Look Me in the Eye (Post Two––up to page 143)
Christopher, from Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a fictional character, while Look Me in the Eye is John Elder Robison's account of his life with Asperger's. What similarities do you see between the fictional Christopher, and the real-life John Elder Robison? What differences do you see? Please provide examples from the texts to support your response. Your response should be at least 300 words.
One similarity is that both John and Christopher are very smart. Christopher is very good at math, “I am going to prove that I’m not stupid. Next month I am going to take my A level maths and I’m going to get an A grade” (p.44). John is also very smart, “I was very proud of myself. It was the biggest and fastest repair job I had ever done. And they had more. Piles and piles of broken equipment” (p.128). John Robison has Aspergers while Christopher has autism. One difference between the two characters is that Christopher and his father knew he had autism, while John grew up without knowing he had a brain disorder. Even though John went to therapists and psychiatrists he never found out until later in his life, “My mother sent me to therapists, all of whom focused on the wrong things. Mostly, they made me feel worse than I already did, dwelling on my so-called evil and sociopathic thoughts”(p.30). John’s parents and surrounding people knew something was different about John so they dwelt on him being a sociopath because of his non confronting behavior. At the time of Aspergers had only just been discovered as a form of Autism and it wasn’t commonly known. While Christopher’s family knew he had Autism from a young age. This allowed Christopher to go to a school with kids who had similar disorders. Another difference between the two characters is that their disorder is more and less noticeable while I’m reading the two books. In the beginning I knew of John’s disorder only through his younger brother in the Foreword, “I describe some of his fascinating behavior as a young man who would later be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism” (p. xii). But if I had not know about his Asperger's I would never had guessed he had it. I would definitely tell he was different and acted differently but when I’m reading his book sometimes I forget that he has Aspergers. While in Christopher’s book every page I am reminded that he has autism. All of this shows the similarities and differences between John and Christopher.
ReplyDeleteI like your last couple of sentences and the idea there---I think you're right that with Curious, you are reminded every page that Christopher is a little different. It's not quite as pronounced with John.
DeleteOne thing that is similar between John Robinson and Christopher have in common is they have trouble feeling what other people are feeling and they dont have alot of empathy. They also seem to find people confusing and they don't know what they mean. Christopher especially has a lot of trouble with that. In “the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” Christopher says, “I find people confusing. This is for two main reasons. The first main reason is that people do alot of talking without words… The second main reason is that people often talk using metaphors”(pg. 14-15). In “Look me in the Eyes” John says, “People die every minute, all over the world. If we tried to feel sorry for every death, our little hearts would explode”(pg. 31). They both have trouble grasping the idea of how it could affect others, not just themselves. Another thing that both John and Christopher have in common is they are both very very intelligent. John becomes a very successful engineer and Christopher is a very smart kid. In “the Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time” Christopher says,”the rule for working out prime numbers is really simple...They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about it”(pg. 12). In “Look me in the Eyes” John proves he is very smart and intelligent by becoming a successful engineer,”I got another big break two months later: a job with a national sound company”(pg. 125). They both seem to be very logical people and things like engineering and math are very logical to them. One thing that is different about them is John seems to have a bit of an easier time living his everyday life. Christopher and John have both had very difficult childhoods, but John seems to have handled it better. Christopher is having a little more trouble. In “Look me in the Eyes” John says,”I couldn't imagine a better life. I could almost forget my screwed up family back home”(pg. 131). He is really growing up and looking forward instead of backwards. In “the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” Christopher proves he has trouble living his everyday life, he says,”I rolled onto the bed and curled into a ball. My stomach hurt”(pg. 113). He has a lot of trouble dealing with his mother and what his father did. Both Christopher and John have many similarities and many differences, these were just a few. Christopher and John both had very difficult childhoods and they both are very smart and they both have trouble understanding other people.
ReplyDeleteDanny,
Deletegood observations about John and Christopher's lack of empathy. That's a strong point. I also like the contrast between John looking forward, and Christopher having trouble just living everyday life.
