Ed and Christopher's Relationship Anonymous 12th Grade

In "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time", the relationship between Ed and Christopher is hindered not by Christopher's Asperger's Syndrome but by the perceived limitations brought by this. Through the development of their relationship Stephen shows the importance of trust in families.

Christopher and Ed are shown to misunderstand each other after Ed collects Christopher from the police station where Christopher is suspected of murdering Wellington, Mrs Shear's dog. Ed believes Christopher should "keep [his] nose out of other people's business" while Christopher is "going to find out who killed Wellington". The use of a metaphor by Ed is significant because due to autism Christopher has difficulty in understanding them; this therefore shows he has little understanding of Ed's desire and perhaps suggests an inevitability to this. The audience also dislike that Ed has an apparent expectation for Christopher to be able to understand him, and therefore feel that a closer relationship would be possible if Ed adapted to Christopher's needs. Additionally the stark juxtaposition given by the fact that Christopher's statement directly follows Ed's warning demonstrates the complex and multifaceted nature of their...