(no subject)
I. Characters:
a. Christopher: A fifteen year old boy with autism who loves math, space and animals, but hates the colors yellow and brown and dislikes being touched or in crowds.
b. Mrs. Shears: Christopher's next door neighbor who comforts Christopher and his father after the disappearance of Mrs. Boone, but who later blames Christopher for the death of her beloved dog, Wellington.
c. Mr. Shears: Mrs. Shears husband who has left her to pursue a relationship with Christopher's mother.
d. Wellington: Mrs. Shears' black poodle who she seems to care more about than anyone else in the world. Wellington is murdered by Christopher's father.
e. Siobhan: Christopher's psychiatrist for the past eight years. She is a person with whom Christopher feels comfortable talking to and she teaches him about human emotions and how he can better understand them.
f. Father: A man extremely hurt and angry by his wife's decision to leave him and Christopher for Mr. Shears. He is very understanding of Christopher at the start of the book, but becomes more and more infuriated and impatient as Christopher continues his investigation of Wellington's death. He has killed Wellington and has lied to Christopher about what really happened to mother, which causes Christopher to be afraid of him.
g. Mother: She is presumed, by Christopher to be dead, but she really left her husband for Mr. Shears. Christopher describes her as always being fed up with him.
II. Journal
1. Christopher:
"I don't like it when people grab me. And I don't like being surprised either. So I hit him, like I hit the policeman when he took hold of my arms and lifted me onto my feet. But father didn't let go, and he was yelling." (pgs. 82-83)
This passage shows the severity of Christopher's reactions to being confronted with his dislikes. He hates being touched and he reacts through violence because of the inflexibility of his mind. Most people would not lash out like this, but this is the only way that Christopher can react to being touched. Christopher cannot completely understand, process or control emotions so he reacts by hitting his father instead of pulling away or trying to speak to his father. This shows that Christopher's mind understands and reacts in extremes instead of through shades of gray and understanding.
It is also clear that Christopher is surprised by his father's grabbing him because his father has usually been calm and has never touched him in that manner before. This same surprise and insecurity about his father will eventually lead to Christopher running away.
2. Mrs. Shears:
"' Come on, Ed. We're going to get you through this.' And then she made us spaghetti and tomato sauce." (pg. 28)
Mrs. Shears relationship with the Boone's is that of a replacement mother. The fact that she goes to their house and cooks for them is very touching. Perhaps this is why when she sees Christopher holding her dead dog, she is beside herself and absolutely shocked. Does she react this way because she feels like Christopher has betrayed her? Or does she just not like Christopher? In the quote she does not address Christopher, but his father instead. This could be bitterness because she could be blaming Christopher for his mother leaving his family and taking Mr. Shears with her.
3. Mr. Shears:
"'That's why your father thinks that Mr. Shears is an evil man. And that will be why he doesn't want you going around talking to people about Mr. Shears. Because that will bring back bad memories'". (pg. 60)
From this passage, it is gathered that there was a conflict between Christopher's parents and Mr. Shears. Mr. Shears is seen as the breaking point between Mr. and Mrs. Boone's marriage. Perhaps this is why Mr. Boone chooses to lie to Christopher, because he is ashamed at the failure of his marriage. Mr. Shears and Mrs. Boone's affair also explains why Mrs. Shears came to the Boone's house when Christopher's mother died. She was lonely and she felt as though she and Mr. Boone were in the same boat.
4.Wellington:
"I stroked Wellington and wondered who had killed him, and why". (pg. 2)
Wellington, Mrs. Shears dog, along with Christopher's rat Toby, are the only living beings that Christopher touches or "strokes". It is clear that Christopher understands dogs better than humans because immediately after discovering Wellington's dead body he describes himself as being "sad". This is remarkable for Christopher because he has a very hard time understanding any sort of emotion. Wellington is a creature with which Christopher feels normal and understood.
5. Siobhan:
"Siobhan understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this."
Siobhan is the person who Christopher admires most in the world, though he doesn't realize it. Throughout the book, Siobhan is the person who Christopher speaks of most. She has known Christopher for eight years and guides him through his life. Because of Christopher's disabilty, he has a hard time understanding what people are really saying, and Siobhan has helped him to learn more about the real meanings of people's words. Siobhan is also very literal and always tells Christopher the truth. Because Christopher never tells lies, and likes animals because they can't tell lies, this is very important.
6. Father:
"I asked, "Are you upset about Wellington?" He looked at me for a long time and sucked air in through his nose. Then he said, "Yes, Christopher, you could say that. You could very well say that."
This quote is very important because Mr. Boone is beginning to see the effects his lies are having on his son. He realizes how attached Christopher was to Wellington, and also knows how upset Christopher would be if he ever found out. Mr. Boone sees himself as the person who cares about the Christopher the most, more so than Mrs. Boone, and sees his lies as being beneficial to Christopher until he kills Wellington and discovers hot hurt Christopher really is.
