Curious Incident Essay

Did you know that autism affects 1 in 68 children in the world? In the story “curious

incident of the boy in the night-time”, Christopher the protagonist has a condition called

Asperger syndrome and uses this to solve mysteries and to find his mother. Despite the

stigma concerning autism and Aspergers, Christopher’s condition proves advantageous on

his journey. The 3 most advantageous character traits that Christopher possesses and uses

in the book are his memory , logic, and his independence.

Christopher’s first most advantageous character trait is his memory. This is because

Christopher used this ability to solve problems throughout the story, for example, when in

search for who killed Wellington and in search for his mother’s house. “[...] I watched 47

people do this and I memorized what to do” (Haddon, 173). While in search for his mother,

Christopher had trouble in many areas including when he was in the underground train

station and it got really crowded and he was not able to think. Also when the police found

Christopher on the first train and grabbed him and when he lost Toby at the train station

and got very worried. All of these situations Christopher overcame with a high degree of

effectiveness. In terms of memory, Christopher used this skill to figure out how to buy a

train ticket. Most of us think this is an easy situation to overcome, but for Christopher

asking a stranger how to buy a ticket was out of the options. Instead of asking someone to

help him Christopher used his best skills, memory and logic to memorize how to buy a

ticket as if a puzzle. As you can see in the quote Christopher watched 47 people buy a ticket

and memorized how to before buying his own. This is just an amazing ability to have.

Another reason why memory is one of Christopher's best abilities is because it helps him
think crucially to solve problems that people without Asperger's syndrome would have

trouble figuring out. For example “ And I wondered if the policeman would help me find

451c Chapter Road, London NW2 5NG” (Haddon, 160). This example proves Christopher's

memory was one of his best features because, throughout his journey in finding his mom,

he memorized a variety of things including the address of his mother. Most people without

Asperger's syndrome would not be able to memorize an address as long as “451c Chapter

Road, London NW2 5NG”, the first time they see it. But Christopher did and used it to his

advantage throughout his journey in find his mother house. Whenever he needed to talk

about the address or ask where it was it was at his disposal. In conclusion, Christopher's

memory was exponentially helpful in his search for his mother and in solving problems

along the way. Christopher’s memory helped him accomplish and exceed his goals.

Now we will progress to my second point on how Christopher uses his logic to make

decisions. Christopher uses logic instead of reason when making decisions “I had to get out

of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me, because I

couldn't trust him, even though he had said ‘Trust me,’ because he had told a lie about a big

thing” (Haddon, 122). This shows how Christopher uses his logic instead of reason. Most

people in that situation would know that just because their dad killed a dog he would not

kill you, but Christopher is more worried about trust. This is because Christopher sees love

as mostly three things, trust, someone who helps you, and someone who cares about you.

Since Christopher doesn't trust his dad anymore, he thinks his dad doesn't care about him

and this is logical thinking. This is logical thinking because he used the facts that were there

and added them up as if an equation and made his decision to leave his dad. This is how he
thought logically instead of with reason. The second way Christopher used his logic to his

advantage is when he left his father’s house and he went to Mrs. Shears house. He logically

thought out all of his options and made his decision on what he was doing next. “[...] I did

this by thinking of all the things I could do and deciding whether they were the right

decision or not. I decided that I couldn't go home again. And I decided that I couldn't go and

live with Siobhan because she couldn't look after me [...] and not a friend or a member of

my family. And I decided that I couldn't go and live with Uncle Terry because he lived in

Sunderland and I didn't know how to get to Sunderland[...]. And I decided I couldn't go and

live with Mrs. Alexander because she wasn't a friend or a member of my family [...]. And

then I thought that I could go and live with Mother because she was my family and I knew

where she lived because I could remember the address from the letters, which was 451c

Chapter Road, London NW2 5NG [...]” (Haddon, 129). This proves how Christopher thinks

critically and logically, in many of the decisions he makes. This is important because it

helps him have fewer possibilities of mistakes in most decisions he makes. This also shows

how he looks at all the possibilities and uses his ability to make the best decision out of the

options, as shown in the example when he specifically named and gave a reason why going

and living with some people would not work. In conclusion, Christopher's logic helped him

in so many ways, including thinking critically and making good judgment calls. Now we will

progress to our last point on Christopher's independence and isolation. Christopher’s

independence helps him make good decisions without interference to making the wrong

decision. For example “[...] there were two shelves with cases and a rucksack on them and it

made me think of the airing cupboard at home and how I climb in there sometimes and it
makes me feel safe. [...] it was dark and there was no one in there with me and I couldn't

hear people talking so I felt much calmer and it was nice.” (Haddon 163). This proves how

in any situation Christopher will do anything for a small quiet space to himself. This is

because Christopher needs space and quiet to make decisions and think about what he will

do next with fewer chances of mistakes. This is important because it shows the importance

of Aspergers and how it affects Christopher to think logically and thoroughly to make the

best decision at the best time in the right environment. Another reason independence and

isolation is one of Christopher's best character trait is because it helps him think crucially

to make logical and smart decisions. For example “ ‘is there anything I can do to help

you?’[...] And I said, ‘I've got a Swiss Army knife and it has a saw blade and it could cut

someone's fingers off’ ” (Haddon, 184). This proves how Christopher needed to be alone at

the moment. He was offered help and did not take it. His independence helped him because

he ended up finding his mother anyway with the limited amount of help. If he was in

continuous contact with strangers, he could have been kidnapped at any point but, instead

he was independent and finished his journey to his mother’s house by himself with limited

casualties. By doing this he avoided many possible bad people, including the woman he was

in contact with in the example above.

Despite the stigma concerning autism and Aspergers, Christopher’s condition

proves extremely advantageous in his many journeys. This is because Asperger's enhanced

his memory,logic skills and his independence. Most people think having Aspergers means

you are at loss, but you truly have a gift.