REVISION - THE CURIOUS INCIDENT - CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3
1. My name is Christopher John Francis Boone.
2. I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7507.
3. Eight years ago, when I first met Siobhan, she showed me this picture

and I knew that it meant “sad”, which is what I felt when I found the dead dog.

THINK: So what if a person proclaims that he knows all the countries in the world and so on? Why does Christopher tell you this in his self-introduction? What can he say about him? What is the implication here?

CHECKED: He understands what is being “sad”.
4. Then she showed me this picture
 
 
 

and I knew that it meant “happy”, like when I’m reading about the Apollo space missions, or when I am still awake at three or four in the morning and I can walk up and down the street and pretend that I am the only person in the whole world.

CHECKED: He understands what is being “happy”.

THINK: Is Christopher different from you?
What upsets you?
What brightens your day?

5. Then she drew some other pictures

but I was unable to say what these meant.

Are you an expert in reading facial expressions? But why are we not anxious at all? Why are we not bothered at all, at least, most of us do not? Why don’t we do what Christopher has asked Siobhan to help him to do?

Could it be because we take for granted what Christopher does not?
So how similar are you to Christopher?
How different are you from Christopher?

6. I got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant.


7. I kept the piece of paper in my pocket and took it out when I didn’t understand what someone was saying.

8. But it was very difficult to decide which of the diagrams was most like the face they were making because people’s faces move very quickly.

9. When I told Siobhan that I was doing this, she got out a pencil and another piece of paper and said it probably made people feel very

and then she laughed. So I tore the original piece of paper up and threw it away.

10. And Siobhan apologized.

11. And now if I don’t know what someone is saying I ask them what they mean or I walk away.

Changes in our moods and temperament cause subtle changes on our facial expressions. Such facial expressions are not discrete but they segue from one expression into another unconsciously under normal circumstances.

Christopher has genuine difficulties in reading broad facial expressions like "sad" or "happy".  He is totally helpless with the more subtle ones - feeling of anguish, confusion, astonishment and so on.  We are luckier in that sense.  Does Christopher give up immediately?  No, he does not.  He attempts to understand these subtle expressions by asking Siobhan for help. 

What can we learn about him here? 
Why do you think he bothers at all? 
Why does he give up? 
What does he do when he gives up?