The Curious Incident...: Character Profiles

The Curious Incident…: Character Profiles

Character Profiles: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Christopher Boone

• Autistic Spectrum: Christopher is a fifteen-year-old boy with an unnamed condition akin to Asperger’s syndrome. He struggles with social interactions and has difficulty interpreting the world around him.
• Mathematical Genius: His fondness for maths and logic presents a stark contrast to his problems understanding the subtleties of human emotion.
• Black-and-White Worldview: He perceives the world in a very literal way, with little capacity to comprehend metaphors or figures of speech.
• Fear of Strangers: Christopher has a deep-seated fear of strangers, compounded by his father’s deception regarding his mother’s disappearance.
• Growth and Development: Despite his condition, Christopher displays remarkable resilience and determination. He overcomes fears and personal limitations to investigate Wellington’s death and later, to find his mother.

Ed Boone (Christopher’s Father)

• Protective: Ed is a caring father who wants to spare Christopher from further emotional distress, leading him to lie about Judy’s whereabouts.
• Quick-Tempered: He sometimes loses his temper with Christopher, revealing his inability to fully comprehend Christopher’s autism.
• Conflicted and Guilty: He feels guilt over killing Wellington and deceiving his son about his mother. His actions are morally ambiguous but driven by a sense of helplessness and desperation.
• Love for Christopher: Despite the difficult circumstances, Ed loves Christopher and the end of the novel sees the two beginning to rebuild their relationship.

Judy Boone (Christopher’s Mother)

• Loving but Overwhelmed: Judy loves Christopher but struggles to cope with his behavioural problems and needs. She feels overwhelmed, leading to her decision to leave.
• Impulsive: Her impulsive decision to leave the family and move to London with Mr. Shears is portrayed as selfish and thoughtless.
• Remorseful: Upon Christopher’s arrival in London, she expresses remorse for leaving and attempts to rebuild their relationship.

Siobhan

• Understanding and Empathetic: Siobhan, Christopher’s special-needs teacher, is perhaps the only character who truly understands Christopher.
• Guiding Light: She helps Christopher interpret the world and provides him with the tools to cope with his condition.

Roger Shears and Eileen Shears

• Roger Shears: He had an affair with Judy, leading to the breakdown of his marriage with Eileen. The Shears’ dysfunctional relationship is presented in contrast with the Boones’.
• Eileen Shears: Having initially sided with the Boones, she later becomes hostile towards them. Her relationship with Christopher is complicated and strained after Wellington’s death.

Remember examining each character’s actions, motivations, relationships, and character development is essential for a nuanced understanding of Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”.