Detectives and investigators, described in the writings of the corresponding genre of mystery novel, are usually experienced and competent specialists, but modern authors introduce novice detectives increasingly more often. These young explorers are normally children, teenagers or very young adults, who are enthusiastic and determined enough to find the core of the mystery and disguise the truth. The novel entitled “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time” by M.Haddon portrays an immature detective, whose peculiar outlook slows down the investigation, but helps reader engage with the process of exploration and feel unity with the protagonist; the major implication of this technique is thus a creation of the reality, in which Christopher and reader make efforts to penetrate into the mystery side buy side.
First of all, it needs to be noted that Christopher is a person with special needs, as he has autism and his communication with the outside world is thus quite complicated. Thus, he is not always able to understand human emotions and interpret the meanings individuals put into their claims: “I got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant. I kept the piece of paper in my pocket and took it out when I didn’t understand what someone was saying. But it was very difficult to decide which of the diagrams was most like the face they were making” (Haddon, 2003). Nevertheless, he is armed enough with his extraordinary mathematical talents and pure logic, not influenced by emotions. As one can understand, if he didn’t have this barrier of autism, he would probably have contacted more with his neighbors and discovered all secrets much sooner.
On the other hand, the mystery novel implies the presence of a subjective mystery, which should become a challenge for a protagonist (Moore, 2003). In the novel being discussed, the protagonist is mysterious as well, so the reader’s attention is divided into two almost equal parts: the first one belongs to the investigation, whereas the second one relates to Christopher’s personality. Each statement about his preferences, lifestyle and hobbies seems a bit strange to an ordinary person: “In proper novels people say things like ‘I am veined with iron, with silver and with streaks of common mud. I cannot contract into the firm fist which those clench who do not depend on stimulus’. What does this mean? I don’t know” (Haddon, 2003). This teenager also considers days, on which he finds several yellow cars, unhappy, and always gets frustrated when facing new or unusual situations. Consequently, the choice to invent the novice detective is completely justified, as the reader is literally consumed by the methods with which Christopher builds the exploration. Christopher is unique and although not completely understandable, his portrait gives the reader an opportunity to conduct an investigation, in which emotions, affections and human relationships are “turned off”. The new abilities actually compensate with the lack of experience, moreover, allow the protagonist to uncover all secrets very gradually, so that the facts string upon one another like beads, as opposed to the traditional detectives, in which the gifted investigator gets a set of insights and generates countless ideas, which appear irrational, but workable. Christopher, on the contrary, is extremely sincere and always willing to explain his logic and reasoning, discuss the sources of his ideas and even put them into formulas and scientific definitions (McInerney, 2003).
Although the writing portrays the child, who lives behind the realm of emotions and interpersonal issues, the reader feels strong sympathy for the protagonist. “Christopher’s innocence makes him vulnerable, but protects him too. At the end, when order is restored, we see that he is a touchstone for adult behavior. Those concerned with his welfare have to learn to temper their emotional needs round his autistic inability to compromise” (Moore, 2003). His exposure to human cruelty is another stimulus for reader’s involvement into the plot, and his path to understanding adult behavior, which comes in parallel with his investigation, seems touching. The ambiguity of Christopher’s investigation is actually the aspect that helps the reader look at the world of human interactions from a different position, moreover, due to the fact that the investigation itself appears troublesome and difficult to the protagonist, the newly-discovered truth is much more valuable in the reader’s eyes, comparing to the efforts of professional detectives.
In general, readers prefer stories and novels, introducing novice detectives, as it is easier to understand the reasoning and actions of ordinary, but enthusiastic explorers, who gain new experience, learn and mature on their path to the heart of the mystery. Haddon’s novel, in addition, on the first pages persuades the reader that the protagonist needs their support and complicity, – this is probably the major source of compassion and sympathy for Christopher. Later, the reader re-discovers the world of human relationships in a totally different context and finds the new meanings of love and betrayal, which can be viewed as additional results of Christopher’s investigation, which actually determine the attractiveness of the novel.
Works cited
Haddon, M. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time. Jonathan Cape, 2003.
McInerney, J. “The Remains of the Dog”. New York Times, 2003, p. 5.
Moore, C. “Just the facts, ma’am”. Guardian, 2003, p.8.