Power of

Storytelling
Framework of the story is juxtaposed with the
framework of the autistic condition

Haddons inventiveness and his

Chris creation of a story helps
playful
him to organise the world but
manipulation of what a novel
it also challenges our
can do, helps us to understand
perspectives on those who
Chris, to empathise with his
are different.
experiences and
Stories help
to ultimately
gain ayoung
greater people organise their world and
sense
of acceptance.
to learn
about good an evil, courage and bravery, about

making difficult decisions and interpreting outcomes.

Storytelling usually needs power of imagination yet
Chris is severely limited.
He uses the language of logic instead of
imagination and metaphor
His discovery process is aided by the use of the
murder mystery genre. The detective genre novel is
a puzzle and Christopher enjoys solving puzzles.
The murder mystery format helps us understand Chris
world as he expands his knowledge of his own world

1. Frame-narrative book
within
a
book
Haddon uses the book-within-a-book format to
explain the mysteries of autism. Normally a treatise
on autism would be written in academic non-fiction
text - this would however, limit a wider level of
reader engagement.
Chris doesnt like proper novels because he they
are full of metaphors and he considers them to be
lies.

As the narrator of his own story, Chris paints the

truth as he sees it.
Normally, we would have no way to get into the
mind of someone like Chris he wouldnt tell us how
he feels but because the novel is so well
constructed, we are able to.
This is the power of story telling.

Activity
How does Mark Haddon manage to overcome the
difficulties of conveying the perspective of a
character whose specific condition inhibits him from
divulging personal and emotional information?

Steps Haddon takes to

delve into Chris world:

Find your
evidence in here
(remember
every para has 4
-5 pieces of
evidence:

1. Frame narrative
2. Detective fiction
3. Autobiographical (unwittingly creating a
bildungsroman Coming of Age text)
4. Parallelism
The Main Narrative vs. Digressional
Chapters > create a kind of a dual narrative structure.
5. Digressional chapters = academic info cleverly
delivered through personal observations on self.
6. The language itself e.g. order, logical, concise,
chronological syntax, dialogue, anaphora (repetition
of words at the start of sentences), short, declarative
sentences, repetition, stilted conversation, lack of
metaphor,
and
surprisingly
clever
similes
Clever
storytelling informative
opens up a new
world
of perspective
and engenders
etc. sense of acceptance for those whom society deems to be
a greater
different.

Christophers condition precludes him from divulging emotional information

about his state of being and to many observers this young man would be a
kind of closed book, his alien nature and detached persona acting as a
deterrent to those who might try to grasp an empathetic understanding of
him. Haddon employs the language and formulaic conventions of the
detective genre to create a greater verisimilitude as we suspend our
disbelief that an autistic child could craft a compelling tale. It is illogical to
expect someone with a limited imaginative capacity would write a novel,
where figurative language like metaphors are the norm. However,
Christopher, who orders his life according to predefined patterns and
routines enjoys murder mystery novels because they are like a puzzle, thus
his declarative statement I dont like proper novels, gives reason for his
desire to record his interpretation of events in chronological detail like his
hero Sherlock Holmes. The story begins in media res, where the unexplained
death of Wellington, becomes the hook to engage the reader in
Christophers travails and also gives the persona an opportunity to narrate
his own life story, letting the reader into his head. Christophers emulates
his hero, Holmes, and identifies with his unusual characteristics; the world
is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. But he
notices them, like I do. The affirmative statement, written in concise
economic prose, evinces that Christopher is able to articulate a perspective
on life that differs from wider neurotypically normal behaviours. Haddon
has cleverly employed the stylistic features of the detective genre to craft
an engaging narrative spoken through the voice of a character who would
usually be excluded from the world of first-person prose.

How does Mark Haddon manage to overcome the difficulties of

conveying the perspective of a character whose specific
condition inhibits him from divulging personal and emotional
information?
Christophers condition precludes him from divulging emotional information about
his state of being and to many observers this young man would be a kind of
closed book, his alien nature and detached persona acting as a deterrent to
those who might try to grasp an empathetic understanding of him. Haddon
employs the language and formulaic conventions of the detective genre to create
a greater verisimilitude as we suspend our disbelief that an autistic child could
craft a compelling tale. It is illogical to expect someone with a limited imaginative
capacity would write a novel, where figurative language like metaphors are the
norm. However, Christopher, who orders his life according to predefined patterns
and routines enjoys murder mystery novels because they are like a puzzle, thus
his declarative statement I dont like proper novels, gives reason for his desire to
record his interpretation of events in chronological detail like his hero Sherlock
Holmes. The story begins in media res, where the unexplained death of
Wellington, becomes the hook to engage the reader in Christophers travails and
also gives the persona an opportunity to narrate his own life story, letting the
reader into his head. Christophers emulates his hero, Holmes, and identifies with
his unusual characteristics; the world is full of obvious things which nobody by
any chance ever observes. But he notices them, like I do. The affirmative
statement, written in concise economic prose, evinces that Christopher is able to
articulate a perspective on life that differs from wider neurotypically normal
behaviours. Haddon has cleverly employed the stylistic features of the detective
genre to craft an engaging narrative spoken through the voice of a character who
would usually be excluded from the world of first-person prose.