Themes of The Curious Incident of the Dog

THEMES



Major Themes


The Search for Order and Stability
The search for order and stability is the first major theme of the novel. That is, the entire novel is an account by narrator Christopher Boone of how his world is upended by chaos - the death of a favourite dog, the discovery of a deception regarding his parents - and how he restores order. For Christopher, the desire for order and stability is actually a necessity of living: as he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, he needs an ordered and stable life to be happy and safe. Anything that jeopardizes this not only damages his mental state, but also brings him physical pain.

The Role of Absences in Life
The title of the book - a reference to the Sherlock Holmes mystery "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" - points to the other major theme of the novel: the role of absences in life, and how people often fail to see the significance of what isn't there. The novel is a double mystery, and the second mystery deals with the absence of his mother, which Christopher had accepted the way the silence of the dog in "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" was mistakenly accepted as normal in that story.

Minor Themes
The Stability of Family
The minor themes in the novel involve specific ways stability can be found, especially as relevant to Christopher's life. First, there is the stability of family: something which seems evident in Christopher's life at first, but is shown to be a lie and must be re-established by the end of the novel.

Mathmatics and Science
Secondly as a minor theme, there is the importance of mathematics and science - an essential motif, but also of thematic significance as Christopher uses these fields of study to help understand the world around him.

MOOD
The primary mood of the novel is serious, reflecting Christopher's own seriousness as narrator and character. He actually writes early on, "This will not be a funny book," which isn't exactly true - humor often arises inadvertently in the story - but makes clear his intention.

There is also a mood of erudition - that is, a constant flow of new information, much of it theoretical and mathematical in nature. Part of this seems to be an attempt to educate the reader (at least on Haddon's part), but it more obviously stems from the way Christopher deals with the world around him. The flow of theories and facts work with the seriousness of the narration by emphasizing the importance of logical and ordered thinking for Christopher, as well as the importance of focus in maintaining a sense of stability.