Coming Of Age In “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time”

Mark Haddon’s Curious Incident: The Dog in the Dark-time tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone and his adventures. Christopher, the protagonist, wrote the book to solve a mystery about the murder of Wellington, Mrs. Shears’s dog. As he tells his tale, the reader can get a better idea of Christopher’s past, including his mother’s secrets and his family. Boone is prone to mental and behavioral problems. He struggles with his own issues throughout the text. Mark Haddon explores themes of bravery and growing up through The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-time.

Christopher John Francis Boone, a Swindon native, is an innocent, genuine, honest, and sincere individual. He clearly suffers from a mental and behavioral disorder that causes him many oddities. He has a variety of behavioral problems, including “not speaking to people for a prolonged time”, not eating or drinking any food for a lengthy time, refusing to touch, screaming when he’s angry or confused, as well as not liking yellow and brown things. The behavior of a teenager is uncharacteristic when a police officer attempts to take his watch off him (13). He said he “doesn’t like hugging people” (16), including his parents. He feels uncomfortable and uneasy. These are unusual behaviors for a 15-year-old boy. He doesn’t respond well to questions and never replies to any statements. He is unable to read facial expressions of people and can therefore be confused. He “cannot understand what people are saying” and will ask them questions or walk away. This is a strange, but not unusual, behavior for him. He sometimes has difficulty understanding the emotions of his father, preferring to only understand him. Christopher’s dad was “sitting in front of the TV watching snooker and sipping scotch,” (21). After his son was taken to the police station, Christopher cannot understand his father’s despair. Christopher ultimately decides to let his father be, because he doesn’t want to be disturbed when he is sad. Boone also makes a strange observation that while one may think in private, it would never be spoken aloud. Boone, for example, says that Jason smells like his poor family because he goes to school. He does not know that such comments are socially unacceptable. He doesn’t lie because he says he “cannot make lies up” (19), something most children don’t have. Christopher clearly has disabilities, but he refuses to let them stop him. Christopher can see every detail down to the last detail. Christopher can see details that are invisible to others. Christopher likens his memory to a film.

When someone asks me for a quick memory, I can simply press the buttons to fast forward and pause. This is similar to a video recording device but it works more like an audio player. It’s happening in my head, so there aren’t any buttons. (76)

The protagonist describes a unique photographic memory. He has a different way of seeing the world than others and creates creative comparisons. He claims that he doesn’t know anything and “just [notices] what things are.” (25). He also has some talents that are not common. He is able to name all countries and capital cities, and every prime up to 7,057. (2) He is clearly gifted in math, and is even planning to take the math A-level exam. He later earns an “A” grade. When analyzing a problem or issue, he uses logic and math to solve his problems. Christopher comments on how sometimes it is difficult for us to predict the future, but we only have to follow very simple rules (102), when discussing how animals can be decoded. He tells his readers how if theta exceeds 3.57, people become chaotic. It is proof that numbers work and that people can be killed for any reason. Christopher is able to see the simplicity in some things that might seem very complicated to an average person because he draws on his mathematical background and logic to reach conclusions, which highlights his intelligence.

Mark Haddon’s text is a series about coming of ages, maturation, and the theme that runs throughout it. Christopher must live with his disability and sometimes those issues can hinder him. The protagonist is able to show maturity as he becomes more self-reliant and independent in his dealings with mental and behavioral disorders. Christopher is confronted with his fears and idiosyncrasies at the beginning. He realizes that he does have a disability and he talks to the officer about it. He tells his cop that he cannot touch him because he was given a caution for hitting the policeman. He is aware that if the cop grabs him, he will be overwhelmed and react negatively. He recognizes his weaknesses and warns the officer. This is a sign that he is mature. The text shows that Christopher relies heavily on others and is insecure about speaking to other people. Although he admits to his insecurity, he says that it takes him a while to accept people he does not know (35).

It is important to recognize his mistakes and learn how to deal with them better. Christopher does everything himself when he wants his mother to come to London. He is a strong independent man who manages to make it all the way to London. Christopher also has emotional difficulties. It is hard for him to feel sadness. Boone remarks that it is difficult to feel sad when his mother is gone. Later, he discovers that his mother is still alive and has been for many years. “[He] feels sick,” (112). His father’s actions made him extremely upset. Christopher is maturing due to the fact that he has overcome his disability. Christopher is more confident and has greater faith in himself at the end of this text. He states, “I traveled alone to London, and because I solved Who Killed Wellington’s mystery.” I found my mom and was brave, so I wrote a novel and that’s how I can accomplish anything. (221). The protagonist develops independence, maturity, and self-confidence over the course he writes the book. Haddon’s book clearly highlights the theme of growing up.

Mark Haddon’s novel also features Bravery. Christopher Boone is a disabled person. Many people are unable to understand or have patience with him. He’s sometimes known as “mad like a fucking haber” (184). It can be hard to depend on oneself, so it takes courage. He was worried about his father’s murder of Wellington after he found out. “[He] had no choice but to leave the house and to find a way to travel alone to London, something he’d never done before. For a normal teenager, this would be difficult. “He had never traveled to London on his own,” he said (129). He thought it was scary to travel alone. He had to have courage to bravely venture out into unknown territory. Christopher described the experience as “like stepping over a tightrope” (145). However, he kept his cool and took lots of deep breathes (137), which made things less painful. His mother was aware of the feat and commented to him, “You are very brave.” (193) He overcomes all his fears to reach London and is brave, a theme that Haddon’s book emphasizes.

Mark Haddon explores the themes of courage and growing up through The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-time. The story tells the adventures of Christopher John Francis Boone. Christopher, the protagonist, wrote this book as a mystery murder investigation. He describes his investigation into Wellington’s death. The story reveals more about Christopher’s childhood and reveals his mother’s secrets. Christopher Boone is prone to mental and behavioral problems. He struggles with his own problems as he investigates and seeks his mother’s murder. The protagonist overcomes his obstacles and, at the end the text, realizes that anyone can achieve anything if they put their minds to it.