What Is The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime

“Stability is Possible”

In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, Christopher John Francis Boone is introduced as a character with Asperger’s. His main caretakers are his father, Ed, and his mother, Judy. Christopher’s relationships with his parents are clearly dysfunctional at the beginning of the book but towards the novel’s end we see Judy and Ed’s love for their son push them to want to overcome the mistakes they have all made, leading the Boone family to eventual stability.

When a situation is difficult, Ed and Judy both react in a way that creates dysfunctional relationships with their son. When Christopher finds out that his father was actually the one who had killed Wellington, the trust he puts in Ed is truly

When he finally found his mother in London, Judy’s first response was not to question why or how Christopher got to her. Instead, it was to embrace him by hugging him. “And Mother put her arms around me and said, “Christopher, Christopher, Christopher”, (pg. 191). This is her way of showing her love for him because the delight she felt completely overcame her. She repeats his name as if to say she made the mistake of leaving him before but now she is emphasizing what is important to her: Christopher. As soon as Christopher arrives at her new residence, he becomes her top priority. Things were already rocky with Mr. Shears, which is seen in the argument scene that happens before her and Christopher’s reunion. So it is not a surprise when she takes Christopher with her to flee to safety. Christopher had asked her “Where are we going?” (Pg. 207) and Judy replied, “We’re going home” (pg. 207). What Judy means is she is taking Christopher back to his home. She could have fled to anywhere else to get another fresh start and escape her problems. Yet, she put Christopher before her needs and she chooses her son over the possibility of a new life. Judy may have fled from her problems before, but she has decided that her son and the love she feels for him is worth

When Ed knows Christopher is with his mother, he travels all the way to London to get his son back. He tries to apologize but when Christopher is too scared to react, Christopher notices, “And there were tears dripping off his face” (pg. 197). It is aware that Ed likes to keep all his emotions bottled up. However, this feeling he has is so extreme that he no longer keeps his tears and anger in. He has always been more of the level headed one so seeing him this way shows that this situation is a big deal to him and he knows that he has messed up. Knowing that apologizing alone is not enough; Ed buys Christopher a dog because he wants to show that he understands his son. Christopher writes, “And I called the dog Sandy. And Father bought him a collar and a lead and I was allowed to take him for walks… And I played with him…” (Pg. 220). It is evident that Christopher loves animals because he feels as if he can relate to them. Dogs state their needs very clearly, which in Christopher’s opinion is much easier to understand than human behavior. Buying him a dog as a companion is Ed’s way of saying he wants to rebuild Christopher’s trust and he will provide his son with whatever he needs. Whether it is a dog collar, a leash, or a strawberry milkshake, he will be there for Christopher because he loves