As I have been reading both books, I have found quite a few similarities and differences. Both Christopher and John have a hard time adjusting to change in different places. John went on a trip with his band. Part way through the trip he said, “I found it unsettling. I was actually finding the whole trip unsettling, because I didn't like changes in the environment (116).” Christopher also had a similarly hard time adjusting to change when he traveled. “It is like being in France, which is where we went on the holidays sometimes when Mother was alive, to camp. And I hated it because if you went into a shop or a restaurant ro in a beach you couldn't understand what anyone was saying, which was frightening.”
ReplyDeleteAnother similarity between the characters in both books is that they are very smart. They both have things that they are very passionate about and enjoy doing. For Christopher, from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, it’s math. “I am going to go to university to study mathematics, or physics, or physics and mathematics (which is a Joint Honor School), because I like mathematics and physics and I'm very good at them (26).” John, from Look Me in the Eyes, is very good at repairing sound systems for bands. He was also asked to come up with special effects for a guitar (138). “KISS was one of the biggest bands in the world, and I was really proud that they had chosen me to make the guitar.” This shows that both Christopher and John are very smart.
How these two characters see school is very different. Christopher wants to push himself in math while he is in school. “Next month I’m going to take my A levels in maths and I'm going to to get an a grade (44).” He really wants to challenge himself in school and he plans on going to university to continue his studies. But John has a different view on school. He has had a lot of family problems and he hasn’t been getting good grades in school. “So when my next report card showed straight Fs, I realized it was time to go (90).” John ends up reaching an agreement with his counselors and dropping out of high school. That shows that their approaches about school are very different. Overall, there are many similarities and differences between the characters in these two books.
Good observations, Lily, especially about their challenges in adjusting to change. I also think your observations about their different approaches to school are really good. Well done.
DeleteI find it interesting how in the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon was able to capture the experiences that someone with autism may have and use them to create a realistic yet fictional character. I know that Haddon did this very well because of the comparisons I can make between the life of his character Christopher and the the life of the real John Robinson. One comparison I made while reading was that they both focus on particular things and really excel in them. For instance, in Look Me in the Eye, John has always been good with machines. He fixed cars and all sorts of complicated systems and then moved to music related machines. He even started getting jobs to do what he loved. “I got another big break two months later: a job with the national sound company” (pg. 125). For Christopher, math was his strength. He spent a lot of time doing math and he really enjoyed it. “Next month I’m going to take my A level in maths and I’m going to get an A level grade” (pg. 44). This shows how both boys had something they liked to do and were good at. A difference in the two of them that I noticed was their experiences in school. Christopher did very well in his classes and this may have to do with the fact that he had someone supporting him at the school. A special educator named Siobhan helped him with social situations, and any other thing that may be difficult for him. For instance, Siobhan helped him understand people’s emotions by drawing faces and telling Christopher what they meant. “I got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant” (pg. 3). For John, his school experience was a lot different. It didn’t appear that he had someone helping him with what someone with Aspergers may need help with. Rather, he resorted to dropping out because of how he was doing. “So when my next report card showed straight Fs, I realized it was time to go” (pg. 90). One last thing i noticed was another similarity between Christopher and John. They both have a difficult time understanding why people feel certain ways when that’s not how they feel. For Christopher he doesn’t get why people believe in heaven. “[He thinks] people believe in heaven because they don’t like the idea of dying, because they want to carry on living” (pg. 33). He doesn’t believe in heaven so he doesn’t understand that some people really do. In Look Me in the Eye, John doesn’t feel sad when he learns that someone he didn’t know, died. So when other people do cry about it he is confused because that’s not how he feels. “Do they really feel that, or is it just a play for attention?” (pg. 30). There were many similarities and differences between the two books and these are just a few that really stood out to me.
ReplyDeleteThis was posted by Gretta.
DeleteGood observations, Gretta––particularly your observation that they both had something they were really good at. I also like the line from John Elder when he wonders about whether crying is just attention seeking behavior.
