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Satire
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
As the first-person narrator, Christopher's unique perspective on the setting colors how readers experience each physical location in the novel. External stimuli tend to rapidly overwhelm Christopher. In a controlled environment, he is able to remain calm and present in the moment. Once exposed to instability or unfamiliar circumstances, however, Christopher panics, disassociating as best he can from his surroundings to cope with the onslaught of information.
Given Christopher's particular nature, each setting in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time can be placed into one of two categories: disturbing or comforting. London and the Swindon train station, for instance, are disturbing locations—nightmarish, even. There are too many strangers, too many unpredictable variables, too many loud noises and strong smells. Such mundane places are terrifying to an overstimulated Christopher. His school, on the other hand, is a place of comfort, with predictable routines and familiar faces. Christopher feels safe at school, surrounded by people who—for the most part—understand him and accommodate his specific emotional needs.
The comforting settings morph and shift over the course of the novel, becoming sites of tumult as Christopher's once stable routines and relationships are upended by his parents' messy lives. Christopher's father's home begins as a place of comfort for Christopher, but soon becomes a site of disturbance when he uncovers his father's lies. Following this disturbance, it takes a long time for Christopher to feel comfortable again at home.