7. Mother:
"Jesus , Christopher, I am seriously considering putting you in a home," or Mother would say,"You are going to drive me into an early grave."
Christopher's mother is an impatient person who has grown tired and frustrated by Christopher. By saying she wants to put him in a home, she is admitting the hard time she has had raising him and that he consumes her whole life. And it is ironic that Christopher remembers her talking about an "early grave" because to his knowledge she is dead. But in reality, her "early grave" was her leaving her family to live with Mr. Shears. It is clear that Christopher's disability not only inhibits him, but also puts a strain on his family life, especially his mother.
III. Plot Overview/Analysis
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is the story of a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher Boone, who discovers his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead. Christopher is instantly inspired to find out who killed Wellington because he sees Wellington's death as a cold blooded murder, and actually reacts more strongly to the death of Wellington than he does to the supposed death of his mother two years earlier. Christopher holds the dead Wellington in his arms and is discovered by Wellington's owner, Mrs. Shears who instantly pins Christopher as the murderer and calls the police. The police officer attempts to pry Christopher from the ground, but Christopher, who hates being touched, slaps the officer and is taken to jail. Christopher lives with his father who is instantly upset when he finds out about Christopher's arrival at the police station and his investigation into Wellington's death.
As Christopher continues to investigate Wellington's death, he meets new people, or "strangers" and eventually finds out that his mother had an affair with Mr. Shears; which explains Mr. Shears' disappearance two years earlier. Meanwhile, Christopher informs his psychiatrist, Sibohan of all his doings because he feels most comfortable with her, though he never openly admits this. Trough Siobhan, Christopher learns everything about emotion and people, two things Christopher's disability prohibits him from understanding.
At the climax of Christopher's investigation, he gets into a fight with his father. This is emotionally exhausting and traumatic for Christopher because his father grabs him, and his father had never touched him before. His father then confiscates Christopher's book which chronicles the investigation. As Christopher is searching for his book in his father's room, he finds 43 letters addressed to him. He discovers that the letters are from his mother and are very recent. Christopher becomes sick and sleeps for a few hours until his father discovers him and the letters. Mr. Boone cleans Christopher up and apologizes and then reveals that he also killed Wellington. Christopher then decides to run away in order to get away from his father, whom he no longer trusts and to find his mother.
a. Christopher: A fifteen year old boy with autism who loves math, space and animals, but hates the colors yellow and brown and dislikes being touched or in crowds.
b. Mrs. Shears: Christopher's next door neighbor who comforts Christopher and his father after the disappearance of Mrs. Boone, but who later blames Christopher for the death of her beloved dog, Wellington.
c. Mr. Shears: Mrs. Shears husband who has left her to pursue a relationship with Christopher's mother.
d. Wellington: Mrs. Shears' black poodle who she seems to care more about than anyone else in the world. Wellington is murdered by Christopher's father.
e. Siobhan: Christopher's psychiatrist for the past eight years. She is a person with whom Christopher feels comfortable talking to and she teaches him about human emotions and how he can better understand them.
f. Father: A man extremely hurt and angry by his wife's decision to leave him and Christopher for Mr. Shears. He is very understanding of Christopher at the start of the book, but becomes more and more infuriated and impatient as Christopher continues his investigation of Wellington's death. He has killed Wellington and has lied to Christopher about what really happened to mother, which causes Christopher to be afraid of him.
g. Mother: She is presumed, by Christopher to be dead, but she really left her husband for Mr. Shears. Christopher describes her as always being fed up with him.
II. Journal
1. Christopher:
"I don't like it when people grab me. And I don't like being surprised either. So I hit him, like I hit the policeman when he took hold of my arms and lifted me onto my feet. But father didn't let go, and he was yelling." (pgs. 82-83)
This passage shows the severity of Christopher's reactions to being confronted with his dislikes. He hates being touched and he reacts through violence because of the inflexibility of his mind. Most people would not lash out like this, but this is the only way that Christopher can react to being touched. Christopher cannot completely understand, process or control emotions so he reacts by hitting his father instead of pulling away or trying to speak to his father. This shows that Christopher's mind understands and reacts in extremes instead of through shades of gray and understanding.
It is also clear that Christopher is surprised by his father's grabbing him because his father has usually been calm and has never touched him in that manner before. This same surprise and insecurity about his father will eventually lead to Christopher running away.
2. Mrs. Shears:
"' Come on, Ed. We're going to get you through this.' And then she made us spaghetti and tomato sauce." (pg. 28)
Mrs. Shears relationship with the Boone's is that of a replacement mother. The fact that she goes to their house and cooks for them is very touching. Perhaps this is why when she sees Christopher holding her dead dog, she is beside herself and absolutely shocked. Does she react this way because she feels like Christopher has betrayed her? Or does she just not like Christopher? In the quote she does not address Christopher, but his father instead. This could be bitterness because she could be blaming Christopher for his mother leaving his family and taking Mr. Shears with her.