DeleteAs i've been reading "The Curios Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" and "Look Me in the Eyes", i've noticed that the main characters, John Elder and Christopher, share quite a few things in common. An obvious similarity is that they both have some sort of autism. For Christopher he just has autism, where as John Elder has asperger's, a less severe form of autism. Both characters are smart and determined. On pg. 44 of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Christopher says, "Next year I am going to take my A level maths, and I'm going to get an A grade." This shows that Christopher is good at maths and is determined to get a good grade in maths. John Elder also has his moments where he has smart ideas, like on pg. 25, it says "I decided to teach Snort to walk, in the squash field alongside the house." This is showing that he is determined to help his little brother walk, and because he is smart, he thought of the idea. Both characters also have people problems. For John Elder, he had problems making friends. On pg. 17, it says "They would never let me be a cowboy. I was angry, sad, and humiliated. I would never fit in. Why was I even alive?" This is telling us that John Elder really had a hard time socially, and couldn't make friends as easily. Christopher, on the other hand, had trouble reading peoples faces. For instance on pg. 3, it says "... when I didn't understand what someone was saying. But it was very difficult to decide which of these diagrams looked like the face they were making because peoples faces move very fast." This tells us that Christopher has trouble reading peoples faces, and has a diagram to help him. One more similarity the two have are family issues. John Elder never really had a good family. On pg.13, it says "Our home wasn't very happy. The dog at my toys and snapped, and my parents always fought." his father was also an alcoholic. For Christopher, his mother passed away. John Elder might have things worse here because for him it's constant. where as Christopher has gotten over his mothers death. A difference that both of them have is their views on school. Christopher wants to take on math and go on to do that in college. On pg. 26, Christopher says “I am going to go to university to study mathematics, or physics, or physics and mathematics, because I like mathematics and physics and I'm very good at them." For John Elder, he has a rough time in school. He doesn't pass a lot of his classes. For instance on pg. 90, John Elder says, "When my next report card showed straight F's, I realized it was time to go." He then goes on to drop out of high school. This is the complete opposite of what Christopher wants. Both characters share more similarities than differences.
ReplyDeleteGood observations about their social challenges. Agreed, too, that both of them have family challenges––John's are probably worse, though, right?
DeleteJohn and Christopher have multiple similarities. Their intelligence, interest, and their families can be compared. Their families both had a lot going on and you could tell their families effected both of them. John was doing his own thing with music while his father was "struggling in his apartment in town, at one point eating sleeping pills in a drunken suicide attempt that left him drying out in a hospital (109)." His mom was also going insane. It was hard to read the part where Christopher found out that his dad lied to him about his mom dying. I personally think he should of told Christopher a while ago. His fathers said, "I did it for your good, Christopher. Honestly I did. I never meant to lie (114)." I feel like these two books show how a family can really affect someone. In the begging I would of never of thought John would work on speakers and instruments. A lot of the time I have no clue what John is talking about when he explains about fixing things. For example, "The DC fuses were blown, and the glass was black. The black coloring meant a dead short. The output transistors had fried. I could fix them, but not there. I needed a shop (126, 127)." And Christopher just goes on random rants about things hes read about. I like the one where he tries to explain the car behind the doors. He wrote down some complicated formula, and expected people to under stand it. The concept I guess is " if you change, 2 times out of 3 you get a car. And if you stick, you only get a car 1 time out of 3 (65)." They both love to explain things. I hope in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time they show Christopher grown up like Look Me in the Eyes has. I wonder what Christopher will end up doing for a job. I think it's really cool that John ended up working for Kiss. Just reading about makes me want to go to a Kiss concert. It was interesting to read about what he thinks of working for celebrities. He said "I don't know if it's an Aspergian trait, or if it's just me, but I was never affected by a celebrity (141). They both have a unique way of thinking especially Christopher. Someone said to Christopher "what would your mother think about that (79)?" He replied to that by saying "Mother is dead and you can't say anything to people who are dead and dead people can't think (141)." This response was very surprising to me. Christopher and John have multiple similarities, and i'm exited to keep reading both of them.
ReplyDeleteThis was posted by Connor Mazzarella.
