Point of view in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time?

Question

Well, I have to do a paper about perspective as it is in Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

My actual assignment sheet says to "discuss how point of view affects your understanding of the text and be sure to touch upon how Christopher's condition plays a role in his narration".

I actually read the book; I get the POV. But I can't exactly get my thoughts together. I suppose that seeing things through the eyes of Christopher makes complicated situations seem simpler and allows for easy reading, but I don't know if this is exactly the right direction. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I'd say it differently: having Christopher as narrator makes you see things through his eyes. As this is the first point of view, it should allow the reader to be more empathetic, to feel what Christopher feels, to imagine yourself being the main character, however, due to his condition, he seems so distant from the story, like he would be seeing it, not taking a part in it, that it is impossible to feel what he feels and this purpose of the first pov has nothing to do with the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.