Dog In The Nighttime Symbolism

“I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life.” (Leo Tolstoy’s “Family Happiness”).

Mark Haddon's prose fiction, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time brings forth the view of a different world and also expands our understanding of human experience. The novel is an autobiographical murder mystery narrated from the perspective of a teenager, Christopher Boone. This text allows the readers to see the life of a young man who is not comfortable with interacting with others in his society. Christopher's autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shapes our understanding of experience. Haddon is able to portray interesting ideas within the text through the narrator, thus inviting us into a different world and allowing us to see a new viewpoint.

The epigraphs of chapter 7, written by Mark Twain and Anthony Storr, typify the life of Chris McCandless and provides insight and reason as to why he went out into the wild. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain states, “There was some books…about a man that left his family, it didn’t say why.” This specific quote epitomizes the life of McCandless because he left everything and everyone with no warning nor explanation. However throughout the chapter we find out that Chris didn’t get along with his family, especially his parents and when the right time came he was going to divorce them as his parents. Anthony Storr then states in, Solitude: a Return To The Self, that, “It is true that many creative people fail to make mature personal

Despite Krakauer 's honorable attempts to portray Chris as someone who is relatable and should be pitied, Chris is portrayed as careless and inconsiderate. Krakauer 's biased diction end up showing Chris as stupid and egotistical. In the beginning Krakauer starts off make Chris a relatable person however after the first few pages Krakauer turns Chris into a superficial rich entitled person who thought he was able to do anything without repercussion.

Throughout the book Christopher overcomes all obstacles, big and small. Though some obstacles are small it still shows the reader that Christopher is willing to make the necessary changes for a positive outcome. One small obstacle that made a big impact on the readers

Christopher’s initial motto were alone the lines of, honesty is the best policy. Christopher said to the officer, “’Yes I always tell the truth.’” (Haddon 18) which strongly implies that he truly values honesty. Christopher “[does not] tell lies” (Haddon 19) and his mother tells him it’s because he was a good person. Christopher was never able to lie in his life for specific reasons. Although he admits that he white lies, he says that white lying is inevitable. Christopher avoids lying to

The divinity of life through spirit rather than material, and in nature rather than in society, was tested and actively advocated by Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The transcendentalist movement spoke of individualism and a plain lifestyle. As society develops, these simplistic ideals become an “unrealistic” way of life due to the dependence we must have on things other than our own self. However, the film Into the Wild denies this idea as it traces a man’s life and independent survival in the wilderness. Into the Wild illustrates the values of transcendentalism by portraying a man’s spiritual journey through the experiences of nature, self-reliance, and rejection of the material world.

To sum up, there are as many similarities as differences. They have a lot in common, but they also differ a lot. They are a lot a like in what they say, they differ in what they do. Christopher changes more as a person and of course doesn’t

Even from the beginning Chris’s judgements were always different from the normal. In the story, Chris shares, "I wished to acquire the simplicity, native feelings, and virtues of savage life; to divest myself of the factitious habits, prejudices and imperfections of civilization;

Christopher grew up without knowing much about the world and life it self. He acts as what many would say a child. This is due to his Aspergers. In the beginning of the novel Christopher explains what he thinks of life. “ Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.” (12). The quote explains how Christopher thinks of life and the world in the beginning of the novel. Christopher’s view on both are very limited compared to others.  He explains that life to him is very hard to understand no matter how long he thinks of it. When Christopher goes on the investigation of who killed Wellington his view on life and the world will change

For example, Christopher remembers when Siobhan tells him "This is what Siobhan says is called a rhetorical question. It has a question mark at the end, but you are not meant to answer it because the person asking it already knows the answer. (Haddon 81) This proves that the things that Siobhan helps him learn helps him in many situations and when to speak and what to say. All of this says how much help Siobhan has been to Christopher and why he does the things he does. Keep in mind that Christopher has trusted Siobhan with all of his secrets that he does not even tell his dad which gives him someone he trusts. Siobhan is like a therapist for Christoper, he tells her everything about what is going on in his life right then and there, He was talking about how his father says that he shouldn't be talking to or about Mrs. Shears because he doesn't like her. "And Siobhan said, "Well, Mrs. Shears is a friend of yours, isn't she. A friend of you and your

Quotation: “And in the Bible it says Thou shalt not kill but there were the Crusades and two world wars and the Gulf War and there were Christians killing people in all of them.” (pg. 29)

The author, Jon Krakauer, was born April 12, 1954. He is a mountaineer and an American writer. He married Linda Mariam Moore in 2010. Krakauer attended Hampshire College, Emery University, and Corvallis High School.

Mark Twain believes that dogs are superior to man because out of all animals, man is the only one that is cruel enough to inflict pain on others just for the pleasure of doing it. Twain’s short story “A Dog’s Tale”, written in 1903, displays these beliefs and is done so from a dog’s point of view. This unusual take on the story is used to help convey the theme that one shouldn’t assume the others will do the same for them. The story includes literary elements such as characterisation, structural irony and a plot and conflict. It is a story of a loyal and heroic dog which unfortunately ends in an ironic twist of fate.

Character is the thing that defines a person. What you will do, what you will say, how you interact with the world. Admittedly, all of us have character. But, the character of Christopher is a very interesting and a complex one. In times, it feels as if he is an alien compared to everyone else. On the contrary, he also deals with problems and issues that are felt by every human on the planet, allowing the reader to feel empathy for him. His social tendencies show that he may suffer from a social disability. Despite this, Christopher goes on a journey, displaying courage and the benefits and the new beginnings that will happen. In addition, Christopher becomes much confident and a better and stronger person than he ever was. During his search he meets new people who become his friend resulting in unexpected answers to be brought to light. One of these are the reveal that Christopher’s mother was alive for the last two years. With this knowledge, Christopher goes to London and rekindle the relationships with his parents, resulting in a better life. All things considered, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is not just a simple murder mystery novel, but a book about the fears of everyday people, which when confronted with courage, can end with success.