Jung1

XXX

JosephJung
XXXXXXXX
Bodick
9H
3/16/15
TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNighttime
:FamilyIssuesandGreatLiterature.
RogerEbert,thelatemoviecritic,saidthat
abookisnotaboutwhatitisabout.
Itsabouthowitsaboutit
.(
www.professorbeej.com
)Inotherwords,thebookisnot
onlyaboutastory,buthowitscharactersformthestory.
OneexampleisMark
Haddons
TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNighttime.
Atfirst,thebookseemsto
beaboutaboytryingtofindoutwhokilledadog.Butthetruemeaningofthestoryisin
therelationshipsamonghisfamily.Itpromotesanunderstandingofbeingamemberof
abrokenfamily,andofhowabrokenfamilycanstillbeagoodonedespitetheflawsof
itsmembers.
TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNighttime
isanexcellentexample
ofabookthatshowsitsreaderstoacceptflawedpeopleinsteadofjudgingthemby
tellingastoryofafamilythatincludesanautisticboy,animpetuousfather,andan
irasciblemother.
OneofthesefamilymembershappenstobeanautisticboynamedChristopher
Boone(alsothenarrator).Becauseofhisautism,Christopherisoftenmisunderstood
andgetsintotrouble.Forinstance,hegetsarrestedwhenapolicemangrabshim,and
Christopherhitshimnotbecauseofmalicebutbecausehemindcannotstandclose
physicaltouch.Hismotheralsohashaddifficulttimedealingwithhisautism.
ChristophermentionsthatMotherhadhitme...andsheshoutedmoreoften.(Haddon


Jung2
XXX

82)Christopheralsomakeslifehardonhimselfbyhavingnonsensicalsuperstitionslike
whenheseesfouryellowscarsinarow,hedoesn'ttalktoanyoneandnoteveneat
lunch.Despiteofhisquirkiness,thereaderdoesseehowgoodandsmarthereallyis.
Forexample,whenChristopheristoldthathismothergotsenttothehospital,he
wantedtotakefoodtoherbecause[Christopher]knewthatfoodinhospitalwasnot
verygood(Haddon23).ThisshowsthatChristophercaresforhismothereventhough
hecannotseemtoexpresshisfeelingsdirectlytoher.HismindisalsogiftedinMath
andlogicasthereaderseeswhenheprovesthatMarilynvosSavantsanswertothe
MontyHallproblemiscorrect.TempleGrandininherbook,
TheAutisticBrain
,writes:
Insteadofthinkingonlyaboutaccommodatingtheirsonsdeficits,theycouldthink
abouthisinterests,hisabilities,hisstrengths.(Grandin181).Theresnodoubtbeing
aroundsomeonelikeChristopherishard.However,thebookshowsthereadernotto
getfrustratedwithautisticpeople.Instead,oneshouldfocusonwhatamazingmind
theycanhave.
Anothermemberofthefamily,Christophersimpetuousfather,alsohasflawed
characteristics,yetheredeemshimselfbynotgivinguponhisson.Thefatheratfirst
seemstobeanormal,lovingfather.HecomestorescueChristopheratthepolice
station.Heisasingleparenttryingtotakecareofhisson.Butasthestoryunfolds,he
seemstobeaselfcenteredliar.Topunishhiswifewhohaslefthim,hetellshisson
theterribleliethathismotherhasdied,andhidesallthelettersfromthemothertohis
son.Furthemore,heistheonethatkillsthedogtopunishMrs.Shearwhohas
rejectedhim.Hedoesnotthinkabouthowlyingtohissoncanhurthim.Heseemsto


