The focus of your commentary tonight is up to you. What seems most important for the class to think about, now that we've concluded our reading of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime? You might review your annotations, your notebook responses, and the EQs we created for initiation stories to find a central focus for your commentary. Or you might think about a question you'd like to explore in the final paper, and get your initial perspective down now, as a "rehearsal" of the more detailed thinking you'll do in the essay.
Remember that your goal is to write commentary that your peers will want to respond to, since you'll all choose one classmate to write back to later this week. Please refer to the checklist on the class website to make sure you meet the requirements of the assignment.
Please make sure your commentary is between 200 and 250 words total. This will require you to develop only ONE main idea, clearly and concisely.
Blog Entry 2
ReplyDeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Chris claims in the book that he matured alot since his childhood years. “I used to have lots of Behavioral Problems, but I don’t have so many now because I am more grown up and I can take decisions for myself and do things on my own.”(Haddon 46) But throughout the book he will occasionally continue to regress back to his childish habits. While some may say that Christophers trip by himself to his mothers house was a moment of his maturity and independence, he did so terrified the entire time whilst clutching his Swiss Army Knife and his pet rat Toby. “And I stood there and opened my Swiss Army Knife in my pocket to make me feel safe and I held on to it tight... “ (Haddon 170) This shows that Chris, when he is alone and by himself, becomes very scared and paranoid of his environment. Whats even more interesting is how he deems “strangers” as normal pedestrians, while the people who worked at the train station and gave him train tickets, he did not hesitate or ignore them and he talked to them.
The boy had matured overtime through the book. At first, he doesnt trust his father because he found out that his father killed the dog, but he starts to trust him after he figures out about the reason of why the father killed the dog. He trusts his father once he starfts to litsen to his father. He didnt trust his father because he lied to him and he killed the dog. The boy starts to learn from his Autism and triees to navigate the wirld like everyone else. This is one way rebellion has helped him. One way rebellion has hurt him is bvecause he put the family through so much and he hurt himself while trying to do his own thing. One quote that I choose to answer my qurstion was :.........
ReplyDelete" And Mother got flu and I had to spend three days with Father and stay in his house. But it was OK because Sandy slept on my bed so he would bark if anyone came into the room during the night. And Father made a vegetable patch in the garden and I helped him. And we planted carrots and peas and spinach and I'm going to pick them and eat them when they're ready." ( Page #152 ). Another quote I choose to prove his maturity was on ( Page #138 ) which was " And he said, "Christopher, I'm really, really sorry. About everything. About Wellington. About the letters.
ReplyDeleteAbout making you run away. I never meant. . . I promise I will never do anything like that again. Hey. Come on, kiddo." And then he held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan so that I could touch his fingers, but I didn't because I was frightened. And Father said, "Shit. Christopher, please." And there were tears dripping off his face. And no one said anything for a while. And then Mother said, "I think you should go now," but she was talking to Father, not me."
These quotes that rebellion has helped him because rebellion has helped him to sense the world around him for what it really is and the truths but surrendering has made him mature because it has made him realize that everyone makes mistakes and he coud trust the people around him.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story, Christopher tells us about how he has trouble thinking about things that haven’t happened. He claims he is unable to imagine scenarios, he thinks it is lying (“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. And this is why everything I have written here is true.”). There aren’t many instances where Christopher openly imagines the future, and when he tries, he is unsuccessful. But at the end of the book, Christopher does imagine the future, he thinks about all the things to come. “And I can live in a flat with a garden and a proper toilet. And I can take Sandy and my books and my computer. And then I will get a First Class Honors degree…” This is a big step for him. When Christopher was shielded his whole life, rarely leaving Swindon or stepping out of his routine, he never had the chance to grow or learn. He couldn’t imagine a good future. When Christopher makes it to his mother by himself and also reaches his goal on A level math, he see’s what he really is capable of and this lets him see his future and imagine himself how he wants. This may not be a milestone for other people, it is for Christopher. Through his experiences and newfound independence, he has gained new abilities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Ella because his rebellion has helped him to mature overtime. His journeys have pushed him out of his comfort zone and into reality. He has matured in a really big way when he didnt trust his father and he moved to go to London to try and live with his mother. At the end of the book, he was able to trust his father and he matured by being able to trust people overtime.
DeleteIn tne beggining of the book, he didnt trust anyone and he wanted to be alone. He could only take the truth. At the end, he started to trust his father. I took one quote from the end of the book and one quote from the beggining of the book. Before when he couldnt trust anyone: "
Delete" I stepped outside. Father was out of the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out of the fan.................................................... and it means that he loves me." ( Page #16 ), ( Chapter #31 ).
DeleteThe quote where he started to trust his father more often even though he was lied to by him and he killed the dog replaced a new dog for him with Sandy.
