MARK HADDON STUDY GUIDE / BOOK SUMMARY

IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS - QUOTES AND ANALYSIS

QUOTES FOR THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

Early in the novel, Christopher gives his opinion on dogs:

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. (3-4)

Christopher seems to be describing how he sees himself: someone who is transparent in his moods and meanings, and who does not lie. The novel begins with many straightforward, detailed descriptions - things we would often take for granted, but which Christopher feels obliged to explain in order to keep clear in his mind as well as his readers. Thus, we have this surprising statement:

This is a murder mystery novel. Siobhan said that I should write something I would want to read myself. Mostly I read books about science and maths. I do not like proper novels. In proper novels people say things like, "I am veined with iron, with silver and with streaks of common mud. I cannot contract into the firm fist with which those clench who do not depend on stimulus." What does this mean? I do not know. Nor does Father. Nor does Siobhan or Mr. Jeavons. I have asked them. (4-5)

Rarely does a novel tell you what genre it inhabits - the reader is supposed to understand it from the beginning. And ironically, this work is more than a murder mystery novel - if anything, the murder mystery becomes a MacGuffin for the family drama in the second half of the book. With the quote that Christopher uses, Haddon subtly pokes fun at the grandiose language of the literary novel. It not only eludes Christopher as impenetrable, but also the adults he knows. With that in mind, Christopher explains why he likes mysteries:

In a murder mystery novel someone has to work out who the murderer is and then catch them. It is a puzzle. If it is a good puzzle you can sometimes work out the answer before the end of the book. (5)

This becomes a challenge to the reader to find out not only whodunnit but also whatwasdun. As with any other murder mystery, the clues to Wellington's murderer become more obvious on a second reading of the book - but so does ..........

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.

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

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