Diseases, What Do They Reveal About a Character?
People always say that words and actions are what make a person, though what they do not say is how that can inspire change. In the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the author, Mark Haddon displays how Christopher, the protagonist, has the Asperger syndrome which seems to reveal his character along with it. Haddon shows that although Christopher has a disease, he can overcome this obstacle and live happily as an average teenager as demonstrated by his desire to be independent, his inability to understand others actions and emotions and his desire to be left alone.
Mental Disorders, do not only affect the victim but also the people surrounding them. Throughout the novel Christopher Boone displays how he yearns for his own independency which is not offered to him because of his father’s over-protectiveness and the notice of his Asperger syndrome. Though as time passes, the protagonist continues to show his desire by doing many actions such as
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The protagonist in this novel has the incapability to comprehend the actions and emotions of others and therefore cannot emphasize. He does not understand when a person is telling a joke; in the text he said “I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them” (Haddon 8). His inability to digest these words and be incapable of emphasizing it is a large factor in his disease. He also cannot comprehend metaphors, when he was listing the reasons as to why he finds people confusing he listed “The second main reason is that people often talk using metaphors” (Haddon 15). He thinks of them as lies because he cannot imagine such events happening, he thinks that they make you overthink and forget what the person was thinking about. Christopher may be excelling in math and physics but English is his sore
Christopher Boone’s parent, Ed and Judy Boone, compare and contrast in many ways as we all see in the story. To begin, one trait that both Ed and Judy share is their want to keep Christopher happy, even though they may have to lie in order to achieve his happiness. His father expresses this when he states, “.......” when he finds Christopher reading the letters from his mother that he had hidden. Ed didn’t want Christopher to know the truth about his mother leaving and lied about her death in order to keep him happy. His mother expresses this similarity of keeping Christopher happy when she writes in one of the letters, “And I think that was when I realized you and your father were probably better off if I wasn't living in the house…
Which concludes that the mental illnesses that Craig holds within has altered his personality to become someone he himself doesn’t understand or perhaps doesn’t want to understand so he doesn’t have to acknowledge what he has
He uses paradoxes and figurative language to make the reader
Where one might despise the killer of Wellington in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, another may sympathize with his actions. Throughout the novel, Ed Boone’s feelings are constantly invalidated and many are quick to assume the worst of his decisions. However, when one takes the time to look deeper into Ed’s actions, one will see that they are validated. Ed Boone is the most misunderstood character as his outbursts, parenting style, and lastly, his overprotectiveness are all justified.
He appeals to the reader's emotion with words such as "feeble" "ineffectual" and "pathetic" to describe elderly people. These words are
Christopher has changed in his confidence to be independent throughout the book which makes him a dynamic character. Before he decided to go on his own to London, he has never been anywhere ‘apart from the shop at the end of the road (161).’ This shows that Christopher really has not had much independency and always rely on someone. He even said that the thought of going somewhere by himself is frightening which I can’t blame him for feeling. Also, Christopher decided to go around his neighborhood and converse with his neighbors when he tries to find who the murderer was.
Their physical damage shows through the symptoms they experience. The emotional damage of the mental diseases shows through the discrimination, the fear and the silence each character experiences as well. The lives of the characters change negatively through these diseases, but the new lives they are forced to seek provide them with more love and support than they ever received
In the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, through the use of color symbolism and figurative language, Mark Haddon reveals the unique way Christopher views the world and informs readers about Christopher’s limited understanding along with the difficulties that a child with Asperger’s must cope with. It is important to note that Christopher does not understand figurative language in the sense that people who do not suffer from autism do. For Christopher, figurative language, especially metaphors, is difficult to understand for it is not a “truth.” The only figurative language that appears throughout this novel is direct analogy, which reflects the way christopher literally connects things in the world. For example when Christopher
One becomes independent when they are able to adjust anywhere with little to no guidance or reassurance needed. Being independent is an exceeding character trait, which transforms one’s initiation, ultimately leading them to achieve their true ambition. The constant theme of maturation and developing independence appears in the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, written by the English novelist, Mark Haddon, which follows the life of a fifteen year old boy, Christopher John Francis Boone, who is attempting to write a murder mystery novel. In the novel, Christopher has a mental disorder that makes thinking, analyzing, and acclimatizing to new environments extremely difficult. Christopher must adapt to his new peculiar lifestyle after finding out his mother had an affair with his father, and is shocked when his father reveals that he murdered Wellington, their neighbour’s dog.
The story, "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes, articulates a vacuous man's journey as he undergoes an operation which will lead him to being a genius. Charlie Gordon was born mentally challenged, but precedes an honest, kind, and simple mien. Throughout his journey, Charlie saw the world in a different view as his intelligence increases, but it had drew a wedge between him and the world. As a man who no longer owns the enjoyment of life, Charlie turned into a somber loner. Daniel Keyes used this story to convey that people are each created beautifully and uniquely; intrusions will only take away the arcane happiness inside life's marrow.
Theodore Boone Everything is on the line and it is all up to Theodore Boone to catch the bad guy and bring justice to the city. In the novel Theodore Boone The Fugitive by John Grisham Theo must use all of his skills to bring down a most wanted fugitive. Theo is a teenager who has grown up as a kid lawyer and he will do anything to catch a criminal and help out his hometown of Strattenburg. In the novel, Pete could not be caught and put behind bars without the help of Theo’s intelligence, braveness, and persuasiveness.
In life, there are many people who influence others. Some are good influences and some are bad influences. The one person who influenced Christopher's life the most would have to be his father, Ed Boone a character from the novel the curious incident of the dog in the night-time written by Mark Haddon. In the book Ed Boone makes lots of mistakes that are completely understandable given his situation. He is still a fine father whose has unconditional love and commitment for Christopher which allows him to grow in spite of the numerous challenges he faces.
In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time, the character Ed Boone is the most influential character because he is loving and untrustworthy, which leads to Christopher's investigation of the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Christopher’s father, Ed Boone, is very loving toward his son. Christopher’s father would do anything to protect his son, even hide him from his mother, who betrayed them by having an affair and moving away with another man. Since Christopher doesn’t enjoy human contact, especially hugs, Christopher and his father touch fingers to show that they love each other. Christopher states, "He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out into a fan.
The novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, written by Mark Haddon, is narrated by the protagonist, Christopher Boone. Christopher Boone, who is affected by autism, describes his experiences and challenges merely from observations. These observations and this viewpoint provide a new perspective for the reader as emotions are not involved, simply logic and reasoning. This unique concept restricts the reader from becoming emotionally involved, rather it allows the reader to see the reasoning behind Christopher's actions and reactions. Additionally, the concept changes the reader's idea of love and desire.
From the initial investigation to the trip, Christopher has undergone a change that was visible towards the end of the novel. Although he hasn’t changed in his autistic traits, his mental thinking and depiction of life has changed. First, a visible physical improvement is the way the book is formatted. Christopher, who has written this book, shows that at the beginning of the novel, his writing was choppy with short chapters. Towards the end, his writing has improved where Christopher now writes in a flowing way with good transitions and longer chapters.