" And I called the dog Sandy. And father bought him a collar and a lead and I was allowed to take him for walks to the shop and back. And I played with a rubber bone. And mother got flu.......................................And we planted carrots and peas and spinanch and Im going to pick them and eat them when they are ready." ( Page #180 ) ( Chapter #197 ).
I agree with you Ella Light- Rogers . For the majority of the book Christopher has kinda stayed in his own world, rarely venturing out of his comfort zone. He has only gone out of his personal bubble when pushed out of it. It seemed like that is what Christopher needed to be less introverted. If he did not feel threatened by his dad he may of stayed in Swindon his whole life. But because he was scared and because he got pushed a little he learned how to function a bit better in society. This is why I agree with you Ella Light- Rogers
DeleteI also agree with you Ella Light Rogers. Christopher was the type of kid to never leave his father's side because his father would take care of him. When Christopher realizes that his father is a liar and a murderer he feels threatened enough to leave the only life he knew. This force in change was good enough to give Christopher what he needed to become more independent and think of his good future. After all the bad things that happened to Christopher, some good finally appeared.
DeleteThroughout the story, Christopher develops in many different ways. One of these ways is him being able to explore outside of his comfort zone to get what he wants. He becomes brave to escape from his father because he feels threatened, and goes to great lengths to get to his mother in London. “...but it wasn’t like a computer game at all because I was in the middle of it and it was like all the signs were shouting in my head and someone bumped into me as they walked past and I made a noise like a dog barking to scare them off.” Christopher is mentally freaking out from being in such a busy place and not knowing what is going on, meaning it is taking a great deal of stress and energy for him to achieve his goal, showing his progression of maturation throughout the story. In the beginning of the story Christopher could not do this, as he could barely speak to a next door neighborhood for even a simple conversation.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also agree that Chris has developed in many ways. In the beginning we noticed, how Chris wasn't really good at communicating with people because one, he doesn't like talking to strangers and two because he doesn't really understand them. He does eventually come out of his comfort zone, as he begins to talk to strangers as he starts his quest to look for who killed Wellington. Talking to strangers can be dangerous at times, so, not only is Chris building his communication skills, but he is also being brave. An example can be seen on Pg(35)"So talking to the other people in our street was brave. But if you are going to do detective work you have to be brave, so I had no choice." Here Chris is developing, because he is realizing that sometimes talking to strangers is necessary. Chris wants to find out who killed Wellington, the only way he can do that is by talking to strangers and he knows that. This is a step of Chris coming out of his comfort zone. By making brave decisions such as talking to strangers, this can be looked at as his progression to maturity.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDid Chris Really Mature Towards The End Of The Book ?
ReplyDeleteAfter the first half of the book, Chris talks about his journey to London, by himself. He leaves Swindon because he finds out that his dad killed Wellington, and he is now afraid of him, so he decides that he's going to live with his mom. Yes, Chris was independent enough to make his own risky decisions through rebellion, including traveling to London all by himself, but that doesn't really mean that he is mature, he showed instances of immaturity on his way to London.
Chris did not mature towards the end of the book, because he still went back to his old habits. For instance, Chris and his mom went back to Swindon, but his mom didn't change the fact that he will be taking A level maths next year. Instead of being mature about it and handling it well, does what he usually does which is make weird noises. This following passage of the text can be found on page(209-210) “And I asked “Can I do my maths A level?” And mother said, “I told you. I rang your headmistress. I told her you were in London. And I told her you'd do it next year."Her and Chris go back and forth, but she apologizes for messing up everything for him. This is how he reacts (pg 210) "I folded my arms and I rocked backward and forward and groaned. And Mother said, "Come on. This isn't going to solve anything." Chris has done actions similar to this a lot throughout the book, such as, when he lays down on the ground while making weird noises. This bad habit of his is stopping him from growing up because he does this every time he encounters something bad. This demonstrates, that although Chris has made some risky decisions in the past, showing a bit of independence, he is still unable to change because of his bad habits, this is one reason why he has yet to mature.
I think Christopher really did mature towards the end of the book because he was able to find that self confidence. Many teens lack self confidence when it comes to maturing. They usually do because they believe that they don't have what it takes to be responsible. Even though in my opinion I don't think Christopher's full matured. I think he’s matured at a great pace for someone who has autism. Him going to London and going to go see his Mother was a big show in maturity. Despite the fact that he ran away from home due to childish or unreasonable thig to run away for. In that way he is seen as childish. In other ways it’s extreme for him to be able go beyond his boundaries and comfort zone and be able to navigate himself in the adult word. Like an adult he was able to figure things out on his own. He was able to find the right trains and talk to the right strangers in pursuit of trying to find his way to his Mother. It was a first time thing for him so it was obviously very overwhelming for him and for it to turn out the way it did, which was a success shows so much growth and independence to me. He was able to detach from his mother and be able to grapple onto his mother which has more expectations for him to meet and in that way I think Christopher is in good hands to possibly even mature even more than he already has now.
