The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is the story of the adventures of Christopher John Francis Boone as told by him. The protagonist, Christopher, wrote the book as a murder mystery, describing his investigation into the killing of Mrs. Shears' dog, Wellington. However, as he tells his story, the reader gets a clearer picture of Christopher's life, learning about his mother and all the secrets in his family. Boone has some mental and behavioral issues. Throughout the text, he must struggle with his own problems as he investigates the murder of the poodle and searches for his mother. Through The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon presents the themes of coming of age and courage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Christopher John Francis Boone of Swindon is a unique, yet genuine, honest and innocent individual. The protagonist clearly has a mental and behavioral disorder, which causes him to have many eccentricities. Some of his behavioral problems include "not talking to people for a long time, not eating or drinking anything for a long time, doesn't like to be touched, yells when [he's] angry or confused, and doesn't like yellow or brown things" (46). When the police officer tried to take off his watch, “[he] screamed” (13), unusual behavior for a teenager. He “doesn't like to hug people” (16), not even his own parents. It makes him feel awkward and uncomfortable. These behaviors are not normal for a fifteen year old boy. Furthermore, he never responds to statements, but only to questions. He “finds people confusing” (14) because he has difficulty reading people's facial expressions to understand their emotions. When he "doesn't know what someone is saying, he [asks] them what they mean or [walks away]" (3), and for him this is strange, but normal behavior. He occasionally has difficulty picking up and understanding his father's emotions, tending to only understand himself. When Christopher's father was "sitting on the couch watching pool on television and drinking scotch, tears came out of his eyes" (21). The protagonist cannot understand the father's anguish after he went to pick up his son from the police station. Ultimately, Christopher decides “to leave him alone because when [he] is sad [he] wants to be left alone” (21). Plus, Boone makes the strange comment that one might think privately, but would never be said out loud. For example, she adds that “Jason stinks at school because his family is poor” (38). He doesn't know that it is socially wrong for him to make such a comment. Finally, he never tells lies because he claims he "can't tell lies" (19), a mentality that unfortunately most kids don't have. Christopher clearly has a disability, but he doesn't let his disability be a hindrance. Just because Christopher has some mental disabilities doesn't mean he is devoid of intelligence; it's the exact opposite. Christopher notices everything in great detail, even the “small red hole in the policewoman's pantyhose on her left ankle and the red scratch in the center of the hole” (6). Notice minute details that others wouldn't notice. “The world is full of obvious things that no one ever accidentally observes” (73), but Christopher takes the time to make these observations. Christopher describes his memory as like a movie: When people ask me to remember something I can just press Rewind, Fast Forward and Pause like on a VCR, but more like a DVD player because I don't have to rewind everything in between to come to the memory of something from a long time ago. And there aren't even any buttons, why is ithappening in my head. (76)The protagonist describes what appears to be an unparalleled photographic memory. He sees the world a little differently than others, but creates a creative comparison. However, he states that he is not intelligent and that "[he] just [notes] how things are, and that [is] not intelligent" (25). Furthermore, he also has some uncommon talents. He knows, for example, “all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057” (2). Clearly, he is gifted at mathematics and is even preparing to take his A-level mathematics exam, on which he will later receive an 'A' grade. When considering an issue or problem, he always uses logic and mathematics to answer his questions. Christopher comments on how "sometimes things are so complicated that it's impossible to predict what they'll do next, but they just obey really simple rules" (102), when discussing how to decipher the population of animals. He comments to his readers how when theta “is greater than 3.57 the population becomes chaotic… proving that people can die for no reason, just because that's how numbers work” (102). Some things that would seem very complex to the average individual are simple to Christopher, as he uses his mathematical background and logical reasoning to come to conclusions, highlighting his intelligence. Mark Haddon has a theme of maturation, maturation running through his text. Christopher has to live with his disabilities, and at times, these issues can get in his way. Throughout the text, the protagonist shows growth in maturity in the sense of becoming more independent and self-sufficient in dealing with his mental and behavioral disabilities. At the beginning of the text, Christopher has to deal with his idiosyncrasies, particularly his fear of being touched by people. Towards the end of the text, when he is with the policeman, he has evidently not overcome his disability, but he recognizes that he has one. He tells the policeman, “You mustn't touch me…because I got a warning for hitting a policeman, but I didn't want to hurt him and if I do it again I'll get into even bigger trouble” (150) . He knows that if the policeman grabbed him he would feel overwhelmed and react negatively. Recognizing his weakness, he warns the policeman, a sign of maturity. At the beginning of the text, Christopher has to rely a lot on other people and is very insecure about talking to others. He admits his insecurities to himself by saying, “It takes me a long time to get used to people I don't know” (35). Recognizing its shortcomings is essential to managing them more effectively. When he wants to go to London to live with his mother, Christopher takes matters into his own hands and does not rely on his father's help. Showing independence, he arrives in London in one piece. Additionally, Christopher struggles emotionally. Find it difficult to feel sad. When he tells his readers that his mother is dead and that Mr. Shears is no longer around, Boone comments how “to feel sad about something that isn't real and doesn't exist… would be stupid” (75). However, later, when he discovers that his mother has actually been alive for years, “[he] feels bad” (112). He was incredibly shocked by what his father had done. Christopher is maturing because he is overcoming the disability that hinders him. At the end of the text, Christopher has more self-confidence and believes in himself. He comments: “I went to London alone, and why did I solve the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything” (221). Over the course of the text, the protagonist became more independent, gained maturity with his disabilities, and overall gained more self-confidence. The theme of achievement..