The Curoius Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Study Guide - Fall 2014
IMPORTANT / KEY FACTS SUMMARY
Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Author: Mark Haddon.
Date Published: 2003.
Meaning of Title: A reference to the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze"
as well as the death of a neighborhood dog that initiates the plot of the novel.
Setting: Swindon and London, England.
Genre: Mystery, young adult.
Protagonist: Christopher Boone.
Antagonist: The chaotic world removed from Christopher's routine, best embodied by Ed
Boone, his father.
Mood: Serious and erudite.
Point of View: First person, narrated by Christopher (to another person) as the material of
his book.
Tense: Past tense.
Exposition: Christopher is accused of killing Mrs. Shears' dog Wellington and decides to solve
the mystery of who did this crime.
Rising Action: Christopher unravels the mystery of Wellington's death but in doing so
discovers a new mystery regarding his supposedly dead mother.
Climax: Christopher goes to London to escape his father and be with his mother.
Outcome: His mother returns with him to Swindon and Christopher begins to learn to trust
his father again.
Major Themes: The search for order and stability, and the significance of absences in life.
Minor Themes: The stability of family, the importance of mathematics and science.
LITERARY OR CULTURAL REFERENCES
Sherlock Holmes - Famous detective character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
Christopher's role model.
Doctor Watson - Companion to Sherlock Holmes and narrator of his stories.
Hound, James Mortimer's spaniel - Dogs that die in the Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of
the Baskervilles.
Sir Charles Baskerville - Murder victim in the Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the
Baskervilles.
Sir Hugo Baskerville, Mrs. Stapleton, Mr. James Mortimer, Sir Henry Baskerville, Selden Other characters in the Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Craig F. Whitaker - Submits the Monty Hall Problem to Marilyn Vos Savant's column.
Marilyn Vos Savant - Person with the highest I.Q. in the world, according to the Guinness
Book of World Records, she has a column in Parade magazine.
Robert Sachs, Scott Smith, Kent Ford, W. Robert Smith, E. Ray Bobo, Everett Harman Scientists and mathematicians who wrongly disagreed with Vos Savant's answer to the
Monty Hall Problem.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The creator of Sherlock Holmes who believed in the Cottingley
Fairies Hoax and wrote of it for The Strand.
Frances Griffiths - One of the perpetrators of the Cottingley Fairies Hoax.
Elsie Wright - The other perpetrator of the Cottingley Fairies Hoax and cousin to Frances
Griffiths.
Harold Snelling - Expert in fake photography who states the photograph of the Cottingley
Fairies were real.
Joe Cooper - Interviewed Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths in 1981, when they admitted the
photos were faked.
Arthur Shepperson - Author of Princess Mary's Gift Book, used as the basis for the fairies
drawn in the Cottingley Fairies Hoax.
Robert May, George Oster, Jim Yorke - Discovered a mathematical explanation for chaotic
animal population fluctuations.
James Gleick - The author of Chaos, a popular science book about chaos theory.
Questions
Before reading: Find information about Asperger`s Syndrome to better understand
Christopher. Write down a few sentences.
Pages 1 – 21
1. Read the first paragraph of the novel (p. 1).
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Identify Wellington and Mrs. Shears.
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After reading the first paragraph, what do you think happens next? Write a few
sentences.
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What do you learn about Christopher by reading this passage?
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What do you learn about what is important to him? How does he see things?
2. Why does Christopher tear up the piece of paper that Siobhan has drawn for him
(p. 3)?
3. Explain why Christopher likes only murder mystery novels.
4. On p. 7, Christopher presses his forehead on the ground, ignoring the policeman.
The policeman is ignorant about his condition. If we were also ignorant of his
condition in the way the policeman is, what would we think of Christopher? If the
policeman had known what we know, do you think he would have approached
Christopher differently?
5. Explain the two reasons Christopher finds people confusing. Describe his
thoughts.
6. How does Mr. Boone react to Christopher? Can you see why he`d be angry?
7. Write down three difficult words you`ve found, and translate them:
Pages 22 – 50
1. Explain how Christopher decides the following:
- Good day
- Black Day
- Quite good day
- Super good day
2. How does Christopher see himself?
3. Describe Christopher’s reaction to his mother`s illness and death. Does he seem
unhappy? Why or why not?
4. Christopher does not always do what he is told to do. Why not? What does this
tell you about him?
5. Explain how Christopher feels about strangers. Why can`t he look at them?
6. In the conversation with Mrs. Alexander, what is revealed about Christopher?
7. In what ways is Christopher different from the others at his school?
8. Write down three difficult words you`ve found, and translate them:
Pages 50 – 80
1. After reading of Christopher’s behavioral problems, which do you think would
create the most difficulty for him?
2. What makes Mr. Boone so angry?
3. Why would Christopher make a good astronaut?
4. What did Mrs. Alexander tell him, and how did he react to this?
5. Why do you think Christopher likes math diagrams so much?
6. Describe Christopher’s reaction to Sherlock Holmes. What does this tell you about
the way his mind works?
7. What does Christopher have to say about the affair between his mother and Mr.
Shears?
8. Describe Christopher’s thinking, as revealed on p 77-80
9. Write down three difficult words you`ve found, and translate them:
Pages 80 – 124
1. Why did Christopher hit his father?
2. Explain Christopher’s opinion on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
3. What is Occam`s Razor?
4. Where did Christopher find the book he had been writing? What else did he find?
5. Why do you think Mr. Boone told his son that his mother was dead?
6. According to Christopher, when is a mystery not a mystery?
7. How did Christopher’s mother explain her actions? Why do you think Mr.Boone
had kept the letters hidden from his son?
8. How did reading the letters affect Christopher?
9. How did Mr. Boone try to comfort him?
10.According to Christopher, how are people like computers?
11.When Mr. Boone tries to explain his actions, Christopher cannot accept his words
and he leaves home. Why is he so determined to leave his father?
12.Write down three difficult words you`ve found, and translate them:
Pages 124-220
1. Explain why Christopher rejects the idea that the constellation Orion looks like a
hunter. What does this tell you about the way his mind works?
2. Describe the logic that led Christopher to decide to go to his mother in London.
Again, what does this tell you about the way his mind works?
3. List the conflicts that Christopher encounters in his attempt to take the train and
explain how he solved them. (p. 135-154)
4. How did Christopher escape the policeman? Describe his other encounters with
other people on the train.
5. Why did it take so long for Christopher to get on to the underground to Willesdon
Junction?
6. How did Christopher find his way to his mother’s apartment?
7. How did Mr. Shears react to having Christopher stay with them?
8. Describe Mr. Boone’s attempts to win Christopher’s confidence.
9. How was it finally possible for Christopher to stay with his father during the time
that his mother was ill?
10. In your opinion, what did having the dog do for Christopher?
11.What did Christopher’s trip to London do for his self-confidence?
This book provides an insight into the mind of the narrator who has Asperger’s Syndrome.
He explains his thoughts and reactions to many different social situations. Once you have
completed the novel, consider the following questions:
1. How does Christopher react to:
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large groups of people
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change of any kind
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noise
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light
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colors
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people touching him
List the defences Christopher has for the situations that upset him
2. Be able to discuss the reaction of these people to Christopher. What do they do to
help him? To hurt him?
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- Mrs. Shears
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Mrs. Alexander
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Siobhan
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his mother
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Mr. Boone, his father
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Mr. Shears
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the various policemen he encounters
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newsstand operator
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woman at the Information Desk