Christopher Boone Character Analysis Essay

“Struggle is the meaning of life; defeat or victory is in the hands of God. But struggle itself is man’s duty and should be his joy.” Aga Khan III.  

Struggles in life are needed to succeed. Anything worth doing requires overcoming challenges to achieve something worthwhile. In the book curious incident of the dog in the night-time, Christopher is a young boy who learns lessons such as how anyone can turn a weakness into a strength. One can do anything if they put their mind to it. Even if some have a more difficult time getting through the struggles in life than others, they still can achieve a positive outcome.

Christopher has autism and thinks differently than other people, but despite this challenge, he still overcomes his trials and tribulations and turns them into victories. For example, he achieves succeeds ian n passing his A-level mathematics exam. Christopher vows to himself and says "I am going to prove that I'm not stupid. Next month I'm going to take my A level in maths and I'm going to get an A grade." (Christopher Boone, Chapter 71, Page. 44).  He challenges himself and becomes confident that he will achieve an A grade in his mathematics exam, and so works extra hard to prepare himself for the highest chance of success and nothing short of an A grade. Another example of Christopher turning his autism into a strength is when he was looking for his book. His stubbornness and perseverance make him continue to search for his book despite having a difficult time finding it. Christopher continuously searches for his book, and it is then that he finds something in addition to the book he was looking for!. Christopher also found letters addressed to him from his mother after she had passed away. He discovered that his mother is still alive. "Then I stopped reading the letter because I felt sick. Mother had not had a heart attack. Mother had not died. Mother had been alive all the time. And Father had lied about this." (Christopher Boone, Chapter 157, Page. 112). After discovering the truth about his mother, he ended up travelling to London and reunited with his mother. In this story, there are many examples of Christopher overcoming his challenges. "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." (Christopher Boone, Chapter 233, Page. 221)  This shows that even with challenges, one can be successful. Christopher’s perseverance helped him transform from an unsocial and timid teenager, into a brave and successful young adult.

Christopher shows that if he puts his mind to something, he can do anything. An example of this was when he was fruitful in his investigation to find out who killed the dog. When confronted by Christopher’s father, he admits that he killed Wellington. “I killed Wellington, Christopher”. (Page 120, Chapter 167) . He committed this crime because he thought Mrs. Shears cared more for the dog than for them. Christopher also discovered that his father lied to him and that his mother was still alive. “I didn’t know what to say… I was in such a mess… She left a note and… Then she rang and… I said she was in hospital because… because I didn’t know how to explain. It was so complicated. So difficult. And I… I said she was in the hospital. And I know it wasn’t true. But once I’d said that… I couldn’t… I couldn’t change it. Do you understand… Christopher…? Christopher…? It just… It got out of control and I wish…” (Page 115, Chapter 157). Christopher was angry because his father lied to him. He knew that Christopher's mother was still alive but never once mentioned it. Christopher’s father should not have lied. He broke Christopher's trust. Since Christopher’s father was not only a liar but also a murderer, he decided to live with his mother. He travelled to London by himself even though he was terrified. “I’m going to London.” (Page 133, Chapter 173). The trip was terrified and uncomfortable but Christopher persevered through his hardships and made it to London. Christopher shows that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. For example, he investigated the death of Wellington, he discovered that his father lied to him and found out the truth about his mother, and finally, he travelled to London alone even if he was intimidated. Even though Christopher showed courage and perseverance, his journey was challenging and frightening. Yet, Christopher realizes that there is no one he can rely on but himself.  

Christopher learns that some people have a more difficult time getting through life than others. An example of this is when he realized why his father lied to him. “I did it for your good, Christopher. Honestly, I did. I never meant to lie. I just thought… I just thought it was better if you didn’t know… that… that… I didn’t mean to… I was going to show them to you when you were older.” (Page 114, Chapter 157) 

Christopher trusted his father and therefore could not understand why he kept the truth from him. He felt betrayed by his father’s action because. During this conversation when Christopher found out about his mother, he also revealed why Wellington was killed.“I think she cared more for that bloody dog than for me, for us.” (Page 121, Chapter 167)  Christopher is confused about why his father’s revenge was taken out on Wellington. Once Christopher discovered the truth about his mother, he also understood why she left. “Did it make you upset to find out that your mother and Mr. Shears had an affair?” (Page 75, Chapter 109)  Christopher understood why his mother left them but was still uncertain why his father lied to him. At this point, his mother is the only person he can trust and therefore decides to travel to London. Christopher figures out that he has a different life than others, and understands that he has it harder because his father lied to him, his best friend was killed, and his mother moved away to live with Mr. Shears. Throughout the book, Christopher overcomes all the challenges thrown at him and learns different skills through his mistakes which enables him to better understand the world around him. 

In conclusion, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. Christopher learns lessons about how anyone can turn a weakness into a strength, one can do anything if you put your mind to it and some have a more difficult time getting through life than others. Christopher now understands his situation after learning the truth. He can now piece together all the information about the mysteries. Christopher now feels confident and feels like he can do anything. He knows that he can be successful and smart, and feels that he can now be independent and take care of others.

References

Haddon, M. (2004). The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Random House Adult. (Original work published 2003).