The Concluding Sentence

As a result of this quote, I sometimes wish that I could live a life free of some of the wide range of emotions that I am lucky to have:

“And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? And I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything” (page 221).

Since Christopher doesn’t get caught up in all of the everyday drama that surrounds him he is content with a lot of the smaller steps that he manages to make.  Despite his inability to accurately portray love or anguish Christopher still has the ability to feel proud of what he has accomplished.   In this way he contains just as much of the innate human “aliveness” as anyone else, he just focuses in on it in very different ways.  That is what makes us complex.  The feelings that we let affect us, and that shape the ontological view of our own lives, is ultimately what determines the way we live, interact, etc.  So while humans are machines of sorts, they are all programmed in extremely different ways.

Religion

“People believe in God because the world is very complicated and they think it is very unlikely that anything as complicated as a flying squirrel or the human eye or a brain could happen by chance.  But they should think logically and if they thought logically they would see that they can only ask this question because it has already happened and they exist.  And there are billions of planets where there is no life, but there is no one on those planets with brains to notice” (page 164).

Do people with mental disorders, such as Christopher’s, often experience this lack of religious beliefs?  Are religious beliefs defied by logic?  The point of view of Christopher is an incredibly interesting one with which to approach the idea of faith and to credit or discredit various parts of it.  I can’t help but wonder if Christopher’s inability to believe in “God” is a result of his cognitive disorder or if it is a product of his upbringing.  I was amused when he cited “flying squirrel[s]”, the “human eye” and “a brain” as things that couldn’t happen by chance in the mind of most and it reminded me of the sarcastic way in which this organization approaches the issue of religion *wave cursor over space following semicolon to find link* : http://www.subgenius.com/

Even though Christopher probably doesn’t mean to address the issue with sarcasm, since it’s not in his general range of emotions, it still heavily reminds me of many organizations that point out the lack of logic in religion.

Insight into Autism

On page 155 of “the curious incident” Christopher lists out a timetable of his daily routine.  He is incredibly specific, citing things such as “8:43 AM: Go past tropical fish shop”.  One of my really good friends, Ethan, is autistic and this concise schedule reminds me a lot of him.  It provides great insight into how many individuals who are autistic like to schedule their day.  This idea of a “routine” fits in well with the idea of humans operating systematically that I discussed in my first blog post.  This is also a perfect example of the type of clinical education this novel can provide that is discussed here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2005.02126.x/full

That is one thing that I find particularly appealing about the novel—it is an enjoyable fictional read, providing valid entertainment.  However, at the same time it can teach the reader a lot about the day-to-day lifestyles of many individuals around the globe.  It provides a deeper understanding of the thought process of someone who has autism, thus making their lives less mysterious to me. 

Directly after typing what I just said I chuckled out loud.  Why do I find it so amazing that this novel gives the perspective of someone who has autism?  Shouldn’t any perspective other than my own have the result of making that individual’s brain less mysterious?  In reality, none of us think in exactly the same way.  How strange humanity is that we like to focus in on the radical differences when very interesting subtle differences exist between us all.  We are so psychologically convinced that the majority of us would have the same general reactions that novels popularizing extreme reactions, such as those from individuals with autism, are seen as revolutionary.

Memory

“I don’t know what happened then because there is a gap in my memory, like a bit of the tape had been erased” (page 113). 

Memory really is like a bit of tape.  It is interesting that we all find our memories to be so reliable, as if they are definite and can in no way be altered.  In arguments I often find myself using the logic that I am right because I remember it happening that way—however, who’s to say that is a compelling argument at all?  This novel has made me wonder if I would be more content with the way my memory currently functions or if I would rather have it be encyclopedia-esque like Christopher’s memories.  There are times when both serve a positive purpose: my manner of remembering is good for nostalgia’s sake yet Christopher’s serves very practical purposes. 

This focus on memory brings to mind the eerie thought that humanity does not in fact know anything for sure.  Where does one place their confidence if there is no way of being sure of things?  This book is continuously revealing deeper questions to me that one does not normally think about.

