [himself] sick every time he wandered off somewhere at night….”(pg.196-197). Christopher never had the taste of freedom, because he had become used to this kind of treatment. In the climax of the story the murderer of Wellington is revealed, as Christopher’s father. He also discovers that his father deceived him about his

The author of the novel was able to strongly develop the personality of the protagonist. Although Christopher is extremely intelligent, he still has many quirks which made him relatable to readers. Mark Haddon used indirect characterization fairly well, which made it easier to understand the feelings of different characters. You can easily become emotionally attached to the characters that were created in the story. The first day Christopher spends with his mother– Judy, was quickly filled with disappointment. Judy informs him he may not be able to sit his A level maths. When Christopher reiterates, “But [he has] to go.” (pg.202) you can understand the sorrow he faces and the pain he feels in the moment. Surprisingly, Christopher manages to take his exam and now the sorrow is replaced with relief. Mark Haddon’s ability to transform his characters genuinely makes this novel enjoyable. Carefully rethinking your decisions is an important lesson to take away from this book. Ed Boone – Christopher’s had father lied to his son on various occasions. By lying, he thought he was protecting Christopher. Through his actions he lost the trust of his most beloved. Ed believed, “[He] did it for [Christopher’s] good….”(pg.114), but later admits, “It was an accident.”(pg.114). If he had re-evaluated his decisions to lie, he wouldn’t have lost Christopher in the first place. Once he perceived the truth, it was