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The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time Analysis

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Raising children can be quite the challenge. Dropping them off at school and picking them up, cooking their meals, packing their lunch, doing their laundry, organizing playdates, bringing them to activities, to put it briefly, parenting is a full time job. For families already low on free time, these “jobs” can become a source of stress in their day to day lives. And that stress can even be multiplied by external factors such as being a single parent or having a kid with particular needs. The cumulated stress can then create problems in a relationship, such is the case in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. In the novel, Mark Haddon shines a spotlight on the added strain and the weight a child with special needs can …show more content…

He then proceeds to say how he saw her less often, indicating troubles in the relationship. Throughout the book, subtle clues such as these are often hidden in plain sight, oblivious to the narrator yet distinguishable by the readers. Put briefly, the clues scattered in the novel by the narrator give the readers an additional insight to the status of the various relationships in the book. Furthermore, the author incorporates conflict among the relationships to bring forth how Christopher’s presence can be troublesome. In the very beginning, it can be determined that Christopher is more demanding than the average child. His dislike of the colour yellow, the necessity that his food does not touch, and his trouble in crowded places can be more than a handful. The former fact proves to be true when the boy comes across a letter written by his mother. She states her difficulty raising him and coping with his bizarre behaviour, and thought leaving him with his dad would be best. Her thought process illustrates the troubles a parent can have with their special needs child, and the strain it can put on a marriage. Additionally, it is hinted that the relationship between Mrs. Shears and Mr. Boone came to an abrupt end because of her unwillingness to live with Christopher. When explaining the situation to his son, Ed says: “We’re not exactly low-maintenance, are we…?” (Haddon 2003) By saying they are not “low-maintenance” Ed acknowledges the difficulties of

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