Primary Ideas in the Novel 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime'
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (CIDN) composed by Mark Haddon “is about difference not disability” – Mark Haddon. The hybrid genre novel challenges readers preconceived assumptions towards difference and with complex ideas surrounding the impact disability can have upon individuals. Through the complex, yet seemingly simplistic, characterisation of protagonist, Christopher Boone, alongside language and conventions, responders are afforded insight into society’s judgmental nature. Further, Haddon successfully explores the personal difficulties endured by those with a disability.
Christopher Boone, although never explicitly stated, is high on the autism spectrum; Haddon demonstrates such adversity throughout his first-person narration alongside appropriate language and conventions, further creating an emphatic world-view towards Christopher. In order for the protagonist to cope and manage in a world beyond his understanding, he requires control and stability, strikingly different to other characters within the bildungsroman novel. The accumulation of verbs and first-person internal dialogue, “Not liking being touched, not eating or drinking for a long time…” accentuates the situations of which Christopher can control, acting as a coping mechanism. Further cementing this as a mechanism for managing the difficulty of difference, “I am the only person … and I can control the motors … and I can never be found,” Christopher’s first person recount of a dream, establishing visual imagery for the reader, highlights the ideal situation of singularity for Christopher, where total control and stability is achieved. The notion that individuals handle and cope with disability differently is successfully portrayed throughout CIDN; further challenging responders to accept difference in a particularly hypercritical society.
Either the acceptance or rejection of disability and difference can have significant implications upon individuals and communities. The irretrievable breakdown of Christopher’s parent’s, Ed and Judy, marriage highlights the stress and immense pressure placed upon the pair to care for a child with a disability, such as Christopher, “I use to think mother and father would get a divorce.” Further, Ed Boone’s repeated use of expletives during confrontations with Christopher, cements the difficulties endured by not only Christopher but also his close family, and sole carer, his father, “Holy fucking Jesus, Christopher. How stupid are you?”. Moreover, Ed Boone’s choice to shelter Christopher from his mother’s letters, establishes the impact of others behaviours upon Christopher and his vulnerability. “I felt sick … Father had lied about this … mother had not died,” the first-person internal dialogue combined together with truncated sentences, reveals the juxtaposed repercussion of Christopher’s fathers’ decisions upon his son. It is through appropriate language that Haddon is able to express the complex idea of the implications of difference upon both individuals and communities.
Haddon purposefully highlights the imperfections of other characters, through juxtaposing characterizations, establishing the universality characteristic of difference. The distinction between protagonist Christopher and other individuals within society challenges the responder’s ideologies of individualist difference and infirmity’s within communities, challenging responders to question what is “normal” and the acceptance of difference. Haddon’s successful use of contrasting characters portray society’s general lack of understanding towards this universal difference and the inability to accept this dissimilarity. Evident through the use of expletives and aggressive tone coupled with a descriptive, yet simplistic syntax, “Man with the diamond socks said, “Mad as a fucking hatter”. The confrontation explored while Christopher is searching for his pet rat, Toby, challenges readers to reevaluate their own ideas towards the difference within themselves.
To sum up, Mark Haddon skillfully uses language and conventions of prose fiction to challenge the reader with complex ideas. Every important text challenges the reader with complex ideas and appropriates language to express them.