3. Mr. Shears:
"'That's why your father thinks that Mr. Shears is an evil man. And that will be why he doesn't want you going around talking to people about Mr. Shears. Because that will bring back bad memories'". (pg. 60)
From this passage, it is gathered that there was a conflict between Christopher's parents and Mr. Shears. Mr. Shears is seen as the breaking point between Mr. and Mrs. Boone's marriage. Perhaps this is why Mr. Boone chooses to lie to Christopher, because he is ashamed at the failure of his marriage. Mr. Shears and Mrs. Boone's affair also explains why Mrs. Shears came to the Boone's house when Christopher's mother died. She was lonely and she felt as though she and Mr. Boone were in the same boat.
4.Wellington:
"I stroked Wellington and wondered who had killed him, and why". (pg. 2)
Wellington, Mrs. Shears dog, along with Christopher's rat Toby, are the only living beings that Christopher touches or "strokes". It is clear that Christopher understands dogs better than humans because immediately after discovering Wellington's dead body he describes himself as being "sad". This is remarkable for Christopher because he has a very hard time understanding any sort of emotion. Wellington is a creature with which Christopher feels normal and understood.
5. Siobhan:
"Siobhan understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this."
Siobhan is the person who Christopher admires most in the world, though he doesn't realize it. Throughout the book, Siobhan is the person who Christopher speaks of most. She has known Christopher for eight years and guides him through his life. Because of Christopher's disabilty, he has a hard time understanding what people are really saying, and Siobhan has helped him to learn more about the real meanings of people's words. Siobhan is also very literal and always tells Christopher the truth. Because Christopher never tells lies, and likes animals because they can't tell lies, this is very important.
6. Father:
"I asked, "Are you upset about Wellington?" He looked at me for a long time and sucked air in through his nose. Then he said, "Yes, Christopher, you could say that. You could very well say that."
This quote is very important because Mr. Boone is beginning to see the effects his lies are having on his son. He realizes how attached Christopher was to Wellington, and also knows how upset Christopher would be if he ever found out. Mr. Boone sees himself as the person who cares about the Christopher the most, more so than Mrs. Boone, and sees his lies as being beneficial to Christopher until he kills Wellington and discovers hot hurt Christopher really is.
7. Mother:
"Jesus , Christopher, I am seriously considering putting you in a home," or Mother would say,"You are going to drive me into an early grave."
Christopher's mother is an impatient person who has grown tired and frustrated by Christopher. By saying she wants to put him in a home, she is admitting the hard time she has had raising him and that he consumes her whole life. And it is ironic that Christopher remembers her talking about an "early grave" because to his knowledge she is dead. But in reality, her "early grave" was her leaving her family to live with Mr. Shears. It is clear that Christopher's disability not only inhibits him, but also puts a strain on his family life, especially his mother.
III. Plot Overview/Analysis
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" is the story of a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher Boone, who discovers his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead. Christopher is instantly inspired to find out who killed Wellington because he sees Wellington's death as a cold blooded murder, and actually reacts more strongly to the death of Wellington than he does to the supposed death of his mother two years earlier. Christopher holds the dead Wellington in his arms and is discovered by Wellington's owner, Mrs. Shears who instantly pins Christopher as the murderer and calls the police. The police officer attempts to pry Christopher from the ground, but Christopher, who hates being touched, slaps the officer and is taken to jail. Christopher lives with his father who is instantly upset when he finds out about Christopher's arrival at the police station and his investigation into Wellington's death.
As Christopher continues to investigate Wellington's death, he meets new people, or "strangers" and eventually finds out that his mother had an affair with Mr. Shears; which explains Mr. Shears' disappearance two years earlier. Meanwhile, Christopher informs his psychiatrist, Sibohan of all his doings because he feels most comfortable with her, though he never openly admits this. Trough Siobhan, Christopher learns everything about emotion and people, two things Christopher's disability prohibits him from understanding.
At the climax of Christopher's investigation, he gets into a fight with his father. This is emotionally exhausting and traumatic for Christopher because his father grabs him, and his father had never touched him before. His father then confiscates Christopher's book which chronicles the investigation. As Christopher is searching for his book in his father's room, he finds 43 letters addressed to him. He discovers that the letters are from his mother and are very recent. Christopher becomes sick and sleeps for a few hours until his father discovers him and the letters. Mr. Boone cleans Christopher up and apologizes and then reveals that he also killed Wellington. Christopher then decides to run away in order to get away from his father, whom he no longer trusts and to find his mother.