DeleteEQ: What was the catalyst for change?
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Christopher’s dad was the catalyst for changed. He was the one who supported Christopher in taking the exam and his actions made Christopher go out of his comfort zone and travel to London. Although his father didn’t want his relationship with his son to be rough for a time period, it helped Christopher change and become independent. On page 120 when Christopher found the letters his dad talked to him “Then he said, “Look, maybe I shouldn’t say this but I want you to know that you can trust me. And … OK, maybe I don’t tell the truth all the time. God knows, I try Christopher.”. Christopher’s father was just referring to the letters and how he wanted to protect him and keep him safe. But finding the letters made Christopher brave and he travelled to London although he was scared of people and unusual situations. In the end of the book Christopher acknowledged that he has changed after he travelled to London and he realized he can be independent and to not rely on others. So Christopher’s father was the catalyst for change although he wanted to keep him safe and not let him be his own. So actions that occurred was against what the father wanted although they were created by him, for example Christopher finding his mother and doing the test. So he was the reason Christopher’s change in the novel.
I disagree with your idea that Christophers father is the catalyst for his change. Christopher does not care about the actions of others and only cares about how things affect himself. That is why he travelled to London. Christopher instead is his own catalyst for change, early in the book Christopher talks about how he would like to go to University, but for him to go his father would need to go with him and cook, clean and help him get through his time there. However towards the end of the book Christopher talks about how he no longer needs his dad for his survival. Christopher discovered all this because of a trip he decided to take on his own. Honestly the idea of who is his catalyst is relies on your opinion of why he went on the trip to london
DeleteChristopher rebels a lot against his Father during the beginning and the first half of the story. He rebels against many others as well as we go further into the story. One way that Christopher rebels against his father is that he doesn’t listen to his Father’s instruction. Christopher is more like a teen when he is told to do one thing but does the other. When Christopher's Father tells him to stop investigating who killed wellington, Chris decides to carry on with his investigation. He tries to continue on without braking but bending his Father's rules by trying to find ways around his directions or rules. On page 49 Christopher’s Father says, “how many times do I have to tell you Christopher? … I told you to keep out of people’s business.” Another way Christopher rebels against his Father is by telling his Father white lies so that he doesn’t get in trouble with his Father. This is still around the same page from which I had found the previous quote but throughout the story Christopher continues to rebel against his Father. Page 48, “I have been out.’ This called a white lie.” Christopher told white lies because he knew that it was telling a half truth which in the end still didn’t make it a full lie which messes with his head. Another great example of when Christopher rebels against his Father when he runs away to go to London because he feared that his Father would try to kill him or try to physically attack him. Christopher rebels because just like every teen Christopher wants to find his independence or be able to make decisions on his own two feet. He does what he does because he feels as if it’ll benefit him and his needs. I do also believe that he does this because he solely believes that if he is able to grow and learn things and adapt to being an adult on his own. It’ll make him feel more able to do things that some people doubt that he can do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how Christopher rebels a lot against his father because Christopher wants to makes his own decision on what he should do. Christopher had show a lot of signs in the book of how he wants to make his own decision like by taking the A Level Math class. I think that Christopher is showing how he is starting to grow up by making his own choice like choosing what he is going to be when he grows up or what like his future education too.
DeleteI agree with you Christopher does rebel and disobey his father because he doesn't care about how other people see him or their actions. For example Christopher went to his father's room and searched around. After he found the letters, his father tried to communicate but Christopher didn't respond. He also decided to go out on his own which as dangerous.
DeleteI think that in this book called "The curious incident of the dog in the night time" by Mark Haddon, it consist of so many thing but the main thing is that Christopher (the narrator) goes on a quest/ journey and figures out a lot through out everything. In the beginning, it seems that the person that is always there for him is his dad and he tries to always stay on Christopher side no matter what the case is. In the novel there was a quote on page 16 that said "I want to see my son...why the hell is he locked up?...of course i'm bloody angry." It was explaining how Christopher was arrested for hitting a police officer but it was out of fear he didn't know how to explain it to the police officer that he was invading his person space so his way of explaining it was by hitting him. The father had came down to the precinct because he wasn't really caring why his son was locked up he just wanted to see him and get him out the precinct. But later on in the book you see where the change happens and Christopher and Toby (his pet rat) ends up leaving to go to London but he also finds out that the dad killed wellington and that his mom was alive he finally made it to London and was able to be with her and see her even though there was some hardships that happened on the journey there.
ReplyDeleteFabian johnson
ReplyDeleteMs.Mcginnis
English ( Rebels and dreamers )
10/26/15
Towards The end of the story we begin to notice how christopher trust is set up, we began to see how his connection varies with his parents for example when it comes to his father and his mother they both take two different mindsets when it comes to his father we saw that he was very patient with christopher but also has a temper that can get out of control, while on the other hand we have his mother on the other hand has a temper but has learned to control that and this has caused them to have a better relationship towards the end of the book. In the middle of the book we see his mother tells him about how she wasn't a good mother on page 106 ‘’I was not a very good mother, Christopher. Maybe if things had been different, maybe if you'd been differant, I might have been better at it. But that's just the way things turned out. I'm not like your father. Your father is a much more pacient person. He just gets on with things and if things upset him he doesn't let it show. But that's not the way I am and there's nothing I can do to change that.’’ This indicates how before she want a good mother when she was younger but on the other hand his father was the total opposite in the early ages of chris life. Towards the end of the book we see the total opposite with chris father hitting him on page 83 while his mother is the fiqure that helps him .’And then Mother made me take my clothes off and get into the bath and she said I could use her towel, which was purple with green flowers on the end. And she gave Toby a saucer of water and some bran flakes and I let him run around the bathroom. And he did three little poos under the sink and I picked them up and flushed them down the toilet and then I got back into the bath again because it was warm and nice. ‘’we see that chris mother does the job that chris father should be doing.
I disagree with you in the beginning that he was set up because it seems that with him going into the train station by himself and him not being able to focus on where he was looking lost which caused somebody to say something to him. I do agree that his mom and his dad that has two different mindsets. Christopher used to be very dependent on his dad but towards the end, he Toby is someone that he can compares too such as dogs too.
DeleteChristopher is affected by the people around him since he doesn't like to communicate with others much. Since his mission in finding out who killed Wellington is solved, most of his big problems are resolved, besides the fact that his dad is the killer. Christopher needs change in order to advance his communication skills, at first his communication skills with strangers were poor, but then they start to advance more as he starts to leave his “bubble” of the things he’s so used to doing everyday. In the beginning of the book when he’s communicating with the police officer that questions him about Wellington, he reacts towards him in a disrespectful way, which causes him to get in trouble. One place in the book where Christopher shows maturity is when he’s at the train station in Swindon and the police officer approaches him, and he reacts in a better way. He has a long conversation with the police officer, which is not usual for Christopher. The only part that shows that he has not well adjusted yet is when the policeman says “Why don’t you and I take a stroll to the cash machine, eh?” and Christopher reacts in a way that shows he’s still not comfortable, he says “you mustn’t touch me” this shows that although Christopher is getting better at talking to strangers, he still needs more practice, and more adjustment in talking to others.
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DeleteI somewhat agree with this, and disagree with it. I agree with the idea that Christopher needs more practice with his communication skills, but we should still consider the idea that Christopher is still autistic, and has experienced many uncomfortable situations. Since the beginning of the book, Christopher has made it clear that he doesn't like to be touched. However, not only does the person who should understand him the most, his father, touch him, but Christopher's father abuses him. On page 83, Christopher's father hurts Christopher because Christopher went against what his father said, about not speaking to Ms. Alexander. If Christopher gets this kind of abuse from his own father, imagine how he would feel about a stranger who doesn't even know about his autism, and would hurt him if necessary. If Christopher didn't have to endure this type of abuse at home, maybe he would've been different towards others.
DeleteI disagree with you Melek because the whole point is that he is not influenced by others around him which is why he wants to be alone so badly. He is sad by what goes on around him, so he would rather be in his own little world than in reality. I do agree with you about the point when he starts to be able to communicate and talk to people in a more social state than isolate himself from everyone else. Even though, he does not want to be touched. Nobody is perfect and everyone has around the, what annoys them. He doesn't just do this with strangers. He has this reaction to his father which is why his father doesn't touch him often unless its in a deeper way when he gives him bubble baths which he likes. I agree with the part that he has matured throughout the book. He has been able to cope better in social skills than he was in the beggining of the story. Instead of telling the police officer in London where he was going, he hit the police man in the beginning of the story. Towards the end, he explained himself more clearly and talked to the police officer.
DeleteHis father is really controlling and abusive and he starts to realize that which is why he runs off to his mother.
DeleteEQ: How has the protagonist changed by the end of the book?
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the book, Christopher was very dependent on his father and always has been, and his father gave him everything he wanted. This is illustrated in the letters from his mother that he found in his father’s room, “...your father and I had a huge argument. He blamed me for getting cross with you. And he said that I should give you what you wanted, even if it was just a plate of lettuce or a strawberry milkshake.” (pg. 108). This reveals how Christopher’s life was made very easy for him by his father. Christopher’s father never let Christopher struggle or deal with things on his own, he always had his dad to help him or to make things easier for him so he never really learned to do things on his own. Christopher’s father also always kept Christopher from being more involved in normal interactions with other people or places, such as forbidding him to talk to strangers. So Christopher learned not to involve himself in basic interactions people do everyday. This shows how Christopher used to be very cautious of what he did and avoided being open to other people, so he was very to himself. However, by the end of the book, he became very independent and a lot more self aware. By making the step of figuring out who killed Wellington by going out to question strangers in his neighborhood to going out on his own to London to find his mom, which went against what his father told him to do which was a very brave step for Chris. On his way to London, he really became independent because he learned how to deal with other people and things that overwhelmed him by making games out of them like the “Train to London” game, or following the imaginary red line that helped him get to where he wanted to go without panicking over crowds or tunnels. Also, he shows how he really knows what he wants by the end of the book because even though he’s in the safety of his mother in London he still wants to return to Swindon to take A level Math because he knows what he truly wants to do with his life which is math and science. At the end he mentions how he will take further A level math classes and will “...get a First Class Honors degree and become a scientist. And I know I can do this because I solved the mystery of who killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.” (pg. 221). He reveals how he now has a very firm grasp on who he is as a person and how capable he feels he is and he has a clear plan of what he wants to do with his life. So he has become very independent, adaptable, and self aware.
Christopher's dad really loves Christopher, he just shows it in more physical and verbal ways. In some situations Ed appears to be borderline abusive.
ReplyDelete“I didn’t want to talk to Mrs. Alexander. It was Mrs. Alexander-’
But Father interrupted me and grabbed hold of my arm really hard.”(Pg 82)
Ed only results to anger because he cares so much. He gets scared and doesn’t know how to react, the end result is usually a physical or verbal outburst. In other situations Ed is very caring and wants the best for his son. After Christopher runs off to London and comes back to Swindon Ed’s true caring self comes out.
“Tell him, Christopher.’
But I still didn’t say anything…
So I said, ‘I don’t know if I got all the questions right…
Then he said ‘Thank you” (pg. 214)
This shows that Ed really cares about his son and is grateful for Christopher even speaking to him when there are difficulties between them. Christopher became scared of Ed when he found out that he killed Mr.Willington. Christopher was scared and just wanted to be away from Ed. When Ed couldn’t be with Christopher he realized how much he really cared about his son, and even talking to Christopher made Ed happy. While it seems that Ed is purely an angry man, towards the end of the story you begin to see how caring he really is. Furthermore, when Ed realizes he cannot be with Christopher his sensitive side comes out, and shows that Ed is not just an angry man, but a caring Father.
EQ: Is Ed really is a caring Father?
DeleteI can agree with you on how Ed is a caring father for Christopher because he had lie to Christopher about his mother being dead, instead of telling him the truth that his mother had moved away. Ed didn't want Christopher to be hurt by hiding the letters that his mother sent to him in his closet, so that Christopher won't find out the truth about what's happening.
DeleteI think that Christopher isn't avoiding his father, or living with his mother because he doesn't trust his father like he says, I think the real reason that he is with his mother, is because he is trying to find out more about the world and the people who live in it. He doesn't care about his mother, he hadn't seen her for 2 years and just learned that she is alive and he still won't let her touch him without pulling away. I don't think this is about his autism anymore, because he is able to show affection, but even in the ways he would normally show affection, he is reluctant to do so with his mother. But what really makes me think that he is not there because he is frightened by his father is how he describes his dream after just seeing his father begging him to come back. "And when I fell asleep I had one of my favorite dreams". If he truly did not trust his father he wouldn't have his favorite dream after just seeing him, he would feel uncomfortable, like Christopher does most of the book.
ReplyDeleteI disagree and agree with this at the same time. Although he does travel to his mom to discover the world outside of his little town, he also does so to get away from his father. This illustrates his maturing independence and his ability to do what he wants to achieve where he wants to be in life, something a normal autistic child could not do. He wants to go to university and do math, and he escapes his troubling family situations by pushing himself beyond his physical and mental limits.
DeleteI agree with Lodovico, Christopher wants to be pretty independent now ever since his father told him he killed Wellington the dog (on page 210) and runs away to his mothers house in London. At the end of the book Christopher says "And I can live in a flat with a garden and a proper toilet. And I can take Sandy and my books and my computer (page 221)." Christopher in the beginning talked about wanting his dad living with him but now he didn't mention his parents at all which means that he does want independence and he wants to avoid his parents at all cost since he doesn't feel comfortable as he use to.
DeleteAmina Lukovic
ReplyDeleteOctober 26th, 2015
Not only has Christopher changed and matured in the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, but so has his father. In the beginning of the book, Christopher’s father, Ed, has always struggled working through his problems verbally. On page 83, Christopher’s father and Christopher had gotten into an argument, where he hit Christopher. On page 83, Christopher states “And when they switched me on again I was sitting on the carpet with my back against the wall and there was blood on my right hand and the side of my head was hurting. And Father was standing on the carpet a meter in front of me looking down at me and he was still holding my book in his right hand…” This quote conveys the idea that Christopher’s father struggles to demonstrate his emotions peacefully. He often bursts with anger, and lets his anger get the best of him. He was not able to control his anger, and solve his issues with Christopher, in a way that would keep Christopher safe and comfortable. However, Christopher’s father was able to mature and handle his problems with Christopher in a more calm, and safe manner. On page 218, Christopher’s father is trying to ask Christopher for forgiveness. Christopher’s father states “Christopher, look… Things can’t go on like this. I don’t know about you, but this… this just hurts too much. You being in the house but refusing to talk to me… You have to learn to trust me… I don’t care how long it takes… If it’s a minute one day and two minutes the next and three minutes the next and it takes years, I don’t care. Because this is important. This is more important than anything else.” This quote helps convey the idea that Christopher’s father had grown and matured. Christopher hadn’t spoken to his father in a long time, and he even ran way from Swindon to be away from his father. Usually, his father would have looked at physically harming Christopher, to let his anger out. However, now he’s calmly apologizing to Christopher, and doing it in a calm tone, that made Christopher comfortable. He was able to express his emotions verbally. This is important because Christopher feels uncomfortable with people who hurt him, which is why he left Swindon and went to find his mother. He didn’t feel comfortable with his father. But, now that Christopher’s father is trying to better himself for Christopher’s sake, they can have a healthier relationship.
I agree with you, I think Christopher's dad really learned that Christopher is the only person he really has and will always love by the end of the book. He changed from being really frustrated and not knowing what to do with Christopher anymore, to not knowing what to do without him after he left. He realized that he needed Christopher more than Christopher needed him. So its kind of weird because Christopher became more independent while his dad became dependent. This can be seen on page 197 when his father comes to London to find him, "Christopher, Im really, really sorry. About everything. About Wellington. About the letters. About making you run away. I never meant... I promise I will never do anything like that again. Hey come on kiddo.' And then he held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan so that I could touch his fingers, but I didn't because I was frightened."
DeleteThoughout the story Christopher start to Mature as a person, but then again he Contradicts that be some of the action that he makes. For example on page 155 Christopher maps out his whole day by the hour, in order for him to grow as a person he needs to let that habit go, because life doesn't goes has plan.Christopher needs to learn how to take risk and not be afraid of risks because you learn from your mistakes. Even though Christopher does not mention autism by name anywhere in the novel, we see that he recognizes the ways he differs from most people and feels aware of these differences. He says, for instance, that although most people enjoy chatting, he hates it because he finds it pointless.The reason why he finds it pointless is because he don't know how to interact with people socially so he just puts a guard up to not socialize with people.
ReplyDeleteMark Haddon shows his readers through the protagonist Christopher that not everyone’s idea of a perfect relationship or love is the same, they aren’t always “classic” or “normal”, and that there are different forms of love. This is seen through page 16 when it says, “Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me.” and seen through “And then he held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan so that I could touch his fingers, but I didn’t because I was frightened.” These two quotes show a relationship that isn’t ideal. Instead of hugging his father or saying “I love you” or a kiss on the forehead, to tell each other “I love you” they spread their fingers and they make their fingers touch which isn’t an ideal thing to do in a “normal” relationship. It also shows that not every relationship is perfect and there will be bumps in the road because the second quote was when Christopher was afraid of his dad after he killed Wellington and Christopher didn’t say “I love you” back. Finally, he expressed his love for his pet rat Toby differently and expressed it differently than just saying “I love you” or what him and his dad do. This is shown on page 182 where Toby comes out of his pocket and goes into the train tracks and Christopher expresses his love for Toby by risking his life to go into the train tracks while the train is about to come into the station to get Toby.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with you on how The author had show how every relationship between characters are not the same and perfect. This can also been seen when Christopher had met Mrs. Alexander dog and had started to connect with it better then Mrs. Alexander and how Christopher doesn't do the hand touch with his mother that much
DeleteThroughout the story, Christopher’s character and personality changed because of the murder of the neighbor's dog Wellington.Christopher was originally a closed minded and keep to one’s self person at the beginning of the book. Christopher was extremely close to his father and that was pretty much it, he depended on him because he was his only real caretaker apart from the teachers he had. Christopher loved his dad because he thought he always told him the truth, at least what he thought was the truth. Eventually Christopher found out that his mother was still alive through letters she wrote to him that his father hid. This was a major lie that Christopher was told 2 years earlier. How can you trust someone that says your mother is dead when she isn’t. On top of that, Christopher’s father actually killed Wellington because he was lonely. The person that Christopher was trying to catch, asking around strangers and people he was scared of lead back to the person he trusted the most in his life. The shell that he made around himself clamped up even more. He couldn’t trust anyone because he didn’t know anyone. He turned to his mother, the last person he thought would be there to help him because she was “dead”. He set out on a journey to find his mother and live with her instead of his murderous father. At some points during the book Christopher must rely on strangers to help him in his time of need, for example when asking for directions on page 186 and 187. “Where is 451c Chapter Road, London NW2 5NG?”...
