Yousef
Abou Areda Class 811
Reading
Response
Violence and foul language have
become more widely used and integrated within every day speech in our society.
This behavior has become a big issue that affects many people around the world
such as the main character, Chris in the “The Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon. In the book, Chris tries to find out who
killed his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. Chris feels like it is his
responsibility and obligation to find the murderer. Throughout the course of
the book, violence, foul language, and death are recurring issues that affect
the main character in many ways.
Throughout the course of the book,
we see violence as an active issue. This issue is quickly portrayed on the very
first page of the book where Chris describes how Wellington was murdered. In
the text, it states,
“The dog was dead. There
was a garden fork sticking out of the dog. The points of the fork must have
gone all the way through the dog and into the ground because the fork had not
fallen over” (1). This shows how much violence has conformed into this society.
It is extremely gruesome to murder a dog in such a bloody way and leave it
there for everyone to see. This affects the main character and drives him to
find the murderer. This signifies that murder could be a possible motivator to
people in the text. All in all, violence is a big issue portrayed in the story,
but not the only one.
In addition, foul language is a
repeated issue conveyed throughout the course of the novel. A particularly
compelling example of this is when Mrs. Shears, Wellington’s owner, sees
Christopher holding the dead dog. In the novel, it reveals, “Let go of the
f****** dog for Christ’s sake” (4). This demonstrates how cursing has
assimilated into the every day speech of members of society as with the example
of Mrs. Shears who does not hesitate to curse. She doesn’t even take a moment
to scream out in pain for the loss of her dog instead she turns to swearing in
order to characterize and capture her thoughts and feelings. Another example of
the use of foul language is depicted when a police officer questions Chris
about Wellington’s murder. In the text, it states, “I strongly advise you to
get into the back of the police car, because if you try any of that monkey
business again, you little shit, I will seriously lose my rag” (9). This reveals again how much foul language has
affected the society. A police officer that is supposed to be a role model and
protect the citizens of that city, is cursing. Overall, the use of foul
language is a widespread issue in the story.
Lastly, death is seen to be a vital
issue in the book. This is exemplified through the scene where Chris’s mother
dies. In the story, it states, “Mother died two weeks ago. Father said that she
died of a heart attack and it wasn’t expected. How could mother be dead?” (27).
This is how death is an extremely difficult situation that Chris is forced to
face in the book. Losing one’s mother is not an easy thing, and Chris had to
deal with this tribulation all on his own because of his introverted
personality that makes him keep to himself. All in all, death is a vital issue
portrayed in the story.
In retrospect, these three main
issues are not only problems found in the society depicted by this novel, but
also these issues are very much present in our society today. Many countries
are currently engaged in war and everyday, people are seen to curse at one
another for ridiculous or irrational reasons sometimes. Also, most individuals are
faced with the death of a loved one at least once in their lifetime. Through
these countless examples, these issues can therefore not be specified to one
region for their prevalence in societies and countries all over the world. Overall,
these are all issues that have become a present and a commonality in our
society today.
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