A Tone of Sadness

When Christopher discovers the box of letters that his mother has been sending to him it is heartbreaking to me.  The thing that makes it the most sad is how Christopher is unwilling to originally stray from his father’s word that his mother had died—he trusts so much in the things that his father tells him that his brain limits the possible explanations that could be made for why the letter he reads is dated 18 months after his mother’s death.  For some reason that I’m not completely sure of this song, along with the music video, has come to my mind multiple times while reading Haddon’s novel (especially at this point in the novel when he finds the letters) *wave your mouse over the blank space below and the link will pop up* :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghPcYqn0p4Y

Christopher is trapped in his head so much and I think he realizes this but doesn’t have a reaction to it—the reason he doesn’t have a reaction is because he functionally can’t.  The overall tone of the novel as a result of this gives the same feel as this song does; you can feel that there is an innate ability to move on in life and there is a constant progression forward but it’s filled with an empty sadness.  Christopher’s life seems to be still-frames since he lives according to the basic and doesn’t clutter his life up with the emotional baggage that most people do.

Senses--Emotions

I found myself oddly moved by this following statement: “…he smelled of something I do not know the name of which Father often smells of when he comes home from work” (page 66).  This point in the novel is a point where I felt a clear confliction between the emotional and the non-emotional.  This, I believe, is a result of my personal experience with the way my own Father smells when coming home from work.  Christopher’s description of that scent is extremely easy for me to understand and relate to since my Daddy, who works at Detroit Edison, has always carried this “work scent” that I can’t quite place my finger on.  For me, this scent triggers an emotional response since it reminds me of when my father would come home from work when I was little and I would be excited to snuggle up on the couch while he read to me.  The scent exists as more than just a scent, but as a reminder of important memories and a symbol of the relationship between me and my Dad. 

It is bizarre to think that to Christopher it is just a smell; while he does correlate it with his father it is not on an emotional but a factual one.  As I found myself expressing shock at this realization I then began to question what it is about the way Christopher views this scent without an emotional attachment that makes it shocking.  The answer that I came up with was simply that I felt bad for Christopher for not being able to experience something that carries such a strong emotional weight (that is also a happy sort of weight).  Familial bonds are fun bonds to have and experience and while Christopher has those bonds, he doesn’t take the same values away from them.  Yet despite all of this, the way Christopher views the scent is in no way incorrect.  In fact, all of his observations as they pertain to the scent are 100% accurate.  It is exactly this that exists within Haddon’s writing that makes his novel so powerful; it allows for a direction comparison between what the reader thinks of situations and the way that Christopher thinks of situations.  In other words: “he makes the situation tragic by suggesting that the very linearity and closed logic of the autistic mind is as believable and valid as the normally non-linear way of thinking that we take for granted” ( http://www.jstor.org/stable/4614734 )

What would life be like if we lived it for only the facts and not the emotions?  It is a strange think for me to wrap my mind around.

To Metaphor or not to Metaphor

 “I find people confusing.  This is for two main reasons…the second main reason is that people often talk using metaphors…I think it should be called a lie” (page 15).

It is interesting to me that this is said by Christopher within the novel since much of the literary criticism towards “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time” is directed at its lack of descriptive language—Christopher directly answers that by calling metaphoric language a lie.  The novel, in many parts, reads like a textbook due to the manner of speaking that Christopher is prone to using.  When it comes to this topic I agree with the article found here: http://www.jstor.org/pss/30047100

The very impact of the work seems to lie in its lack of descriptive language.  It took me a while to get used to the unique style the work was written it but ultimately allowed me to enjoy the novel more than most.  Additionally, it ties in well with this theme that I have noticed where the emotional aspect of humans is what makes them complex.  By breaking down the language that is used to the sheer necessities, Haddon makes the plot feel real but also perceptively different from what most consider the norm.  It displays the more systematic nature of humans; almost what one would associate with the “Id”.  

Christopher's Philosophy

I have been struggling to get a handle on the exact life philosophy that Christopher seems to live by.  In trying to reach a conclusion I have started with the place where Haddon’s novel gets its name.  This source is two-fold.  While it does deal with the actual context of the story, and the death of Christopher’s neighbor’s dog, it also draws some inspiration from the following quote:

‘Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?’

‘To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.’

‘The dog did nothing in the night-time.’

‘That was the curious incident,’ remarked Sherlock Holmes.

