Mark Haddon’s 2003 mystery novel ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,’ examines how diverse perspectives are presented through numerous language and stylistic techniques. Predominant techniques used to convey these perspectives include the first-person narrative perspective of Christopher, the narrative conversion through letters from mother, and Christopher’s interactions with society. These techniques contribute to the development and exploration of perspectives throughout the novel.
Haddon’s use of first-person narration enables the reader to experience Christopher’s perception of the world and his terminal struggle with human interaction and fundamental concepts. This technique provides an understanding of living with Asperger’s …show more content…
In her letters, Mother admittedly reveals her incompetency to nurture Christopher’s special needs by stating, ‘I wasn’t a very good mother Christopher. Maybe if things had been differant, maybe if you’d been differant, I might have been better at it’ (pg. 133). Christopher’s mother expresses a sense of melancholy through her reminiscence of positive memories, ‘I was looking through some old photos last night, which made me sad’ (pg. 131), suggesting the hurt she feels without Christopher in her life. Through her narration, Haddon manifests Mother’s previously unseen characteristics of solicitude and affection to generate the readers sympathetic perspective of mother. Moreover, the reader acquires a stronger empathetic perspective of Mother after she explains her struggle to tolerate Christopher’s behavior and grow a positive relationship with him. Following Christopher’s overwhelming tantrum in a shopping center, Mother reflects on her husband’s superior parenting skills and relationship with Christopher. The reader discovers Mother’s domineering motive for abandoning Christopher when she mentions, ‘it was like you didn’t really need me at all’ and ‘I realised you and your father were probably better off if I wasn’t living in the house’. Her justification for leaving Christopher depicts her as a fragile but loving mother. Haddon’s use of Mother’s perspective transfigures her character whilst providing an insight into the hardships of living with someone like Christopher. Furthermore, Haddon reconstructs the viewers perspective of father, recreating him as the antagonist for concealing Mother’s letters and faking her death. Mother’s letters ultimately influence the crisis of Christopher’s journey to his mother in