The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime Essay

Mark Haddon’s, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, is a well written piece of fiction, that displays unique literary merit. From the very first page of the novel the reader is plunged into the interior mental landscape of a fifteen year old autistic boy named Christopher. Christopher’s understanding of the world is distinctly different than an ordinary persons. Haddon is successful in making The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, a work of art attracting and entertaining both children and adult audiences. The structure in which Haddon writes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, mirrors Christopher's approach as to the way he processes and views things in the world. Christopher relies on facts, numbers, and truth, and often resorts to visual aids or maps when he can not translate the way he feels through words. Haddon masterfully adds in visual aids of maps, math problems, and drawings along with the text to help the reader understand Christopher’s thinking process. Haddon’s prose is direct and simple, due to Christopher’s approach …show more content…
There has been a lot of criticism on whether Haddon accurately displays Asperger’s syndrome. I think theres a lot of criticism because autism can range from mild to severe, and readers want to know where specifically Christopher lies so they know that Haddon is accurate in his description.Despite this, I do not think the accuracy of autism in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, should hinder the great work of literature seen in this book. The author never mentions Christopher’s specific diagnosis in the novel, and I think Haddon did this on purpose because he did not want his book to be judged and seen as a book that gives you an inside view to someone who has