the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime book

Keep reading to learn more about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. These elements will prompt class discussion on what these images convey and how they allow readers to understand Christopher in ways that words do not. Haddon also includes graphics and illustrations, such as diagrams, smiley faces, and graphs, in his novel.

This can open a broader discussion about mental illness or difference, including how it is perceived by society, how it can be used to define people, how it affects family members, and how people can live full and satisfying lives despite difficulties they face. They should examine how people interact with him and whether they take his differences into account.

With this background, students can discuss the communication obstacles that Christopher faces regularly. Students should learn about this autism spectrum disorder and its common characteristics, but be aware that Christopher’s behaviors are not indicative of how all people with Asperger’s act. This is another reason why I don't like proper novels, because they are lies about things which didn't happen and they make me feel shaky and scared.Īnd this is why everything I have written here is true.Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is told from the perspective of Christopher, a teenager with “behavioral difficulties.” Although Haddon does not specifically name Christopher’s condition, it is widely understood that he has Asperger’s syndrome.

But if I say that I actually had Shreddies and a mug of tea I start thinking about Coco-Pops and lemonade and Porridge and Dr Pepper and how I wasn't eating my breakfast in Egypt and there wasn't a rhinoceros in the room and Father wasn't wearing a diving suit and so on and even writing this makes me feel shaky and scared, like I do when I'm standing on the top of a very tall building and there are thousands of houses and cars and people below me and my head is so full of all these things that I'm afraid that I'm going to forget to stand up straight and hang onto the rail and I'm going to fall over and be killed.

And if I think about something which didn't happen I start thinking about all the other things which didn't happen.įor example, this morning for breakfast I had Ready Brek and some hot raspberry milkshake. And there are an infinite number of things which didn't happen at that time and that place. But there is only ever one thing which happened at a particular time and a particular place. “A lie is when you say something happened which didn't happen.

The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime book