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.
ReplyDeleteCommentary focus: S.T.E.A.L.
In “The curious incident of the dog in the night-time” the author portrays Christopher’s complexity by using his mom relationship with him. In the letters that Christopher found it was shown that his mom was alive all this time and that she lefted because of the behaviors issues that Christopher has along with the thought that she wasn’t needed at all. On page 194 especially it was shown that Christopher still doesn’t seem to welcome in his mom even after the letter as the his mom says says “Christopher, let me hold your hand. Just for once. Just for me. Will you? I won’t hold it hard,’ and she held out her hand. And I said, ‘I don’t like people holding my hand.’”
This quote suggests that Christopher despite him wanting to go back to his mom to be with her, he’s still not willing to do the one thing that would have shown to his mom that he love her. As again shown in the letters she lefted because of Christopher behavior problems and never once did Christopher thought to himself that it was his fault that his parents splitted up, instead he just thinks about the fact that his father had lied to him and that she was alive. Furthermore this shows to me that Christopher’s mind is set in his own little world where he is focused on himself and never really once thought about how others might feel about his actions and the meaning behind it.
Beth Moed-Nelson
ReplyDeleteTowards the ending of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Christopher starts finding more independence yet stills relies on his parents. He moves back to Swindon and shares time with his father and his mother. Throughout the book it is clear to the reader that the father is very loud and can act out violently when Christopher does something that may upset him like looking for Wellington or leaving the house. While his mother gets more frustrated and sad when Christopher acts out like screaming in public or lying on the floor in a store. These two characters represent the two sides of Christopher. His side that is violent and aggressive when he is upset about being touched or not getting his way. And the other side of him that gets frustrated and sad for long periods of time that makes him want to run away. “And I remember that night I just cried and cried and cried...I said I couldn't take it anymore.” (page 107). This quote from the text illustrates how the mother can't help but get frustrated and sad every time there was an issue with Christopher and she just couldn't handle it.
The father on the other hand handles problems with Christopher in another way. “And he said ‘What the fuck are you…? That’s my cupboard, Christopher. Those are...Oh shit… Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” (page 114). This demonstrates the aggression him and his father both share. Christopher's father represents the side of him that will throw a cutting board at his mother's foot or hit a policeman for trying to help him up. These characteristics the father and mother have suggest that it wouldn't make sense for Christopher to live with one and not the other because he shares similarities with both of them and loves both of them.
Angel Cornejo 10/26/15
ReplyDeleteCommentary
EQ: How does the character change from beginning to end?
Using S.T.E.A.L
In the book the curious incident of the dog in the night - time the main character Christopher goes through a major transformation in his quest to find his mother. He not only learns how to be more independent but he also overcomes issues that were previously holding him back in the beginning of the book. At the beginning of the book Christopher had a very hard time talking to new strangers and maintaining a conversation. Christopher would even walk away if someone did something that made him confused. This quickly changed on his journey to his mother's home. “And I didn't want to talk to either of them because I was tired and hungry and I had already talked to lots of strangers….. But I didn't know how to get to 451c Chapter Road, London NW2 5NG, so I had to ask someone.” (Page 186) This reveals that Christopher was able to talk to a random stranger without being scared or worried. He was able to keep a conversation going and buy a book. This is a major change and he wouldn't have been able to accomplish this if he didn't embark on his journey.
Christopher stated at the beginning of the book the multiple behavioral issues that he had. One of them was “refusing to touch yellow things or brown things.” (Page 46) He overcame this later in the book when he got and kept a yellow ticket for the train. This may be a small issue but if you add up how many issues he was able to overcome in the book, it really shows how Christopher changed throughout the book.
I agree with this statement, and I believe that not only he undergoes a major transformation, the transformation allows him to get closer to becoming an adult. Even under the limitations that Chris has, is obvious that he is much closer to an adult than he was in the beginning of the story. One of the traits that marks someone as an adult is individuality. Someone who can be independent and make their own decisions. Initially in the story Christopher is extremely dependent on those around him, even his dreams involve the help of other people. In the beginning of the story he wants to have someone in his life to take care of him. This reveals how he needs people to support him. But towards the end of the novel, Chris reiterates his dream, changing the part where he says we was going to have his father live with him. So not only does he transform, but he transforms into someone much closer to adulthood.
DeleteBenjamin Gordon
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How does the protagonist change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
In the beginning of “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time,” Christopher was never exposed to the outside world as he was only familiar with his home in Swindon. Home and school were the only places native to Christopher and he felt comfortable living in a remote circle. In part because of his autism, Christopher became upset very easily and didn’t feel at ease when exposed to large surroundings/crowds of people. Albeit feelings of fear, Christopher knew that he had to be brave in order to make sure he got to London after learning about what his Father had done to him.
Upon the beginning of his trip to London, it could be seen that Christopher was having trouble adapting to a world much more vast than the comfortable confinements of Swindon. After overcoming an emotional distraught in the train station, soon noticeable was the fact that nothing would hold Christopher back in his journey to get to London and see his mother again for the first time in over two years. “And then the train stopped again, and I thought about getting off the shelf and going to get my bag and get off the train. But I didn’t want to be found by the policeman, and be taken to Father, so I stayed on the shelf and didn’t move.” (Page 166) This quote represents the notion that Christopher would not let any obstacles stand in his way of getting to London.
A question that could be raised from the commentary that you've provided based off of the book is how has the journey and obstacles that Christopher had to go through maneuvering through the train station into London to achieve his goal connect to an experience that you've had in your life? Is it similar or different from Christopher? How so?
DeleteFor me I could remember that I had just come from a party in Brooklyn celebrating a family members birthday. It was 3 in the morning and I had to get home as soon as possible. My phone was dead so i couldn't use it to show the directions i needed to get through the train station. So now relying on my memory to get back home to Manhattan I sat down at a bench for a minute or two to calm myself down and try to clear my thoughts so that I wouldn't over stress myself. This could be connected to Chris when he sat at the bench and groaned because all the people in the station were making him feel uncomfortable. So then after i went in the direction in which I felt was right, trusting in faith it wasn't long until I saw the station and a huge sense of relief fell onto my shoulders.
How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end of the story?
ReplyDeleteThroughout The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time the main character Christopher learns to be independent and the issues that held him back in the beginning do not hold him back anymore. In the beginning of the book Christopher is very sheltered because of where he grows up and because of the people who are around him. When Christopher was first confronted by the police about killing Wellington he didn’t understand the policeman and he wasn’t able to control himself. “The policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn’t like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him.” (page 8) He doesn’t understand how his actions can affect him and since he doesn’t know the policeman he gets uncomfortable and he hits him because he doesn’t know better. Later in the book Christopher becomes more independent and he is beginning to understand situations and people. When he leaves to go to London he has to talk to multiple people since he doesn’t know where he is going. But instead of freaking out and resulting to his old ways he is able to handle himself. “And I said, ‘you mustn’t touch me.’ And he said, ‘Why would I want to touch you?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know.’” (page 150) He is able to realize that strangers he meets do not understand him so he lets the police officer know what makes him uncomfortable. During beginning of the book he is very unaware of the situations he is placed in but as he grows throughout the book he becomes more aware and is able to understand the situations so he doesn’t get in trouble.
I agree that it is clear that he has changed and is able to understand more about the situations that he is placed in. For example, with the color yellow. In the beginning of the book he despised the color yellow. He never wanted to be around it and even associated it with having a bad day. "...and why 4 yellow cars in a row made it a Black Day, which is a day when I don't speak to anyone and sit on my own reading books and don't eat my lunch and Take No Risks". He is able to over come his feelings about yellow, and at least tolerate the color, as evidenced by going to his mothers house and the yellow shorts. "But I didn't have any pajamas on so I put on a white T-shirt and a pair of yellow shorts, which were mother's, but I didn't mind because I was so tired." By the end of the book, Christopher is able to understand how to control his emotions and he is able to develop a more appropriate response at something he would usually act out at.
DeleteBeth Moed-Nelson
DeleteReply- I agree with what is being said about him being able to tolerate things more easily. Using his fear of yellow was a good example because in the beginning of the book he wouldn't have been able to wear the yellow pajamas his mother gave him to wear, however Christopher throughout the book grew to be more mature about his fears. This is because he had to face his fears going to his mother's house in London when on the train and now knows that going through life it's inevitable to deal with things that he doesn't like. However, I disagree with what is being said about him fully overcoming his emotions because he still struggles with things such as letting people touch him and understanding emotions besides happiness and sadness. He doesn't overcome autism fully, but I do agree that he matures somewhat.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat factors prevent the protagonist from growing up/ changing by the end?
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book you see how Christopher starts to become more independent and not listen to his father as much as he used to.This shows some change from where he started, as he is thinking for himself. Christopher starts to make his own choices so that he is able to connect with his mother, who he believed to be dead for some time. “And I said, ‘I’m going to London.’
And she said, ‘How long are you going for?’
And I said, ‘Until I go to University.”(pg.133) This quotes shows the independence that Christopher has gained as he is making his own choices. He is running away and for once not caring for what father said so that he can go out and find his mother. So that at the end of the day he can be happy, he is disobeying what his father may have wanted so that he can get what he wanted.
However,Christopher does not completely become independent because of his autism and the way people look at him. People seem to think that he cannot make his own decisions and turn to his parents to be in charge of his decisions. “And I said, ‘I want to stay here.’
And he said, ‘And how do you feel about that.’
And I said, ‘I want to stay here’
And the policeman said, ‘Hang on. I’m asking your mother.”(pg.195) This quotes is showing us how people don’t really take what Christopher wants seriously, they look at his parents to make the decision for him. As they feel that he isn’t capable enough to make such a big decision on his own. So his autism affects the way people take into account what he has to say and his parents are the on that end up making the final decision for him. This does not allow Christopher to grow and become fully independent because he will be taught that there will always be someone there to take a serious decision for him. Preventing him from completely growing up and being able to survive without his parents.
After finishing "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", I think it’s safe to say that there were only a few adult characters that actually had a huge impact on Christopher’s life. However, two adult characters that were incredibly interesting in the story were Christopher’s parents. I found that both of them had very similar approaches when it came to taking care of Christopher, and both of them almost served as parallels to each other. I noted that Christopher’s mother and father were both adults that were sometimes unsure of what they were doing, but they wanted to do everything that they could in order to make Christopher happy. I think this was important to note considering the fact that one would normally think that the two are complete opposites, especially with the way Mother was initially spoken about and the fact that both of Christopher’s parents struggled to find a halfway point in their relationship and their manner of caring for Christopher.
ReplyDeleteFather, one of the adult characters explored most of the book, is shown to have a lot of patience for Christopher, and it’s shown that he made many mistakes along the way. However, judging by his words near the end of the book, it’s clear that he recognizes his mistakes and simply wants Christopher to trust him as a loving parent. “You have to learn to trust me...And I don’t care how long it takes...This is more important than anything else...Christopher, I would never, ever do anything to hurt you.” (pgs. 218-219) This demonstrates that Father doesn’t want to cause Christopher pain, all he wants is for him to understand that he only wishes the best for him. This parallels Mother’s actions, especially when she first encounters Christopher when he arrives to her home in London. “And I pushed her away because she was grabbing me and I didn’t like it, and I pushed really hard and I fell over...Mother held up her right hand and spread her fingers out in a fan so that I could touch her fingers…” (pg. 191) This illustrates the fact that Mother, realizing her mistake, quickly goes on to make Christopher feel comfortable by using their form of showing affection. This parallels the way that Father forgave Christopher for his mistake, and parallels the intentions of both Mother and Father in regards to making Christopher comfortable and happy. The only difference in this parallel is that while Father takes a verbal approach, Mother pursues a more physical approach, but both have the same intention in mind.
I agree, and I think the initial roles of Mother and Father in Christopher’s life switched by the end of the book. We had always seen Christopher with his father and being very trusting with him, which changes after his father comes clean about everything he’s done. On page 204, this is seen when Christopher wanders out of his mother’s house, and she comes frantically looking for him - “‘If you ever do that again, I swear to God Christopher…’ So she made me promise never to leave the flat on my own because it was dangerous…” A similar situation happens on page 127, when Christopher first leaves home after fighting with his dad - “Then I heard Father come into the garden and call out ‘Christopher…? Christopher…?’...” In Christopher eyes, his parents have very different intentions when they are actually both pretty much the same - they just want him to be safe. Despite this, Christopher’s dad was the only parent in his life until Christopher took matters into his own hands to switch their roles by deciding to live with Mother.
DeleteThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
ReplyDeleteSTEAL
How does Christopher's actions develop throughout the story?
Christopher's change in the book is very drastic, however subtle. In his adventure to find the killer of Wellington, and to also find his mother, he learns how to be more independent over time. His behaviours in the beginning of the book are vastly different than they are in the end, as shown on page 53 where he has 2 black days in a row, and when he goes to London to see his mother, and when he stands in between the cars and the street on page 203. His reaction towards colors is quite unnatural, however, it's an important part of the book.
Henry Ramos- Character Growth.
ReplyDeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, It can be argued that as the book progressed, Christopher has shown a great amount of growth. He does things that seemed impossible before. For example a good chunk of the book is following his adventures from Swindon to London, an expedition that he wouldn’t have ever even considered a few months ago. A specific example of where Christopher demonstrates this growth is on page 145; “So, I said to myself, in my head, not out loud, I will walk down the tunnel and there might be somewhere I can sit down and then I can shut my eyes and I can think.”
This quote demonstrates his growth and advancing bravery. Instead of running away and seeking safety, Christopher continues on because he believes he must go to London to truly be safe, something he would have been unable to do alone a short while beforehand. While Christopher is in fact running away to seek safety, he is taking action for what he believes is the best choice instead of internally struggling with his problems. Christopher may not realize this growth in himself but later on his mother acknowledges how “brave” it was for him to travel so far all alone, to experience all those new things by himself.
I completely agree with you on the fact that Christopher developed greatly during the book and that he became more brave as the book progressed. I believe that the adults played a big role in Christopher's development and without them, then Christopher would have never been able to change. Christopher's father made a big mistake in the book by killing Wellington, which led to Christopher to embark on his journey to find his mother. “I had to get out of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me, because I couldn't trust him, even though he said “trust me,” because he had told a lie about a big thing.”(Page 122) When you add on the fact that Christopher's father lied to him about his mother, it shows just how big of an impact the father was towards his journey and development. Christopher values honesty and when his father broke it, it pushed Christopher over the edge to leave.
DeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Christopher shows that his greatest emotions come out in times of distress or extremely negative times. In the beginning of the book, he rarely shows any extreme positive emotions about the way he feels about something. However, as Christopher matures throughout the novel, you can see more of his real feelings come out through his father. Frequently in the beginning of the novel, Christopher would rarely show appreciation or happiness through his father, even though he was the man who cooked, cleaned and took care of him. “When I got home Father was sitting at the table in the kitchen and he had made my supper…” Christopher’s father obviously cares for his son a lot and he wouldn’t have been able to survive without him. When Christopher finds out that his father killed Wellington, and more importantly, hid his mother’s death from him, he reacts severely, running away from him and going to live with his mother in London. “And then I had to decide what to do because I couldn’t live in the house with Father anymore because it was dangerous..” Christopher sincerely believed the worst in his father, that he would be killed if he didn’t run away, despite all the care his father has shown him throughout the years. However, by the end of the book, Christopher shows more of his newly gathered maturity, and is actually able to forgive his father, something that he would normally be against doing. “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 him with a rubber bone.” In the quote, Christopher shows that he has forgiven his father for lying to him all this time. He has grown throughout the book, because normally he wouldn’t be able to get past his negative emotions to focus on the positive ones, but his father and their new dog, Sandy, helped him to do that.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you on your argument. Christopher’s father influenced his emotions significantly throughout the whole novel. I also like that towards the end, you mentioned Christopher’s dad getting him a new dog, Sandy mostly because it represents a new beginning for Christopher and his family. In the beginning of the story, dogs are animals that Christopher likes because he can easily read their emotions, unlike humans. “I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking. It has four moods. Happy, sad, cross and concentrating. Also, dogs are faithful and they do not tell lies because they cannot talk” (Pg. 3-4). This implies that Christopher finds comfort in dogs because of their genuine friendly nature and easily read emotions which he finds difficult to identify in humans. This signifies that Sandy represents a brand new start to make Christopher strengthen the bond with his father by making him feel comfortable again.
DeleteTiffany Martinez
ReplyDeleteHow does the protagonist change from the beginning of the story to the end?
In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher changes from a person who is so isolated from the rest of the world inside his small town of Swindon, to someone who has had experience outside the confinement of his town.Swindon may also be a representation of his own mind in which the things he has experienced there is seen as how the rest of the world should be. For example, on page 16, we learned that Christopher and his father show affection by spreading their fingers out in a fan and touching them. "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." Christopher describes that this is a sign of love, therefore that is what it always means when that action is formed. However, on page 171, this idea is changed from what Christopher originally thought it was. "..held up both his hands with his fingers stretched out in a fan and touch his fingers because he wanted to say he loved me, but he did it with both hands, not one like Father and Mother, and I didn't know who he was." This quote interests me because it seems as Christopher progressed through his journey, he realized that what he has known before does not apply to the real world. That people have different reactions and emotions that are far more complex than what he has known. There are many instances like this throughout Christopher's journey in which he learns more about the world and the people around him, yet, this idea has been one of the most significant.
The journey to London is significant because yes, Christopher may have been running from his problems back in Swindon, yet, if Christopher had never gone on his journey, he would have never experienced the a different side of the world then what he has known, and would have been in stuck his isolated small town-like mind.
I wholeheartedly agree with this idea, specifically the part where you state that Christopher eventually realizes that what he has held to be true in Swindon doesn't necessarily apply to the real world. I see this not only with the people he meets, but also with the ideas that he presents. For instance, early on, he tells his audience that everything can be worked out logically and that there is no unpredictability. Yet, when Christopher finds out that his mother is still alive and tries to withdraw from this shock by squaring numbers, he finds that he can only get "to...2^23, which was not very much because I've gotten to 2^45 before, but my brain wasn't working very well" (p.120). This crops up again on page 123 when Father reveals to Christopher that he killed Wellington: "I tried doubling 2's again, but I couldn't get past 2^15". I see this inability to handle numbers like he used to as symbolic of Christopher's realization that his aforementioned idea is wrong and there are many things that can never be predicted logically, least of all what he finds out here.
DeleteI found it very interesting when you identified Swindon as almost a metaphor for the way Christopher's mind works. I agree with that point of view. It seems that Christopher has made assumptions about the way people should or do act and the way the entire world operates. I believe that the author purposefully included that detail of Christopher's personality so that he could juxtapose Christopher's experiences in Swindon with Christopher's experiences in London. When Christopher goes to London, he is overwhelmed by the crowdedness of the train station and the manor in which the people in it act. It freaks him out that people are so close to him and moving so quickly onto the train. In Swindon, things are calm and orderly, especially in his world, which is filled with solely his house, school, and the store. In London, things are fast-paced, rushed, and overwhelming for Christopher. He doesn't know how to act in this new setting and situation, choosing to shut down and avoid the problem. When Christopher makes the decision to leave his long time comfort zone, he faces traumas that serve to reveal a new, more mature side of Christopher.
DeleteThe protagonist of the novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", Christopher Boone, has Asperger's. Funnily enough, Christopher appears to accept it as a fact of life early on but doesn't put any effort towards trying to deal with it. Take, for instance, page eight when Christopher states "The policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn't like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him." This quote implies that Christopher has no way of censoring his actions, nor does he care. If something makes him uncomfortable, he acts in a way that will benefit himself in the short-term, without fully acknowledging the repercussions or trying to stop himself and work out what to do logically. He just leaves his limitations as they are and doesn't actively try to combat them.
ReplyDeleteYet, as the book progresses, Christopher is shown to have grown in terms of learning that he has to deal with his autism, as evident through this quote: "And I wanted to hit somebody or stab them with my Swiss Army knife, but there wasn't anyone...except the Reverend Peters...and if I hit him or stabbed him with my Swiss Army knife he wouldn't be my invigilator for the rest of the exam. So I took deep breaths like Siobhan said I should do when I want to hit someone in school and I counted 50 breaths and did cubes of the cardinal numbers as I counted, like this 1, 8, 27...etc. And that made me feel a little calmer." This quote (pg.212-213) illustrates how Christopher has learned to think before acting and exercise restraint. Specifically, he tries puts forth an effort to calm down and think more logically about his next choice of actions by employing techniques that will help him achieve this goal.
All in all, it would appear that Christopher's quest has taught him to work around his limits and not leave them as they are, a very valuable lesson for a teenager to learn. Of course, Christopher has also learned many other lessons, but this is one which appears most strongly in the very beginning and very end of the text, where a character's opinions are usually at their most firm and unrelenting.
This growth can also be seen in page 150 with another police officer. "And I said 'You mustn't touch me.' And he said, 'Why would I want to touch you?' And I said 'I don't know.' And he said, 'Well neither do I.' And I said, 'Because I got a caution for hitting a police man, but I didn't mean to hurt him and if I do it again I'll get into even bigger trouble.'"
DeleteThis quote further shows Christopher growth as in the beginning he just instantly hit the police officer once he touched him and now in this similar situation he took the time to explain to the officer his behavior problems so he won't get into anymore trouble again.
After reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime". I think that Christopher changed drastically from the beginning to the end. In the beginning I would describe Christopher as someone who was lost and tried to find himself. He often brought himself down, and would not know how to react to certain things. He limited the amount of emotions he wanted to recognize for example on page 21 where it states "... I decided to leave him alone because when I am sad I want to be left alone, so I didn't say anything else. I just went to the kitchen..." This illustrates that when he sees his dad crying since he recongizes that emotion he figures to act the same way he would prefer. Which shows lack of knowledge and being very close minded. Often when someone sees this sort of reaction especially towards a parent you want to be their for them and give them support, As well as not recognizing certain feelings he as well was kept from making him own decisions throughout the beginning of the book, like on page 20 when it states "Just try to keep your nose out of other people's business as well as him saying "Christopher leave it for god's sake". This is significant because it shows that Christopher stops what he loves to do, which is investigating because he is not able to make his own decisions throughout the beginning, most of the time he has trouble becoming independent. But as we go farther along the book we can see that on page 133 he is set on leaving his father and being on his own saying "Im going to London until i go to the university", he also states later in the book "... and I know I can do this because I went to London in my own, and because I solved a 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" Seeing this just shows growth in character development because at first he was limited to emotions, lacked of self independence and confidence and had trouble reacting to certain things.
ReplyDeleteThe Curious Incident is an uncompleted initiation story because of the way he still has much to figure out within his own personal relationships. Throughout the novel, you see a number of changes in the world around Christopher, which affect the relationships he has with the people closest to him, the biggest being with his father. In the beginning of the book, their strong bond is seen when Christopher gets arrested. On page 16, Haddon writes “Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan... It means that he loves me.” A lot of other parents would not have such an initial reaction when finding out their child has done something wrong. His father, however, skips the anger and goes straight to comfort, indicating the unbreakable bond between the two.
ReplyDeleteToward the middle of the book, Christopher’s father comes clean about a huge lie he had been telling for two years, breaking their trust. This motivates Christopher to go out on his own for the first time to find his mother, all the way in London. This is the first time he's ever seen as an adult, but it’s clear he still has much to work out with his father. On page 217, the broken relationship between the two is seen when Haddon writes “...I pushed the bed against the door in case father tried to come in. And sometimes he tried to talk to me through the door, but I didn’t answer him.” His father went from being one of the only adult figures he had to someone he completely pushed out of his life.
I agree with this because I think Christopher's and his fathers "broken relationship" made Christopher more independent but I also think that even with him becoming more independent and growing as a character he still has questions about the world and whats around him. Right after him and his dad get into a disagreement with the lie his father told Christopher suddenly decide to get away from him and later on go to London on his own. I think the quote you used on page 16 was a perfect example on explaining how their bond was, all the changes that went on around Christopher defiantly changed his relationship with many but mostly his father just because we see that Christopher was hurt by his actions and he didn't expect his dad; someone who he trusted and relied on to do what he did.
DeleteBrian Asencio
DeleteI disagree because in the end of the story Christopher knows what he wants to do in life making it a decisive initiation story. On page 221 it states "And then I will get a First Class Honors degree and I will become a scientist". If this was an uncompleted story then Christopher wouldn't know his place in the world but in the end he obviously does and he isn't scared by the adult world either so it's not a tentative initiation story making it a decisive one.
How does the character change by the end of the book?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” it can be seen that Christopher has progressed over time and the behavioral problems that he has had improved. On page 47 there is a list of behavioral problems and the first one states “Not talking to people for a long time” and on page 186 it says, “... I had already talked to lots of strangers, which is dangerous…”. This shows that Christopher has changed because he came out of his comfort zone and he was forced to talk to stranger at the train station in order to go to London.
Another behavioral problem that Christopher mentions is “Not liking being touched.” In the beginning of the story on page 8 it can be seen that Christopher has trouble with physical contact. “The policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn’t like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him.” Christopher assaulted a policeman because he doesn’t like it when people touch him. Later in the book Christopher learned that people aren’t aware of what he wants and communication is the only way that people will understand what he wants from them. “You mustn’t touch me… Because I got a caution for hitting a policeman, but I didn’t mean to hurt him and if I do it again I’ll get into even bigger problem.” This shows that Christopher has changed because in the beginning he didn’t think about his actions before he acted on how he felt in the moment. Now he starts to realize that he has to inform the other person to not touch him.
How does the protagonist change throughout the story
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story we see how Chris changes as different situations are presented to him. In the beginning of the story we see how Chris is helpless when certain things happen and how he is unable to process things and how he has trouble showing emotion, but as the story moves on we see how Chris is slowly but surely making progress. For example on page 27 it said “ Father said she died of a heart attack and it wasn't expected. I said what kind of heart attack because I was surprised. Mother was 38 years old and heart attacks usually happen to older people.”
This quote is showing that at the beginning of the story Chris wasn't even really concerned that his mom had died instead he was trying to figure out what the cause of the death had been. As we get deeper into the story we begin to see that Chris is actually starting to feel emotions. For example on page 212 it said “ And when I opened the paper and read through it I couldn't think how to answer any of the questions and also I couldn't breathe properly.”
This quote is significant because we see that Chris is starting to feel pressure and stress which is something that never happened to him in the beginning of the book, we see that it is something that he hasn't really ever experienced as he is struggling to breathe and cope with it. We actually start to see how the pressure of everything that is happening around him is getting to him.
Carrig, I completely agree with your point on how Christopher’s experiences change him. In the story there are multiple examples that show this, like you mentioned. A question I have is how do you think the overall change and gain in emotion will change Christopher’s future? As we see on page 221 Christopher has a huge boost of confidence after everything he’s experienced, he states “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.” This quote shows how Christopher has a new found knowledge of himself and the world and is capable of doing more things.
DeleteIn The Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, the author does a good job of making the story build off of every moment of the protagonist Christopher’s life and decisions. Even with a character such as Chris with the disability that he has, the author portrays Christopher’s growth throughout his journey with specific character traits that differentiates the protagonist from other character around him. An example of one of the traits that Chris portrays throughout the story that differentiates himself from others around him is how honest he is. Chris is usually never afraid to tell the truth at all unless he believes that he’ll get himself into trouble. On page 167 Chris is on the train to London while on the watch by the police to question him about his father, Chris just finished using the restroom and was about to be on his way back to his seat “ The train stopped and a lady with a yellow waterproof coat came and took the big suitcase away and asked have you touched this? and I said yes. And then she walked away”
ReplyDeleteThis quote illustrates Chris’s confidence in telling the truth when he know’s that there is no consequence to follow. However what makes this quote interesting is when the lady asked him if he touched the bag and he said yes. Usually in a normal scenario the average person would say no to avoid any trouble necessary. With Chris, his disability prevents him from processing information at certain rate so it's difficult to understand most things for him. Essentially, Chris’s disability prevents him from understanding consequences that may arise when always telling the truth which is why he does it so much in the novel. This differentiates him from other characters in the novel such as his father because when Chris’s mother moved to London he didn’t tell the truth because he was aware of the consequence that would follow if Chris knew the truth, so he lied about it by saying that his mother died to prevent those consequences from happening.
I agree with the idea that Christopher's journey to adulthood is seen through his behaviour but I disagree that his honesty hinders his growth. A better argument is that Christopher's behaviour is forced to change because of his determination to face his fear in order to get away from the dangerous of his father. Evidence of this is on page 8 when instead of telling the policeman not to touch him he hits him without a second thought. "The policemen took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn't like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him." Compared to on page 150 during his transition to adulthood he states clear for the policeman his actions without becoming instantly violent at the sight of hid perception of danger. " and I said 'You mustn't touch ' -- And I said 'Because I got a caution for hitting a policeman but I didn't mean to hurt him and if I do it again I'll get into even bigger trouble." The argument you make is fine just need to compare it across the text instead of just one peace and connect it to why exactly this is significant.
DeleteEQ: How does the character change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book Chris seems to develop more emotions and a better understanding of human behavior. In the beginning of the book Chris demonstrated no emotion for things that would normally make a regular person cry, or feel sad. He would talk about things as if they meant nothing to him, he was more of a logical thinker who didn’t bother himself with things that didn’t have straightforward answers or were impossible to change. On page 27 Chris says “ Mother died two weeks later...Father said that she died of a heart attack and it wasn’t expected.
I said ‘What kind of heart attack?’”. This quote demonstrates how in the beginning Chris had this need to have a logical answer behind most things even if it was the death of his mother. He expressed very little emotion and more confusion than anything because instead of being concerned with his mom being gone he was more about why she had died. But as the story progressed Chris starts to become more understanding of others actions and emotions. On page 203 it says “ And I got out of bed at 2:07 a.m. and i felt scared of Mr.Shears so I went downstairs…”. This quote demonstrates how Chris is realizing how other people feel and this helps him know if he can trust them or not. Up to this point in the text, Mr.Shears hasn’t done anything to make Chris afraid but Chris notices his actions and realizes the discomfort he brings Mr.Shears. He realizes this and this is what brings fear to Chris even though there’s no real logic behind it since Mr.Shears hasn’t done anything.
I somewhat disagree with your point about Christopher knowing whether he can trust others or not. We already saw that he was able to perceive this idea of trust, especially in the middle of the book when he realized that his father lied to him. On page 122, Christopher narrates, "I had to get out of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me because I couldn't trust him, even though he had said 'Trust me', because he had told a lie about a big thing." This clearly demonstrates that Christopher was able to perceive trust even before his change at the end of the novel, though I can agree that Christopher definitely gains a better understanding of human behavior by the end, especially with the way that he's able to better control his reactions towards others in a rational manner.
DeleteEQ:What Causes the Protagonist to Cross Over From Childhood to Adulthood ?
ReplyDeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon the protagonist in the beginning of the novel was very closed off and tried to be what he thought was independent in his eyes. He actually had lots of help from the adults within the novel and depended on the for all of his necessities such as food, behaviour and information. This changed when Christopher discover that his father has lied to him about the death of his mother and also finds out that his father has killed their neighbors dog. This causes Christopher to begin planning to run away to London to find his mother despite his fear of the unknown and social anxiety he determined to get away from his father.On page 122 Christopher states “I had to get out of the house.Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me, because I couldn’t trust him, even though he had said ‘Trust me’ because he had told lie about a big thing.” Christopher is very anxious and jobs to the conclusion that his father is a dangerous man and will turn on him. This Is childish but leads the way to the change in christopher to become more independent in order to survive as he thins and the only way to do this is to move to London with his mother to insure his safety so he goes against all that he believes in in order to get away.
At the end of the novel Christopher reflects on the journey has taken in order to gain his independents and realizes that he doesn’t need to be dependent on those around him to accomplish his goals because he was capable of making decisions for himself and executing them properly.On page 221 “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.” The way Christopher developed in the book was mentally all though he was unable to change completely in his behaviour still groaning and not doing things that do not satisfy him mentally he is more capable to face any situation that he is faced with after he has traveled to London all alone and aced his A level math test. The information was the catalyst to the change in Christopher's causing him to transition from childhood to adulthood becoming more realistic and less dependent on those around him.
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ReplyDeleteHow does the protagonist differ from beginning to end?
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning to the end of the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, we see the protagonist, Christopher, change from a strictly ritual-based person to one that began to think rationally. From the start of the book, Christopher’s struggles to understand different emotions other than sadness and happiness are presented. Because of this, Christopher found ways to make things simpler for himself when he felt these emotions he could not comprehend. He created a system that put things “in a nice order. And one way of things being in a nice order was to be logical. Especially if those things were numbers or an argument. But there were other ways of putting things in a nice order. And that was why I had Good Days and Black Days” (page 24). Here, Christopher reveals a way for him to keep himself in check so everyday is not filled with new emotions. If it’s a Good Day for him, he’d know he’d be happy for the rest of the day. If it’s a Black Day, he’d know he’d be upset for the rest of the day. Christopher had a set schedule for himself, that way he could avoid the frustration and pain of not understanding the world around him and most importantly, himself.
Near the end of the book, there is a major shift in Christopher’s thinking. He realizes once he is out of his comfort zone that his system is flawed, and it won’t work in this new setting as it always had. On page 205, he says, “... I saw 5 red cars in a row and 4 yellow cars in a row, which meant it was both a Good Day and a Black Day, so the system didn’t work anymore. But if I concentrated on counting the cars it stopped me from thinking about my A level and the pain in my chest”. While Christopher is discovering that he can no longer depend on a system to dictate his emotions, he demonstrates how he is finally able to allow his emotions to surface and deal with them in a more practical way. Although he is still finding ways to suppress them, he is acknowledging these unfamiliar emotions of anger and hurt and finding a way through them. Fighting the unknown head-on like this is not something Christopher would have done in the beginning of the book, but in the end, he shows that he is capable of doing just that and is able to grow from his past habits.
Noel Esteves
ReplyDeleteAs we finished up the text, we get a better understanding of the type of person that Christopher turns out to be, as well as his change. Christopher was a person who had to be very reliant on his dad to look over him. But we see Christopher evolve into being his own person (despite him may still needing help). This change is seen through how Christopher goes on the journey to find out about his mom.
A lot of the life Christopher lived was never fully explained to him. The fact that his mother is still alive would be the best example. But, Christopher finding this out reveals a strong ambitious side of him, where he relies on himself to figure out what happened to his mom. He does it for himself just to get answers that he was never told. We see the change in Christopher because he used to be a very antisocial and akward person who was never too outgoing outside of his own mind. But his mother drove him to make a change and interact with the world around him. This shows ambition in him because he made a very big risk and went out of his comfort zone to get what he needed for himself.
Benjamin Gordon
DeleteI agree with this summary, as illustrated by the notion that confidence grows throughout Christopher throughout the novel. Mark Haddon does a genuine job of displaying Christopher’s growth, as he transitions from shy, dependent teenager into a young man who is exuberant in his actions. As evidenced on page 172 when Christopher says, “And I thought, “I can do this,” because I was doing really well and I was in London and I would find my mother.” This quote represents the fact that Christopher no longer had doubts in his mind that he would have to go back to Swindon. When beginning his trip to London, whilst in the train station, Christopher was traumatized by the immense capacity of people surrounding him and the buzzing train noises. He has now transitioned into a confident individual who knows that he can complete the last step of his journey.
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ReplyDeleteIn the The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-time, Christopher’s development from beginning to end is mainly because of the interactions with his father and his mother who we discovered is not in fact dead, that she just left Christopher’s dad. On page 211 it 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 the means I can do anything.” Christopher now believes that he can do anything since he made his way to his mother alone and for finding her, and figuring out who killed Wellington. Christopher would’ve never had this confidence in him if those major events hadn’t happened.
ReplyDeleteChristopher’s parents despite not being together had a huge effect on Christopher developing this confidence that he has. When Christopher’s dad told him that he had killed Wellington this pushed Christopher to make his journey to London by himself to live with his mother. This journey was a transitioning moment for him, he managed to stay brave and controlled himself in this new environment. Dealing with all of this change in his life causes Christopher to develop this confidence that he never had before. He was able to go from this boy that wasn’t brave and his simple journey to London finding his mom and figuring out who killed Wellington allowed him to become confident.
Brian Asencio
ReplyDeleteEnglish Commentary
Ms. McGinnis
10/26/15
What Role Do Adults Play In The Initiation?
In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, the protagonist has a hard time with the adult world as he is always lost since his life is so closed in into one area in his neighborhood. So there are various adult characters that help him learn how to get around the adult world. This can be seen on pages 149 to 152 with the policeman. Christopher ran away from home to go to London to live with his mother but when he goes to the train station he doesn’t know what to do. The policeman realizes that he’s lost and he goes to help him. The policeman is giving him knowledge so that he can get a better understanding on the adult world. He taught him that quids means pounds and showed him how to get a train ticket. Christopher then starts to like policeman again as he teaches him valuable information as he stopped liking them earlier in the book due to a negative experience. This information initiates him into getting to know and how to get around the adult world and this is because an adult helped him.
The train station is viewed as a transition point between two places, for Chris it can be seen in two ways, growing up and transitioning into becoming an adult and going from his father to his mother. The parts of the book when Christopher is in a train station are critical. It is in the train station that the reader can observe the change begin to materialize in the character. The first time he is in a train, the setting does not reveal much about Chris’ internal struggle. But it can be seen through his thoughts and actions. On page 146 Chris is sitting in the coffee shop, “And I tried to think about what I had to do, but I couldn't think because there were too many other things in my head, so I did a maths problem to make my head clearer.” Throughout most of the book Chris is very clearheaded, bases all his assumptions on clear facts that he believes is commen sense. But this quote reveals the feeling he experiences when he leaves the safety of his home. He does not usually feel comfortable around other people, yet he is going to London, which is a city. He is changing as a person and the train station reveals how he is dealing with the change.
ReplyDeleteThe second time he is in a train station, the setting clues the reader into how Chris is feeling. On page 176 when Chris is waiting for the underground (subway), “And then there was a sound like people fighting with swords and I could feel a strong wind and roaring started.” The sound of train entering the train station shows how him going to his mothers place is like a battle, a battle in which he must win to mature and that every teen has to face. Chris left his home and is venturing out into the unknown. This is a huge step to becoming independent from his parents and growing up, but he still needs the comfort of his parents, he is going out to his mom. Although Chris is becoming more mature he still depends on the safety that his parents provide him.
I agree with what you said about how the train station is viewed as a transition point between two points in Christopher’s life. One way this can be seen is when Christopher is in the train station and he was frightened by going to London or going back home to Father’s house. This can be seen on page 145, “And I wanted to go home but I was frightened of going home and I tried to make a plan of what I should do in my head but there were too many things to look at and too many things to hear.” Christopher was frightened by both the train station and going home to his Father’s house. However he overcame his fear of the train station and decided to take the train to London so he can get away from Swindon. “And then I went up to the door and I pressed the big button and the door slid open and I stepped through the doors. And I was on the train to London.” (pg 154) This illustrates how Christopher has grown throughout the book because he was able to make his own decision since he was able to get on the train to London without looking backing and regretting it.
DeleteIn Curious Incident, Christopher, the main character, shows many contradictory traits throughout the book. Most of the time, those contradictory traits are present because Christopher is growing and maturing and his traits are therefore changing with him. At the beginning of the book, he is unworldly and inexperienced, having been sheltered in his small town of Swindon all of his life. By the end of the book, he has taken a monumentally brave journey to London. By stepping outside of his comfort zone, he proves to himself and the book’s audience that he can do whatever he puts his mind to, despite his behavioral difficulties and any struggles he faces because of them. One instance of him stepping out of his comfort zone and taking a risk in order to mature is when he realizes that he needs to face his fear of talking to strangers in order to find out who killed Wellington, something that is crucial to him. “I decided that I would go and ask some of the other people who lived on our street if they had seen anyone killing Wellington or whether they had seen anything strange happening in the street on Thursday night… Talking to strangers is not something I usually do. I do not like talking to strangers.” Christopher is uncomfortable talking to strangers, because they scare him. He recognizes this, but doesn’t let it hold him back from his mission to find Wellington’s killer. He takes a risk by evaluating the situation and recognizing that there is no imminent danger with talking to most of the people on his block. This interaction makes him more comfortable around new people for the rest of the book. It was a necessary step that helped him change his ways for the better. It gave him a courage and independence that he hadn’t had before. Without this, going to London at the middle of the book would’ve been much harder.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement, as Christopher's adventure into the outside world is sort of rushed in the book, but the author still does a good job at portraying the evidence. Christopher also experiences this when he says in chapter 227; "but she was a stranger, so I said, "Stand further away," because I didn't like her being so
Deleteclose. And I said, "I've got a Swiss Army knife and it has a saw blade and it could cut someone's fingers
off."" Its a pivotal moment, when he realizes that not every adult is trustworthy (as he also learned with his father) and that he should keep a wary eye out so he can survive in the world and keep his wits about him.