Compare and Contrast Essay: The Curious Incident of the Dog vs. Fish Cheeks

Parents cause difficulties for their children at times, even when their intentions are good. This theme is developed in the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog” by Mark Haddon and the short story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan. The character Christopher is autistic and is misunderstood by various people. In “Fish cheeks”, the main character Amy is ashamed of her Chinese culture primarily due to her family's poor manners but also her perceptions of the food. The novel “The Curious Incidents” originated the theme because Christopher’s mother (Mother) left Christopher to go to London thinking that it will boost Christopher and Father’s connection. In the short story “Fish Cheeks”, Amy’s mother thought inviting the Minister’s family would be a great idea but it totally backfired.

Parents can hinder a child sometimes even though they have promising intentions. Leaving Christopher to go to London had great intentions indeed; however, in fact, it did the exact opposite. In reply, Father murdered Wellington under overwhelming stress of being cheated on and rejected by Mrs. Shears. In addition to that, Christopher was misunderstood by a lot of people, and perhaps Mother would help if she didn’t leave. According to the novel, it states, “He was asking too many questions and he was asking them too quickly. They were stacking up in my head like loaves in the factory” (Haddon 7). This quote demonstrates how the police officer misunderstood Christopher’s disabilities and therefore disregarded his pain.

In the story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, the narrator cried because of her family’s tradition and her perception of “disgusting” Chinese food. In fact, her mother's food selection could be absolutely delicious, but she didn’t realize that Amy viewed the food as “disgusting”. Get the point here? Her parents and relatives simply didn’t understand Amy’s needs and dislikes even though they held positive intentions. According to “Fish Cheeks”, it says “What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?” (Tan line 6-8). Her mother had great intentions but it only caused Amy to be embarrassed, which once again proves the theme.

All in all, sometimes parents see things from a different point of view than the child. This can lead to misunderstanding without the parent even knowing it. “Curious of the Incidents” and “Fish Cheeks” effectively illustrated this theme because Christopher’s mother went to London and Amy’s mother invited the minister and his son.