In the book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon the main character is Christopher Boone who is a 15 year old boy. His mother ran away with his neighbor Mr. Shears and then Christopher’s dad and Mrs. Shears try out a romance too. However Mrs. Shears backs out though, so Christopher’s father kills her dog with a pitch fork. Then being the animal lover and curious person he is, wants to investigate the death of the dog. Christopher’s investigation was provoked by Mr. and Mrs. Shears; additionally, each of these characters enhanced Christopher’s life in different ways.
Mr. and Mrs. Shears both contributed to Christopher’s investigation of the death of Wellington. Wellington is Mrs. Shear’s poodle dog which is a well-loved dog. As Christopher walked outside he saw the horrific sight of Wellington killed with a garden fork. His reaction was startled and proceeded to check if Wellington was dead. Mrs. Shears stepped out of her house and notices Christopher hugging her dead dog. Afterwards, Christopher starts to investigate the murder of the dog and the motives behind the crime.
Mrs. Shear tried to stop Christopher to investigate Wellington however, that encourages him to further investigate. This is because Christopher’s character is thought to have Asperger’s syndrome and “Those with Asperger’s typically may lack the ability to understand the perspectives and feelings of others to varying degrees” Psychology Today. Mr. Shears provoked Christopher further because since he had an affair with his mother, he was now distant from Mrs. Shears giving Christopher a reason to assume Mr. Shears as the culprit.
Furthermore part of Christopher’s intention to investigate and continue the investigation was because of Mr. and Mrs. Shears. Mr. Shears validates Christopher’s relationship with his mother. Although Christopher’s mother left his father to live with Mr. Shears in London, England, Mr. Shears treats both Christopher and his mom negatively. He tells Christopher’s mom that “This flat is hardly big enough for two people, let alone three. “(Haddon 201) and rudely tells her “Don’t be a bloody fool.
It was a temporary job, for Christ’s sake. , when she gets “fired” from her work. Mr. Shears mentions numerous times that he does not like does not like Chris and he thinks there is no space for Christopher to live in their home. Due to Mr. Shears’ nature towards Christopher, his mother is inclined to want to separate from Mr. Shears because of her love for her son. Christopher’s mother always loved her son very much as she continuously wrote letter to him every week and took leave of absence from work to be with her son.
Therefore, it was difficult to accept the treatment of Mr. Shears towards her loved son so she and Christopher packed up and went back to Swindon. Furthermore, Mr. Shears played a large role concerning Christopher and his mother leaving his home. Relief for Christopher and his father was provided due to Mrs. Shears’ circumstances. “Please. Christopher. Just… let me explain. ” Then he sucked in some air and he said, “When your mum left. . . Eileen… Mrs. Shears… Helping out with the cooking and the cleaning.
Popping over to see if we were OK, if we needed anything” (Haddon 121) Mrs. Shears cooks for Chris and his father, spends time with them playing scrabble, and provides a motherly figure for Chris. “Now we have a new, low-cost nanny who does a superb job of keeping children happy and occupied, thus freeing parents for work, play and adult conversation” Psychology Today. Mrs. Shears acted as everything in which this describes. She helped to do the chores so Ed wouldn’t have to do it and kept Ed and Christopher happy all at no cost. Therefore in the story another purpose of Mrs. Shears was to serve to relieve pressure for Chris and his father.
In conclusion, Mr. nd Mrs. Shears roles in the story were to spark Christopher’s investigation of the murder of the dog, relieving pressure from Christopher and Ed by helping them with chores, and also to get Christopher back with his mother. Mr. Shears left with Christopher’s mom but also in the end helps them to reunite. Mrs. Shears caused Christopher’s investigation and also helped out him and his dad. Furthermore Christopher’s investigation was sparked by Mrs. and Mr. Shears, he was brought back together with his mother because of Mr. Shears, and Mrs. Shears made life easier for him and his father.
