The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time Analysis

While trust is a somewhat common theme in modern novels, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time manages to show how this idea affects people who live under atypical circumstances. Haddon tells the story through the eyes of Christopher, a fifteen-year-old autistic boy whose view of life, as well as his understanding of the world, is drastically different from that of any other teenager. Christopher is extremely sensitive, and is only comfortable in familiar surroundings and with familiar people. His daily routine consists of a series of complicated systems and he is very deeply affected when treated badly by other people. The book's two major themes come into play when Christopher must begin to face the real, adult world, where webs of lies, deception, and complex emotions reside. For the past two years, Christopher has believed his mother to be dead from a heart attack. He accepts this even though he never validates it- he never saw the body, never attended a funeral. It is easier for him this way, or course- it saves him from entering new places and encountering strangers. Venturing out of his comfort zone is a stressful and very difficult task for Christopher. With his mother gone, Christopher's family consists of himself, …show more content…
If he feels unsafe in his surroundings, he is not able to function. After he learns that he cannot trust either of his parents, he becomes lost. For non-autistic people, trust is important- it is the base for most relationships. Without trust, people sometimes feel uncomfortable and perhaps frustrated, but normally do not feel completely unsafe. As a result of his autism, Christopher feels like his reality is threatened by his lack of the capability to trust his parents. He wants to be able to have a normal, systematic life- go to school, watch videos, take care of Toby- but he can't if he doesn't have a stable and safe place to