Curious incident of the dog essay

[Sarahxx16]

Hey, I have written an essay for the novel ' curious incident of the dog in the night time' and was wondering if anyone could give me feedback on it. Thank you

How does Mark Haddon create a compassionate insight into the experience of an individual with Aspergers Syndrome?

The negative and positive aspects of individuals with Asperger's syndrome are explored in the novel ‘ The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time’ by Mark Haddon. Haddon uses the characterizations of characters and their experience to create a compassionate insight of those with Asperger’s syndrome to challenge us to view the world through the eyes of someone with a disability.

The challenges and difficulties faced by individuals restrict them to a certain extent from achieving their full potential in all aspect of their life. The lack of social skills that Christopher has limited him from being a great detective which was needed in solving the murder of Wellington. Through the use of repetition of “ you could say that” reveals the sudden question of “ Are you sad about Wellington?” and the uncertainty of the response to prevent further questions from being asked,” yes Christopher, you could say that”. This portrays the difficulties that Christopher has in identifying suspicious responses and identifying lies. This just shows that Christopher doesn't know his father is lying but as the audience, we could instantly tell that it’s a lie from the sudden pause which creates a sense of unease and tension. Christopher often struggles with understanding instructions given that are not detailed or specific. The use of quotes“I don’t know what Father means when he says ‘ stay out of other people’s business” reveals the need of specific instructions as he starts to list the different meaning of ‘ people’s business’. Some individuals that have Asperger’s syndrome have trouble understanding straight forward things as they can’t multitask which explains why Christopher changes from one topic to another and talks about that topic for a whole chapter. Haddon gives the audience an insight into the challenges that not only the person with the disability have but also the people around them which creates sympathy for the audience.

Individuals around us often have a positive and negative influence on us which impacts our actions. Ed is often seen as a lonely and bitter character however he is often protective and kind towards Christopher. Christopher struggles to understand that his father does things that would protect him for a reason because he cares. Through the use of colloquial language, “I think she cared more for that bloody dog than for me, for us”. This reveals the anger that he has been feeling and it also shows that he would do anything even killing a dog to prove that he cares for his family. Christopher finds out that his father killed the dog, lied about his mother so when Christopher finds out he runs away to London to live with his mother without understanding why his father done it. Without realizing the pain his father is in, he leaves. However, the actions done by his father, allowed Christopher to be independent and overcome challenges that he wouldn’t face. This later helps him grow as an individual and figure out what he wanted to do in his life. Haddon often uses animals as a motif in the novel, as the death of Wellington was the reason for the novel. The contrast between animals and people are that Christopher finds that understanding animals are easier because they are simple however people are often confusing with their emotions and needs. Through the listing of his favorite animals “ 1. Randyman...2. The Patagonian Sea Lions” reveals the amount of knowledge he has on these animals and can relate to it. His father took him to the zoo as he understands that being surrounded by animals is a comfortable environment for him. He also has his pet rat, Toby who he takes care of him because he is the closest friend that he has because he is easy to understand and simple. The love for animals allowed him to achieve his dream of being a detective like Sherlock Holmes. Haddon is able to make a connection with the audience and to Christopher as most of us love animals and know how much a pet could change the way an individual act and see the world.

Individuals need to overcome challenges in order to have a positive change and grow as a person. Regardless of the disadvantages that Christopher has due to his disability, he was able to overcome some of the challenges which allowed him to change. The use of diagrams of the options of who to live with when he runs away reveals Christopher lack of understanding on how everything works, which allowed him to disobey his father and push him towards the real world as he takes the train journey to London by himself. Christopher had to face these obstacles alone as he had to communicate with people in order to get to where he wants to go which improved his social skills. He also took Toby with him which indicates that he understands to not leave anyone behind. He became independent and he knew that now he can do anything he wants on his own. He was able to return back to Swindon and do his exam which enables him to work things out with his father and mother which allowed everyone to have a fresh start. Sherlock Holmes was often referenced in the novel as Christopher uses him as a role model to step outside his comfort zone. The reader could instantly tell the difference between both of them as they are detectives. Haddon uses Sherlock Holmes as an example to portray to the audience that we don’t need to have the obvious skills because there is always a way, for example, Christopher is able to solve the murder of Wellington without the skills of a detective which reveals that those with disabilities can transform.

Individuals with Asperger's syndrome are able to achieve anything just like every other individual however they have their own way which we need to understand more about to be able to help and encourage them in achieving their dreams.