Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Mind
Mark Haddon has said of The Curious Incident, "It's not just a book about disability. Obviously, on some level it is, but on another level . . . it's a book about books, about what you can do with words and what it means to communicate with someone in a book. Here's a character whom if you met him in real life you'd never, ever get inside his head. Yet something magical happens when you write a novel about him. You slip inside his head, and it seems like the most natural thing in the world" [http://www.powells.com/authors/haddon.html ]. Is a large part of the achievement of this novel precisely this --- that Haddon has created a door into a kind of mind his readers would not have access to in real life?
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This is absolutely true. I think what Haddon has done with the main character is absolutely marvelous and probably took hours of research.
ReplyDeleteI believe that he has created a portal to the world of Chirstopher's mind. In the book, when he talks to others they dont seem to understand him and it would be the same for us if we were there. This way, in the book, you can understand how he is feeling and his emotions much better than in person. So this is a great achievement for the author because it lets readers really enjoy the book.
ReplyDeleteHaddon has done an extremely amazing job at portraying Chris' thoughts and giving the world an in-side look at the mind of an autistic person. Because of the nature of an autistic human being, average people would not get the chance to understand, and fully grasp what is going through their head. The first thought is, "oh, they are mentally 'disabled' this person isn't smart, and has no sense of creativity." but in actually, autistic people are genius! Haddon has opened a door to the public, and can truly portray the public the "hidden truth" to the minds of the autistic, like Chris.
ReplyDeleteA large accopmlisment of this novel is clearly that it provides a way to get into the mind of someone with autism, where as in real life you would never beable to understand the complex mind of someone with a disability.
ReplyDeleteCAROLINE F IS REALLY CAROLINE G, OOPS. A large accopmlisment of this novel is clearly that it provides a way to get into the mind of someone with autism, where as in real life you would never beable to understand the complex mind of someone with a disability.
ReplyDeleteThis book is an achievement for several reasons, and one is that it opens your mind a bit. You begin to see how one with autism may think, and somewhat put yourself in their shoes. The mind is a complex & confusing thing that Haddon has done a good job opening doors to.
ReplyDeleteYes, this book is an achievement because it really gets you seeing what life is like for a teenager with autism. Also, it shows you how he thinks and the way his mind works.
ReplyDeleteThis book is pretty raw!! its pretty intense and I think it was uber interesting!! one thing I found interesting was how it showed my dog Christophers thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYes, this book really is an achievement because without it, you'd not be able to see a person with autism the same way. If you actually speak to a person with autism you may think that they're ignoring you or something but when you read the book you see how complex Christopher's mind is and how he's just always thinking.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the novel provides an interesting insight into the mind of one affected bh autism. It is an experience that would never had been had, weren't it for this novel. You see into Christopher's complex thinking process. For that small glimpse, I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteYes, viewing the mind of an autistic child is the main achievement of the novel. The book probably wouldn't be all that interesting if you didn't get that point of view.
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