Constrast Essay Between the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and White Oleander
The Adolescent Struggle for Independence
Maryssa Levesque
ENG4U
Mr. Morden
January 25, 2013
Children are helpless and dependent on their caregivers from the moment they are born. Adolescence is a very confusing point in a young person’s life as they are caught between being a child and a yearning for adulthood. An adolescent may strive for independence, or be forced to mature quickly, but will remain dependent on both their family and society in some way. The effect of this dependency, however, may not always be positive. The main character from Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher John Francis Boone was born with higher functioning autism. This left him vulnerable to the world, in the sense that he would always need to be cared for by others. Astrid Magnussen, from Janet Fitch`s work White Oleander, is forced into foster care when her neglectful mother is taken to jail for murder. She bounces from one foster home to another, always needing but never finding. An adolescent may be aware of their dependency on others or not, however between Christopher’s disability and Astrid losing her only parental figure, that reliance is strengthened. The two grew up precociously though both react to it differently.
Some cannot wait to become adults, while others wish nothing more than for time to slow down. Wanting to grow up and being forced to out of necessity have many different effects on a young mind. Christopher wants nothing more than to receive his A level math and be like any other boy his age. He has never seen himself any more challenged than other children, often thinking of himself as superior to them. Unlike the others, Christopher feels he thrives in solitude and loves to be on his own. “When I was asleep I had one of my favorite dreams... and in that dream nearly everyone on the earth is dead” (Haddon 198-199). Christopher has no realistic knowledge of how to fend or care for himself, but as far as he knows,
Maryssa Levesque
ENG4U
Mr. Morden
January 25, 2013
Children are helpless and dependent on their caregivers from the moment they are born. Adolescence is a very confusing point in a young person’s life as they are caught between being a child and a yearning for adulthood. An adolescent may strive for independence, or be forced to mature quickly, but will remain dependent on both their family and society in some way. The effect of this dependency, however, may not always be positive. The main character from Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher John Francis Boone was born with higher functioning autism. This left him vulnerable to the world, in the sense that he would always need to be cared for by others. Astrid Magnussen, from Janet Fitch`s work White Oleander, is forced into foster care when her neglectful mother is taken to jail for murder. She bounces from one foster home to another, always needing but never finding. An adolescent may be aware of their dependency on others or not, however between Christopher’s disability and Astrid losing her only parental figure, that reliance is strengthened. The two grew up precociously though both react to it differently.
Some cannot wait to become adults, while others wish nothing more than for time to slow down. Wanting to grow up and being forced to out of necessity have many different effects on a young mind. Christopher wants nothing more than to receive his A level math and be like any other boy his age. He has never seen himself any more challenged than other children, often thinking of himself as superior to them. Unlike the others, Christopher feels he thrives in solitude and loves to be on his own. “When I was asleep I had one of my favorite dreams... and in that dream nearly everyone on the earth is dead” (Haddon 198-199). Christopher has no realistic knowledge of how to fend or care for himself, but as far as he knows,
Cited: Fitch, Janet. White Oleander. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1999. Print. Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. New York.: Doubleday, 2003. Print.