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Christopher Boone

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As the first page is turned, we are confronted with Christopher Boone; a standoffish, apprehensive boy who knows little about emotions and lots about math. However, Christopher John Francis Boone is quite a remarkable boy. In Mark Haddon’s novel, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,” we see just how remarkable Christopher can be as his journey changes him from an aloof, unassured boy to someone who cultivates the confidence to believe that they can do anything. As we begin the book, the unsociable and apprehensive nature of Christopher is made quite apparent. Upon entering his neighbor’s garden, Christopher is disturbed to find Wellington--Ms. Shear’s large, black poodle--lying still on the ground, a garden fork protruding from …show more content…

In a moment of overwhelming sadness and confusion, Christopher kneels and hugs the dog close to his body, wondering who would commit such a heinous crime. His thoughts are interrupted, however, by the presence of a policeman who makes an unwelcomed intrusion in Christopher’s valuable personal space. In his mindset of isolation and unsociability, the policeman coming and disrupting that valued space sends Christopher’s brain off into a panicky, explosive wave of terror. As the policeman yells and demands answers as to why this fifteen year old boy is cradling the corpse of a dead animal, Christopher can only “put [his] hands over [his] ears and close [his] eyes, rolled forward till [he] was hunched up with [his] forehead pressed onto the grass” (HADDON, 4.) Everyday confrontation and conversation causes Christopher to cringe with an indescribable anguish, to which he has no other response then to block out the world around him, creating a safe, protected shelter from all that cannot be …show more content…

Who was once a shy, alienated boy is now a confident and determined young man. Finding Wellington murdered, learning about the mother he knew to be dead, and traveling to London has shaped this transformation. After discovering that his mother was in fact alive, Christopher had to make an incredibly bold decision: whether to stay home in fear of his father, or travel into the frightening, unknown world. With his mind and his heart set on London, he tactfully navigates his way and reaches a goal he never thought he’d reach--his mother. As he looks back on his journey, Christopher recognizes that he alone was the one who achieved all of this greatness, and in a beautiful and touching line, proudly states that “I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means that I can do anything” (HADDON, 221.) By journeying from Swindon to London, Christopher had to navigate large crowds and strange people, as well as his own fear of both. Overcoming these feats has shaped Christopher from aloof and unconfident to bold and hopeful. Christopher has grown into someone he never imagined he would

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