THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME BY MARK HADDON ANALYSIS

THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS

It is difficult to discuss the two major themes of the novel - the search for order and stability and the role of absence in life - because the search for order in this novel often involves the acknowledgment and filling of an absence. The theme of the search for order and stability in life develops subtly but is changed radically when the presence of the second mystery is revealed - an absence. While it seems that the story is about the search for Wellington's murderer, most all the clues that Christopher discovers also seek to answer an absence he isn't even aware exists: the status and whereabouts of his mother Judy. This is the true "curious incident of the dog in the night-time" - the incident which is significant precisely because nothing happens, it is the absence which points to a deeper truth. The solving of the two mysteries are only the prologue to the true fulfillment of order in Christopher's life: a reunion with his mother and the restoration of a more balanced family order, as well as the successful completion of his A-level math exam to pave his planned future as a scientist.

Further, it should be noted this is not a story about "overcoming" a disease, but rather of living with a specific condition. The triumph does not hinge on acting as if this condition doesn't exist but in working with that condition to lead as rich a life as possible. Christopher makes no attempt to pretend he is anything other than he is, nor is there any encouragement to do so by the people around him. This is played subtly, since the kind of autism that Christopher suffers from - Asperger's Syndrome - is never named in the text and the exact clinical parameters of his condition are never explained. As we see things from within his perspective, these are things he would.........

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Summary Notes

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