Introduction
A story about a young boy of age fifteen who suffers from an autism-like condition, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime , is a murder mystery novel (Haddon, 2007, p. 3/5) that revolves around the curious mystery of the dead dog. Written by award winning British author Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was published in 2003. In the novel, young Christopher’s world expands as he experiences things he had never before thought of, such as the arrest by the police (Haddon, 2007, p. 5/11), he also gets to realize things he did not know of there-before such as the affair between his mother and Mr. Shears, their neighbor and even goes to London in search of her. At the end of the novel, the young man makes up with his father (Haddon, 2007, p. 91/467) and completing his A-level Mathematics examinations and waiting to go off to the university.
Impact of a Narrator
The presence of a narrator in a story often impacts the story in a number of ways. For one, as is the case in the story, the narrator helps to determine the point of view from which a story should be considered while also offering a sense of life into any given story. As such, Christopher offers a first person perspective of the story. The presence of the narrator also injects a sense of life into a story by involving the audience more and making the story a lot more interactive; as is the case with Christopher who draws in the reader into the story. By making a story sound more realistic and believable, the narrator, in this case Christopher, helps attract and thereafter retain the attention of the reader by taking them on a journey through the story.
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Choice of Christopher as a Narrator
As a narrator, the choice of Christopher has certain effects on this story. Being a fifteen year old individual living with autism, Christopher offers a unique perspective on life and on the story. Being not so young (and neither so old) his involvement promises innocence and hope for the future, offering the readers a chance to grow up with him. His involvement also promises the reader a journey through the mind of a teenager (a promise that is dispelled by the fact that he is no ordinary fifteen year old).
Christopher’s Condition
Having autism, Christopher’s condition influences the story and also affects the response of the reader. First, being autistic, the involvement of Christopher makes the reader tend towards sympathy for him, for his view of the world and for his reactions to stimuli that others would consider normal such as the encounter with the police at the scene where the dog was found murdered (Haddon, 2007, p. 3) or with his father towards the end of the story (Haddon, 2007, p.85/439). His presence as the narrator also makes the story a lot more unique, given that his ability to decipher the world is remarkably different from that of others. Further, Christopher’s involvement invokes a sense of mystery and increases the eagerness of the reader to indulge in the story. Christopher’s involvement also confers upon the story an innocent tone, being the young boy that he is.
Reliable Narrator
In this story, the reliability of Christopher may actually be enhanced by his autism like condition which makes him unique as a narrator. As a teenager, he has a fresh take on life, a fact that offers a new perspective and takes the reader on a journey as he develops from the small town boy into the mature teenager who knows London. His autism also helps his reliability, making him dwell on mundane details that add a sense of detail into the story. That his condition disrupts his ability to communicate, as portrayed in the scene where he was arrested by the police, and makes the story what it is. His unique numbering of pages also makes the story quite different from others and offers a sense of intrigue to the reader.
Different Character Narrating
Had a different character told the story, it is likely that certain differences would have been evident. For one, the tone of the story would have changed from the current innocence and hope that it bears. It is also possible that a different character may not have evoked feelings of sympathy in the readers as Christopher does. The possibility exists that certain details such as the awkward social interactions, such as the one between Christopher and Mr. Jeavons, (Haddon, 2007, p.23/101) in which he seems to tell off the older guy, would have been omitted. Further, some reactions such as the one that Christopher had when faced with possible arrest would not have been witnessed if a different character had been the narrator.
First Person Perspective
As a choice, the use of the first person perspective is effective for use in novels. It helps to present the story from a unique point of view and offers the reader a chance to be more involved in the story being detailed. Additionally, the use of the first person perspective also allows the audience to relate to the story therein even more by creating a sort of connection between the narrator and the audience. As Easley (2017) puts it, the use of the first person perspective helps to immerse the reader deeper into the story.
Conclusion
Overall, the use of Christopher as the narrator in the story confers upon it a unique perspective that draws in the reader. The inclusion of the teenage boy with autism however raises certain questions as to the effectiveness of the narrative perspective. A different narrator, however, would probably have shifted the tone of the story. In general the use of the first person perspective has been of importance in inviting the audience to participate more meaningfully in the story.
References
Easley, A. (2017). First-Person Anonymous: Women Writers and Victorian Print Media, 1830–1870 . Routledge.
Folde, C. (2017). Non-Fictional Narrators in Fictional Narratives. The British Journal of Aesthetics .
Haddon, M. (2007). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time . National Geographic Books.