XXX
Jung3

havenocompunctionaboutkillingainnocentdogbecauseheisangrywiththeowner.
However,thefatherisalsohurtingbecausehiswifehaslefthimandMrs.Shearshas
rejectedhim.Hurtinghissonorthedogwasnothisintention.Herealizeshismistakes
andtriestomakeamendswithhisson.Whenhissondoesnotwantanythingwithhim,
hedoesntgiveuptrying.HeevensaysthistoChristopher:Thingscantgoonlike
this.Idontknowaboutyou,butthis...thisjusthurtstoomuch.Youbeinginthehouse
butrefusingtotalktome...Youhavetolearntotrustme...AndIdontcarehowlongit
takes...Thisismoreimportantthananythingelse.(Haddon218).Heisactually
implyingthatChristopherismoreimportantthananythingelse.Healsotriestoatone
forhisactionsbybuyingChristopheradogandcoaxhimtobewithhimevenjustafew
minutesaday.Despiteofallhisfaults,heisagoodfatherbecauseheloves
Christopher.
ThethirdandlastmemberofthefamilyisChristophersirasciblemother.Like
thefather,shealsohasflawedcharacteristicsbutsheredeemsherselfbychoosingto
bewithhersonwhenheneedshermost.Throughalmosthalfwayofthebook,sheis
thoughttobedead.Intheprocessoftryingtofindthekillerofthedog,Christopher
inadvertentlyfindsoutthathismotherhadbeenhavingaffairwithMr.Shears.When
Christopherfindsthehiddenletters,herealizesthatshehaselopedwithMr.Shears.At
thispoint,sheseemsaterriblemothertobetothereader.Shehassimplyabandoned
herhusbandandherautisticson.However,thelettersdoclearlyexpressthatshe
doesntwanttoabandonChristophercompletely.Inotherwords,shewantstomaintain
agoodrelationshipwithChristopher.Alsothroughtheseletters,themotherexplains


Jung4
XXX

herreasonswhyshehadanaffairwithMr.Shears.Shementionsthatsheandher
husbandstoppedtalkingtoeachotherverymuchbecauseweknewitwouldalways
endupinanargumentanditwouldgonowhere(Haddon107).Becauseofthis,she
hadstartedtofeelverylonely.AtsomepointshesaysthatMr.Shearswastheonly
person[themother]couldreallytalkto.(Haddon107).Shealsomentionedinherletter
thatsherealized[Christopher]and[his]fatherwereprobablybetteroffif[themother]
wasntlivinginthehouse(Haddon109).Thesequotesseemtomeanthatshedidnt
necessarilyfellinlovewithMr.Shears.Instead,sheactuallythoughtthatChristopher
didntneedher.SheleftwithMr.Shearsbecausehewastheonlyoneabletoprovidea
placewhereshecangotootherthanheroldhome.ThisalsoshowsthatChristopheris
themostimportantpersoninherlife.ThisfactisfurtherprovenwhenChristopher
decidestolivewithher.Themotherwaswillingtolethersonstayforawhilehowever,
Mr.Shearswasntsoexcitedbythisfact,furtherdemonstratingthatheandthemother
werentexactlyinloveasaresult.Bythispoint,thereadershouldstartfeelingalittle
sympathetictothemotherinsteadofjudgingherasaterribleperson.
Haddons
TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNighttime
isnotonlyabook
aboutfamilyissues,butalsoshowsthereaderthattheyshouldembracehumans
insteadofjudgingthem,especiallytheoneswhoareflawed.MarkHaddonhimselfsaid

I'minterestedinhowpeopleworkandhowyouwriteaboutthattogivepeopleareal
senseofthoseworkings.(
www.goodreads.com
).Afterall,peoplemayreadgreat
literatureforfun,butitalsoallowsthemnottostereotypepeoplewhoaredifferentvery

easily.


Jung5
XXX

WorksCited
Haddon,Mark.TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNighttime.NewYork:
Doubleday,2003.Print.
Grandin,Temple,andRichardPanek.TheAutisticBrain.London:Rider,2014.Print.
Wappler,Margaret."InterviewwithMarkHaddon."Goodreads.www.goodreads.com,04
June2012.Web.17Mar.2015.
Keeton,B.J."WhatMakesGreatLiterature?"ProfessorBeej.www.professorbeej.com,
12July2010.Web.21Mar.2015.