The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
Literary Devices
* Narrator * Rising Action
* Point of View * Climax
* Tone * Falling Action
* Setting * Themes
* Motifs * Symbols
* Protagonist * Foreshadowing
* Major Conflict
Narrator
Narrator, one who tells a story. In a work of fiction
the narrator determines the story’s point of view.
If the narrator is a full participant in the story’s
action, the narrative is said to be in the first
person. A story told by a narrator who is not a
character in the story is a third-person narrative.
The novel’s mildly autistic protagonist,
Christopher John Francis Boone, narrates in the
first-person.
Point of View
whose eyes the story is being told through
Christopher John Francis Boone speaks in the first
person. We are to understand the book as his
written account of the murder of his neighbor’s
dog, Wellington. Structurally, the novel alternates
between a chapter advancing the narrative, and a
chapter in which Christopher discusses ideas or
concepts worth noting.
Tone
Tone is a literary device that reflects the writer’s
attitude toward the subject matter or audience of
a literary work. By conveying this attitude through
tone, the writer creates a particular relationship
with the reader that, in turn, influences the
intention and meaning of the written words.
Conversational and matter-of-fact
Setting
the location and time frame in which the action
of a narrative takes place
time: 1998
place: In and around Swindon, England, with a
trip to London, England.
Protagonist
The protagonist is most typically the main
character in the story.
Christopher John Francis Boone
Major conflict
Conflict is a literary device characterized by a
struggle between two opposing forces. Conflict
provides crucial tension in any story and is used to
drive the narrative forward. It is often used to
reveal a deeper meaning in a narrative while
highlighting characters’ motivations, values, and
weaknesses.)
Christopher’s investigation of Wellington’s murder
leads him to uncover a number of secrets about
his parents, causing him to lose his trust in Father
and to set out to London in search of Mother.
Rising Action
Rising action in a plot is a series of relevant
incidents that create suspense, interest, and
tension in a narrative. In literary works, a rising
action includes all decisions, characters' flaws,
and background circumstances that together
create turns and twists leading to a climax.
As Christopher investigates Wellington’s murder,
he learns that Mother and Mr. Shears had an affair,
that Father and Mrs. Shears also had an affair, that
Mother is alive and Father has been lying about
her death, and that Father killed Wellington
because he was angry with Mrs. Shears.
Climax
Climax, (Greek: “ladder”), in dramatic and
nondramatic fiction, the point at which the
highest level of interest and emotional response
is achieved. A climax in a story occurs when there
is a turning point from which there is no going
back. The climax is the point of highest tension in
a narrative.
After a harrowing journey on his own to London
in which he must overcome the limits of his
condition, Christopher reunites with his mother.
Falling Action
Falling action occurs right after the climax, when
the main problem of the story resolves.
Christopher moves in with Mother, successfully
completes his A-level test in math, and begins to
re-establish trust with Father. He recalls all that
he has accomplished over the course of the
novel and sets out a series of goals for the
future.
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal
ideas explored in a literary work.
* Social Disorder
* Logic
* The Struggle to Become Independent
* Subjectivity
* The Disorder of Life
* Coping with Loss
Motifs
Motif is an object or idea that repeats itself
throughout a literary work.
* Frustration with Christopher
* Science and Technology
* Animals
Symbols
Symbolism is a literary device that refers to the
use of symbols in a literary work. A symbol is
something that stands for or suggests something
else; it represents something beyond literal
meaning. In literature, a symbol can be a word,
object, action, character, or concept that
embodies and evokes a range of additional
meaning and significance.
* The Murder Investigation
* Logic Puzzles, Math Problems, and Maps
* The A-Level Test in Math
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device that writers utilize as a means
to indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or appear
later in a story. Foreshadowing, when done properly, is an
excellent device in terms of creating suspense and dramatic
tension for readers. It can set up emotional expectations of
character behaviors and/or plot outcomes. This can heighten a
reader’s enjoyment of a literary work, enhance the work’s
meaning, and help the reader make connections with other
literature and literary themes.
* Father’s excessive anger over Christopher’s desire to investigate
Wellington’s murder
* Christopher’s repeated observation that murderers typically
know their victims
* Christopher’s discovery of a letter from Mother in Father’s closet