ReplyDeleteAnd he said, “You can either buy the A-to-Z book or you can hop it. I’m not a walking encyclopedia.” This quote shows that Christopher is capable of human interaction but not very good at it. Later on in the book however he has to hear out his father for 5 minutes and does not speak a word to him because of what he has done to Wellington. Christopher’s father even buy’s Chris a dog to show that he is deeply sorry, but still gets no responses. Christopher remains stubborn throughout the entire book even through the end where he tell of how he is possible of doing anything because of how brave he was for traveling to London. His character does not change completely throughout the book.
I think the most important thing to focus on is Christophers growth throguhout the book in developing a greator confidence. He deomonstartes that through mentioning his goals more frequently showing that even through all the obstacles with Wellington the dog be killed by his father , his mother moving to England and his father hiding it by claiming her death and then finding out his mother was in a relationship with Mr.Shears. Christophers idea of independence is moving on in hi life by getting his own apartment which he mentions in the book which is so oopposite of what he onced believed but after experiencing so many abrupt changes throughout his life its changed his mindset and thinking.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this even though Christopher didn't fully grow due to the fact that he still lives life by a schedule.Which holds him back from the adulthood, due to Christopher Disability he's limited to what he wants because even if he try to act like everybody else he'll struggle on a day to day basis.
DeleteWhat page is that from? How is he in the beginning of the book v. the end? What are some other examples that show how he changes from the beginning of the book? And what is the author trying to convey about life/ the real world by making Christopher drastically change by the end of the book?
DeleteHow does the relationship between the protagonist parents affects them?
ReplyDeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon the main character Christopher seems to be the way that he is because of how his parents are treating him. It causes him to be immature or weak. On page 108 Christopher didn’t want to eat his dinner with his parents. “And then you and me had that argument. Do you remember? It was about your supper one evening. I’d cooked you something and you wouldn’t eat it. And you hadn’t eaten for days and days and you were looking so thin… He blamed me for getting cross with you. And he said I should just give you what you wanted even if it was a plate of lettuce or a strawberry milkshake… And I remember looking at the to of you and seeing you and your father together and thinking how you were really different with him. Much calmer. And you didn’t shout at one another” Christopher seems to be responding better when he gets what he wants. He likes it. He doesn’t throw a tantrum when being spoiled by his father. When the father lets him get what he wants he isn’t showing how Christopher is getting disciplined. Doing that makes Christopher trust him more. The mother was the one with anger issues. The father was the one who had more patience with Christopher, thats why he seems to get along with him. If the father baby’s him and let him act like a baby all his life then of course he's going to turn out to be immature or weak. You see Christopher showing a sign of immaturity on page 209-210. Christopher needed to go back to swindon to take his maths level A test but he can’t since he was in London. He didn’t feel too happy about that. “ And I asked “Can I do my maths A level?” and she said You’re not listening tom, are you Christopher?” I said “ I’m listening to you.” And mother said, “I told you. I rang your headmistress. I told her you were in London. And I told her you'd do it next year… "And my chest began hurting again and I folded my arms and I rocked backward and forward and groaned. And Mother said, "Come on. This isn't going to solve anything.” Since Christopher didn’t get what he wanted he started making noises and moving around like a child acting very immature. At the end he gets what he wants (of course) and he passes his test. This shows how the way Christopher parents raised him affects the way how Christopher needs to be able to get what he wants in order to be a stable child
I agree with you that how Christopher is, is directly a result of his upbringing from his parents. However I think that through out the book, his father Ed matures and as a result, it makes Christopher mature a bit more (on top of other more major factors). His parents' tendency to baby him is directly as a result of his parents not getting along. When people don't get along, it brings out the worst in each other. However once they begun to get along, Christopher's behavior changed, especially in how he reacts to things. This is best shown on page 220, "And Mother got flu and I had to spend three days with Father and stay in his house. But it was OK because Sandy slept on my bed so he would bark if anyone came into the room during the night. And Father made a vegetable patch in the garden and I helped him. And we planted carrots and peas and spinach and I'm going to pick them and eat them when they're ready." Instead of throwing a fit like he used to (he even did it a few pages from 220), he's found out that throwing a fit to escape issues is now how to solve problems. This incident also demonstrates the growing stability of Christopher as a child. This mending of their relationship is only present because his parents made great effort to better their behavior and it rubbed off onto Christopher. As for the incident about the math a levels and his mom ignoring his pleas, I think that she was simply under stress from her and Mr. Rodger's relationships.
DeleteHow has the protagonist changed at the end of the book?
