In the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon the main character Christopher changes greatly during his adventure.

Christopher is very different to normal people as he has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mental illness which deprives him of his social abilities and emotional interpretation. Christopher changes from an innocent unknowing boy to one of newfound truths and knowledge. At the start of the book he is very shy and protective of himself, only talking to those that he trusts. The author writes “It takes me a long time to get used to people I do not know. For example, when there is a new member of staff at school I do not talk to them for weeks and weeks. I just watch until I know that they are safe”. …show more content…

And later after he makes up with Christopher again he confesses the truth: “… Nice as pie one moment ... Sink its teeth into your leg the next … Maybe if I’d just given it a kick it would probably have backed off. But, s****, Christopher, when that red mist comes down… Christ, you know how it is. I mean, we’re not that different, me and you. And all I could think was that she cared more about this bloody dog than she did about me or you. And it was like everything I’d been bottling up for two years just…’” This confession made Christopher feel unsafe, like his father was a threat, a danger and he could no longer live with a dangerous man. So he decides to run away and find his mother all the way in London. So starts his little journey from a little town Swindon in England to London. I believe this is the key turning point in the novel where Christopher goes out into the real world and makes decisions that were once restricted by his illness all by himself.
I think the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” portrays how even a person that is autistic or ill in general can change their self. It does take courage and will power but Christopher being limited and restricted by his Asperger’s breaks free of his bonds and shackles. He was once scared or the world outside his normal routine but with his newfound knowledge he now ventures into this new place willingly in order to be reunited with his mother once