To what extend do you think Christopher’s differences limit or expand his perspective on

people and the world around him?

Uniqueness, in this world that full of predictabilities brings a change and a new perspective.

Uniqueness is not limiting, in fact, it is liberating. The protagonist of the novel, The Curious

Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher Boone has a very special sight. He sees and

understanding the world in ways that are foreign to other people, while expecting the people to

understand his version of reality. In this essay, we will discuss how Christopher’s autism is both

limiting and liberating, giving him a wider perspective about the surrounding world.

There are many aspects of life that are confusing and unclear for Christopher, limiting his

everyday social interactions. The only refuges from those obscurities are in subjects like math

and physics for him since they provide a clear set of rules, with no sudden variations. When

Christopher says that: “Mr. Jeavons said that I liked maths because it was safe… And what he

meant was that maths wasn’t like life because in life there are no straightforward answers at the

end.” (Haddon 28), there is a contrast implied by Christopher between subject math, which is

“safe” and provides straight answers, with the much more complex subject that is life itself. This

situation represents opposite binaries. While math represents enjoyment and confidence for

Christopher, life is the exact opposite, leaving him uncertain of how to deal with it, how to

“solve” the problem.

Life demands a person to be socially active which is a great feat for Christopher. Instead of

trying to interact, he rather live in a world that is empty. Christopher has his “favorite” dream,

“And in the dream nearly everyone on the earth is dead… And eventually there is no one left

in the world except people who don’t look at other people’s faces and who don’t know
what these pictures mean and these people are all special people like me.” (Haddon 93). This

dream implies his deep wish of not interacting with anyone. He prefers his logical subjects to be

his companion rather than have to deal with crowds, which have a frightening effect on him.

Moreover, the main individuals left alive in the dream are individuals who Christopher says

resemble him, which means individuals with a similar condition. On the off chance that the lone

individuals with the similar condition stayed alive, Christopher would be an average individual,

instead of an atypical individual as he at present may be, uncovering Christopher's powerful urge

to never again feel like an untouchable.

Christopher shows multiple Autistic characteristics in his daily life, and is extremely obsessive

and gets treated differently by professional adults in his area. His autism not only provides him

with a larger frame to look at the world, it also ties him down socially. To conclude this essay, it

can be said that this novel highlights both, the shortcomings of Christopher’s as well as

emphasizes his intelligence.

Work cited