ReplyDeleteThrough out "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightmare", Christopher changes and matures. This is demonstrated through the contradictions that are present in the text. At the beginning of the book, he's very dependent on his father and his father makes no effort to help him transition into becoming more independent. This is because their relationship is built on honesty, like all of the relationships Christopher has in the book with other adults. His dependence of his father plagues him as shown on page 108, when his mother reveals "He blamed me for getting cross with you. And he said that I should give you what you wanted, even if it was just a plate of lettuce or a strawberry milkshake.". His father fiercely sides with him even though, he knows the its important for Christopher to be independent and persevere. Honesty for Christopher is very important and this moment for him is a deep shattering of all the things around him. He learns that honesty is not as black and white as he once thought. He knew he was a difficult child but he never knew the effects of his actions. However being dependent on his father is abruptly stopped when he finds out that his father has told a massive lie to Christopher is both how his mother is not dead and that he was the one who killed Wellington the dog. However instead of becoming independent right away, he becomes dependent on his brain power/intelligence, as shown on page 169 "But after a few seconds looked like this because there were too many and my brain wasn't working properly and this frightened me so I closed my eyes again and I counted slowly to 50 but without doing the cubes." He's talking about the signs he sees on the train station. While he does become independent from his dad and the people closest and around him, he just shifts his dependence on his brain power/intelligence. He has never had to rely so much on it in the past as his dad tightly controlled his son's life. However at the very end of the book on page 221 when he says "And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything. ", it demonstrates the journey. The journey of him becoming independent and ultimately finding out his potential. It was never as "clear cut" as perhaps he might have preferred but part of becoming mature is finding out the world is very complicated. At the end of the book he becomes independent from his family and becomes dependent on himself.
EQ: How has Christopher feeling changes towards his father from the beginning of the book to the end?
ReplyDeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher dad plays an important role in his life. This can be seen in the beginning of the book when Chris dad was the only person there in his life to take care of him by taking care of Christopher everyday and when he was feeling sick or not feeling well. Chris dad also treats Chris differently from others as of if he doesn’t have autism and encourage him to do things that are challenging. This helps Christopher trust his father because of all the things he do for him. An example that can be seen is on page 16 when it said “I stepped outside. Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me”. This quote is showing how Chris dad loves Chris and would be with him through hard times and how Chris and his dad has a special connection because of the way they spread their fingers and touch each other, when Chris doesn't like to be touched by people. Chris dad also loves him because of how he had came to the police station at 1:18AM and had demanded to see his son and let him be free.
Then, towards the middle of the book, Chris feeling had changed towards his father because of how he now thinks he can’t trust his father anymore. This can be seen when he had started to find out the truth about how his father had lied to him about his mother being dead and then revealing that he had killed Wellington. On page 122 when it said “Then he held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. But I screamed and pushed him backward so that he fell off the bed and onto the floor.” and also on page 129 it states “But then I thought about going home again,or staying where I was, or hiding in the garden every night and father finding me, and that made me feel even more frightened.” Both quotes help shows how Christopher is beginning not trust his father by how he doesn’t allow his father to do the special fan finger touching with him anymore and showing that he don’t love him anymore. Also he is trying to get as far away as possible from his father because of he doesn’t trust him anymore and thinks that he’s going to hurt him. Chris is starting to see how his father had betrayed him by lying to him, so that made Chris not trust him anymore and more frightened of him because he doesn’t know what kind of person his dad can be like what he is going to do to him when he finds him.
Lastly, towards the end of the book, Chris still can’t trust his father even though his father tries to rebuild that trust. Chris shows that he isn’t able to trust his father by running away from home and moving to London so that he can live with his mom because it would also be safer there. This can be seen on page 197 when it states “And then father came into my room. But I was holding my Swiss Army Knife with the saw blade out in case he grabbed me. And Mother came into the room as well, and she said, “it’s OK, Christopher. I won’t let him do anything. You’re all right.” And Father bent down on his knees near the bed and he said “Christopher?” But I didn’t say anything. And he said, “ Christopher, I’m really, really sorry. About everything. About Wellington. About the letters. About making you run away. I Never meant… I promise I will never do anything like that again. Hey come on, kiddo” And then he held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in afan so that I can touch his fingers, but I didn’t because I was frightened.” This quote helps convey that even though Chris father is trying to regain his connection and trust with Chris, Chris doesn’t believe him and was frightened because when his father was holding out his right hand he didn’t respond to him by holding out his left hand. Chris probably doesn’t trust his father and is frightened of him because his father is not the person he say he was because of all the things he did. Overall Chris had found out that his father can't be trusted because of all the lies he had hide from him, even though he say he wasn't going to lie to him.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this somewhat. I agree that Christopher showed a lot of distrust in his father towards the end. But, I think it's important to note how he re built that trust and how that shows how Christopher has changed. You said that "overall chris had found out that his father can't be trusted because of all the lies..." which was partially true at some point but by the end, his father does prove his trust. When Christopher learns to re build his relationship with his father it proves that he is growing up and learning.
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