To a great extent, Christopher's condition is responsible for three main conflicts in the book: character versus character, character versus self, and character versus nature.
In the story, 15-year-old Christopher is mildly autistic, and his symptoms are typical of someone with this condition. The first indication of Christopher's autism is shown in his preoccupation with numbers, specifically prime numbers. In fact, the chapters of his book are ordered accordingly. For example, we begin with Chapter 2, progress to Chapter 3, and proceed accordingly. In chapter 19, Christopher explains why he likes prime numbers (they are logical) and how he calculates subsequent numbers (beginning from 2).
Christopher's conflicts with his father, Mrs. Shears, and, later, Mr. Shears and his mother (in London) are often precipitated by his condition. A large part of Christopher's challenges derive from his inability to correctly interpret nonverbal forms of communication such as facial expressions, gestures, and body language. His difficulties are briefly alluded to in chapter 3. Here, Christopher explains that he can tell when a person is sad or happy. However, he runs into problems deciphering other types of facial expressions.
In chapter 11, Christopher is approached by the police. During their interaction, he becomes confused by an officer's rapid questions. At this point, it is clear that Christopher is overwhelmed, and he protects himself in the only way he knows how: he begins groaning heavily. Alarmed by Christopher's behavior, the officer takes hold of the teenager in an attempt to bring him to his feet. Because many autistic individuals are hypersensitive to touch (especially during a stressful situation), Christopher hits back at the officer. Additionally, Christopher's inability to correctly interpret the officer's body language also contributes to his outburst.
In chapter 17, we learn that Christopher has been arrested for assaulting an officer. However, he shows little indication of being distressed by his arrest. In fact, Christopher's mind continues to focus on what he likes best: numbers. He happily notes that his jail cell is a perfect cube and contains exactly 8 cubic meters of air. Like many autistic individuals, Christopher harbors intense obsessions; in Christopher's case, prime numbers and scientific facts give him a feeling of control and normalcy.
It can be seen that Christopher's struggles with himself and others largely stem from his condition. In chapter 67, Christopher admits that he does not like strangers, as he has a difficult time understanding them. We learn more about Christopher's condition in chapter 73, where he describes some of his "behavioral problems." In chapter 97, Christopher learns from Mrs. Alexander (a neighbor) the real reason for his father's explosive dislike of Mr. Shear.
Despite Mrs. Alexander's careful and empathetic manner, Christopher is distrustful of her. Again, his difficulties arise from his condition. Throughout the novel, Christopher has difficulty relating to others, and he struggles to process his experiences. When overwhelmed, he falls back to reciting facts and statistics.
Later, in the book, we learn that Christopher also has unconventional feelings about nature. In chapter 103, he describes his impression of clouds. He tells us that sometimes clouds are boring: they are grey or blue and have little personality. At other times, a big, grey cloud may be a rain cloud, and it may take the shape of an alien spaceship "hundreds of kilometers long." In the same chapter, we learn that Christopher smells "nothing" when he sniffs the air in the garden. Again, Christopher's conflict with nature stems from his condition; many autistic individuals have difficulty processing sensory information, such as sights, sounds, and smells.
In all, Christopher's condition is directly responsible for the three types of conflict in the book.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-are-symptoms-autism
https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/about-autism/what-is-autism
Saturday, March 2, 2013
To what extent is Christopher's condition responsible for these three types of conflict that arise in the book? Identify and analyze the following: character versus character, character versus self, character versus nature.
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