The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

by

Mark Haddon

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Sherlock Holmes Symbol Analysis

Sherlock Holmes Symbol Icon

Throughout the book, Sherlock Holmes stands for Christopher’s personal values of logic and mental detachment. Christopher admires Holmes because he uses logic to solve mysteries and never gives in to the temptation of supernatural explanations for odd happenings. Christopher tries to copy Holmes’s methods as he attempts to solve the mystery of Wellington’s death. Furthermore, Holmes represents Christopher’s ability to succeed in life. Holmes is an odd character who does not interact with the world in a particularly conventional manner. His internal world and detachment from society allow him to regard the external world in a way that other don’t see it, a way that allows him to notice what others don’t. Christopher sees in Holmes a validation that his own values are worthwhile, even if other people don’t understand how his mind works.

Sherlock Holmes Quotes in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time quotes below all refer to the symbol of Sherlock Holmes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Growing Up Theme Icon
).
Chapter 107 Quotes

I also like The Hound of the Baskervilles because I like Sherlock Holmes and I think that if I were a proper detective he is the kind of detective I would be. He is very intelligent and he solves the mystery and he says

The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.

But he notices them, like I do. Also it says in the book

Sherlock Holmes had, in a very remarkable degree, the power of detaching his mind at will.

And this is like me, too, because if I get really interested in something... I don’t notice anything else...

Also Sherlock Holmes doesn’t believe in the supernatural, which is God and fairy tales and Hounds of Hell and curses, which are stupid things.

Related Characters: Christopher John Francis Boone (speaker)
Related Symbols: Sherlock Holmes
Page Number: 73-74
Explanation and Analysis:
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Sherlock Holmes Symbol Timeline in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The timeline below shows where the symbol Sherlock Holmes appears in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 107
Truth, Love, and Safety Theme Icon
The Hound of the Baskervilles is Christopher’s favorite book. This Sherlock Holmes novel is about an old British family, the Baskervilles, who are haunted by a giant,... (full context)
Logic vs. Emotion Theme Icon
Perspective and the Absurdity of the World Theme Icon
...detective or the reader off on the wrong track. Christopher feels like he’s similar to Sherlock Holmes , because they’re both very observant and can concentrate their minds on one thing to... (full context)
Chapter 139
Truth, Love, and Safety Theme Icon
Logic vs. Emotion Theme Icon
Perspective and the Absurdity of the World Theme Icon
As much as Christopher likes Sherlock Holmes , he doesn’t like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the stories. He believed in... (full context)
Chapter 179
Growing Up Theme Icon
Logic vs. Emotion Theme Icon
...hundred miles away. His head hurts from this realization, but he tries to be like Sherlock Holmes and focus only on the problem at hand. (full context)