                                                ‘Silver Blaze’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Utilizing that, in combination with George and Jonathan Lewis’s critical research article found here: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4614734 , I have determined that much of what Christopher holds to be true stems from the significance that he gives to practically every event.  Each thing that occurs in his life holds importance until he is either told that it shouldn’t or he logically figures out a reason why it shouldn’t hold importance.  For instance, he carries around pictures of faces displaying a variety of different emotions thinking that doing that is significant.  When he stumbles upon a face external to those he carries with him, however, and fails to recognize it he throws away the faces he previously carried.  His inability to benefit from them discredited his initial reasoning for carrying them in the first place.  In this manner, the “non-occurrence” of events is just as important as the occurrence of events. 

A perfect textual example of this philosophy playing out is the way in which Christopher describes what prime numbers are.  Instead of just saying that a prime number is only divisible by one and itself he defines it according to a process; i.e. when you take away multiples of 2, and then multiples of 3, etc. you will then have a prime number.  This stripping away of things in order to reach an end result instead of just defining the object in and of itself shows that Christopher views things as having contextual purpose instead of existing as just a sole artifact.

This relates back to my previous musings about the complexity of human emotions.  The context of human being is what creates the complexities of that being—if there existed no outside factors the being would not have the emotional backdrop that makes it complex.  Because of this, Christopher’s quote rings incredibly true with me:  “I think prime numbers are like life.  They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them” (page 12).

Understanding the Universe

“And then I thought about how for a long time scientists were puzzled by the fact that the sky is dark at night, even though there are billions of stars in the universe and there must be stars in every direction you look, so that the sky should be full of starlight because there is very little in the way to stop the light from reaching earth.  Then they worked out that the universe was expanding, that the stars were all rushing away from one another after the Big Bang, and the further the stars were away from us the faster they were moving, some of them nearly as fast as the speed of light, which was why their light never reached us.  I like this fact.  It is something you can work out in your own mind just by looking at the sky above your head at night and thinking without having to ask anyone” (page 10).

After rereading this passage approximately six times in order to wrap my mind around the scientific phenomenon that was being explained, I still do not fully understand it.  Christopher thinks it is obvious information.

Christopher seems to always view the things that I find complicated in the simplest ways.  Logic is something that most people can understand at basic levels but Christopher seems to have been born with the ability to logically decipher almost every situation.   This article sheds some interesting light on some of the complex subjects that Christopher masters: http://roanoke.edu/Documents/curious_astronomy.pdf

While this may not have been Haddon’s intent, I feel like the ability of Christopher to “master the universe”, at least theoretically, is an extended metaphor for the way his brain functions as a whole.  This may be a stretch, but I feel like it ultimately implies that if humans had the ability to completely remove the emotional aspect of them they would be capable of mastering any concept.  It is often the “human” part of them that prevents them from understanding a concept.  The idea of death in this context is a perfect example to look at.  Those who engage with emotions see death as not something natural, but as something personally threatening.  It is a phenomenon that extends beyond emotional human comprehension and ends up being psychologically overwhelming.  Absent that emotion death is just viewed as a process and has no impact on the individual.

Human Mechanics

Within the first three pages of Mark Haddon’s, “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time”, I have already found myself questioning the complexity of human emotions.  The ability to feel a wide range of emotions, and to depict those emotions in the people one is surrounded by, is something that the majority of individuals take for granted.  Christopher Boone’s statement that “people’s faces move very quickly” (page 3) was amusing to me—yet at the same time it made me question what it is that connects the thoughts and feelings we experience psychologically to our physical portrayals of those thoughts and feelings. Humans legitimately are machines of sorts that take information, use the brain to process it and then react to it in the way that they feel programmed to.

Having picked up this novel already knowing that it is about a boy with autism, and then stumbling upon this initial realization about the way emotions play out in the minds of human beings, I have presented myself with a question: Do those who have autism really have a 'disability' or do they simply process information in a more systematic way?

Perhaps those who read that question could argue that the logic needed to approach the question would imply that humans lack the very 'aliveness' or 'humanness' that makes them different from other species.  The root idea that the question gets at is that humans are reactionary and predictable instead of complex. However, I think it is this very idea that we could just be systematic creatures that ultimately makes us complex.