Essay on "Christophers Detective Work The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time by Mark Haddon"
Essay 4 pages (1321 words) Sources: 1
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Christopher's Detective Work:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The protagonist of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is not directly identified as autistic. The reader is led to assume that he has some type of cognitive issue given his obsession with seemingly inconsequential details and his cool, matter-of-fact discussion of his emotions, such as when he confronts the sight of a dead dog impaled by a fork. His inability to react normally with sadness initially results in being blamed for the dog Wellington's death even though he actually cares for the dog very much. However, Christopher's apparent deficit is also his great strength. Ultimately, the cognitive idiosyncrasies that underlie Christopher's recalcitrant disposition and scrupulous attention to detail lay the groundwork for his detective work into Wellington's death and lead to his unearthing of seemingly disconnected secrets within his own family. Ironically, Christopher's fierce preference for predictability -- and hence his overwrought response upon learning of his father's murder of Wellington -- serves as a foil against which his father's unpredictably grisly deed can be examined, namely, as an anomalous crime of passion, rather than a defect of character.
When Christopher begins to explore Wellington's death, he does so in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, the fictional character he idolizes. "Because it was a Good Day, I decided I would try to find out who killed Wellington because a Good Day is a day for projects and planning things" (Haddon 25). Christopher's definition of a Good Day, however, is that he sees a number of red ca
download full paper ⤓
Christopher's detective work is thus not really successful. The fact that his father killed the dog out of jealousy is a fact which emerges accidentally rather than intentionally. His detective work is also not perceived by the people around him as impressive or even as detective work at all, merely as strangeness. His investigation of the dog's death ends in him punching a policeman. He terrifies his family members by running away to London. Christopher is identified as having special needs so they are naturally concerned about him and worry that he will have trouble fending for himself. But perhaps the most ineffective aspect of Christopher's detective work is the fact he is unable to understand people's emotional motivations and that the dog was killed as a result of… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Christophers Detective Work The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time by Mark Haddon" Assignment:
Please follow exactly all the instructions below!!!!! Read “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon
Thesis: The cognitive idiosyncrasies that underlie Christopher*****'s recalcitrant disposition and scrupulous attention to detail lay the groundwork for his detective work into Wellington*****'s death and ultimately lead to his unearthing of seemingly disconnected secrets within his own family. Ironically, Christopher*****'s fierce preference for predictability —and hence his overwrought response upon learning of his father*****'s murder of Wellington—serves as a foil against which his father*****'s unpredictably grisly deed can be examined, namely, as an anomalous crime of passion, rather than a defect of character.
Instructions: The essay should be four pages long (double spaced) and be in five-paragraph form. All references and quotes from the text should be documented in MLA format. The content of the paragraphs should be as follows:
Paragraph One: the introduction, which includes the thesis as written above
Paragraph Two: examines Christopher*****'s detective strategies and how they are influenced by his unique character traits (i.e., those associated with his Asperger*****'s)
Paragraph Three: examines the results of Christopher*****'s detective work; emphasize that ultimately, Christopher doesn*****'t discover the dog*****'s killer by his own investigation, and that by that criterion, his detective work was not a success
Paragraph Four: examines the father*****'s motivations for killing Wellington (i.e., his frustration with Mrs. Shears, the dog*****'s owner and his former mistress, and the father*****'s envy of her greater affection for the dog over him and his son; the dog*****'s own aberrant behavior after surgery), and to what extent they are a reflection (or lack thereof) of the father*****'s character—noting his patience in *****"bottling up*****" of resentment for two years since his wife left him for Mr. Shears, and his continued caretaking for Christopher even after the murder (the father does not fit the profile of a sociopathic murderer; he demonstrates genuine love and responsibility toward his son)
Paragraph Five: conclusion, summarizes the ideas put forth in the three body paragraphs
How to Reference "Christophers Detective Work The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time by Mark Haddon" Essay in a Bibliography
“Christophers Detective Work The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time by Mark Haddon.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2016, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/christophers-detective-work-curious/9947929. Accessed 6 Apr 2024.
Related Essays:
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time Term Paper
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Specifically it will discuss whether Christopher actually loves his parents in the sense that people unaffected by Asperger's Syndrome… read more
Term Paper 4 pages (1413 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage
Curious Incident of the Dog Essay
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Literature is an essential aspect of language that represents a formation and confinement of artistic and classic works. It is figurative and… read more
Essay 2 pages (688 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Literature / Poetry
Nursing Novel Response the Curious Incident Essay
Nursing
Novel Response
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is set in 1998 in Swindon, England. The narrator of the story is a 15-year-old… read more
Essay 5 pages (1774 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Literature / Poetry
Dog and Nighttime Mark Haddon's the Curious Term Paper
Dog and Nighttime
Mark Haddon's the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a particularly unique glimpse into the mind of an autistic child. Largely, the book is… read more
Term Paper 5 pages (1734 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens
Christopher Columbus -- a Hero? Research Paper
Christopher Columbus -- a Hero? Or Not.
The legacy of Christopher Columbus -- in many people's minds -- entails bravery, heroism, courage and resolve. But does this man really deserve… read more
Research Paper 5 pages (1577 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA Topic: World History
Sat, Apr 6, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!