DeleteI agree. I think they both do really like to explain things. Good observation. I especially like your line about wanting to go to a KISS concert. That would be something, wouldn't it?
DeletePosted for Sophie
ReplyDeleteBoth John and Christopher tried running away or leaving to try to understand or escape their problems. Christopher decided to leave after he found something important out about his mother and father. "I had to get out of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant that he could murder me, because I couldn't trust him..." (page 122) Christopher wanted to get away because he didn't feel safe, he could have possibly lost trust in his father after him not telling Christopher the truth. John had just dropped out of high school and needed some think time to figure out what to do next. "I retreated to the woods to think, just as I'd done as a little boy in Seattle....I spent a lot of time alone thinking about what I should do next." (page 91) John had to get away from the crazy at home to be able to clearly understand what he was going to be doing after dropping out of high school. A difference between Christopher and John is John can lie and is good at it and Christopher cannot lie he can only tell a white lie. When John was a little boy he would trick his family. "I had an idea: Perhaps I could create my own reality. My first experiments were relatively simple. When I pointed out stars and constellations in the night sky to my grandparents, I added one...'''And that bright star- that's Sirius, the Dog Star. And that one there, that's Bovinius, the Cow Star."' (page 36) John lied as a way to entertain and escape from his bad life and parents. Christopher on the other hand he couldn't lie and he doesn't like jokes or metaphors. "I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person. But it is not because I am a good person. It is because I can't tell lies." (pg 18) Perhaps Christopher cant tell lies because of his memory? Both John and Christopher have similar and different traits.
I like your observation about both of them needing to get away at different points. I think that's a really good point. I also think it's a great observation you make about Christopher being able to lie, but not John. Good point.
DeleteFrom Mack
ReplyDeleteIn The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time the main character Christopher Boone has many similarities and differences with the main character from the autobiographical book, Look me in the Eye, John Elder Robinson. One of Christopher’s similarities with John Elder is that they both have trouble reading facial expressions, socializing and making friends. John Elder’s first experience at trying to make friends went like this. “At recess I walked over to Chuckie and patted her on the head. My mother had shown me how to pet my poodle on the head to make friends with him. And my mother petted me sometimes too, especially when I couldn’t sleep. So far as I could tell, petting worked. All the dogs my mother told me to pet had wagged their tails. They liked it. I figured Chuckie would too. Smack! she hit me.” (Robinson pg. 8). This is how a lot of John Elder’s social encounters went in his early life. Christopher has a hard time socializing for different reasons. “I find people confusing. This is for two main reasons. The first main reason is that people do a lot of talking without using any words... The second main reason is that people often talk using metaphors.” (Haddon pg. 14). Christopher and John Elder both have trouble socializing but in different ways. John Elder has trouble socializing because he was never really taught to socialize so he had to use what he had seen. Christopher has trouble socializing because he has trouble reading body language. Christopher and John elder are also very smart in their respective areas. Christopher is very advanced in the area of mathematics. “I am going to prove that I’m not stupid. Next month I am going to take my A level maths and I’m going to get an A grade.” (Haddon pg. 44). While John is very knowledgeable about electrical parts for things such as cars and musical instruments. “I was very proud of myself. It was the biggest and fastest repair job I had ever done.“ (Robinson pg.128). Earlier in his life John Elder fixed different cars to learn how to fix them but also for the thrill of fixing it. Later in life he fixed and tuned broken amplifiers to perfection. There is one major difference between John Elder and Christopher. This major difference is that John Elder grew up without knowing that he had Asperger’s syndrome. “I describe some of his fascinating behavior as a young man who would later be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism” (Robinson pg. xii). Christopher grew up knowing that he had autism and that he had to work on his social skills. “Eight years ago, when I first me Siobhan, she showed me this picture.” (Haddon pg. 2). Since basically the beginning Christopher has had help managing his autism and John Elder has basically needed to figure the world out on his own.
I like what you said about John "having to figure out the world on his own." Excellent point. I also love the scene where John Elder pets Chuckie on the head. I can totally see that, and an annoyed classmate's violent reaction!
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