Lyndsey Proctor
symbolism
Christopher Boone uses an abundance of symbols throughout the novel to give the reader an insight into how a person with autism views and reacts to all the challenges they face in life.
"I am going to prove that I'm not stupid. Next month I'm going to take my A level in math and I'm going to get an A grade. No one has ever taken an A level at our school before" (44).
The A-level test illustrates the struggles Christopher faces at school as a result of his autism. Because of Christopher's lack of social skills, he goes to a school for kids with disabilities. Although Christopher admits that his condition does not impair his learning abilities, unlike some of his peers, he instead uses the A-level test as an opportunity to prove and validate his place in society. |
Borrowed from imperva.com
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Borrowed from vectorstock.com
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"...it wasn't like being on the bus at school because you could look out of the window for as long as you wanted and see as many cars as you wanted, and I looked out of the window for three hours and I saw 5 red cars in a row and 4 Black Day, so the system didn't work anymore" (205).
The colored cars symbolize the consistency and organization a person with high-functioning autism needs. A lack of structure will cause Christopher to freak out and panic. When Christopher realizes that his pattern no longer works anymore he becomes distressed and panicked. The logic and consistency that made his life understandable was gone. |
"Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them" (12).
The prime numbers used to label the chapters in the novel represent the logic and reasoning behind the way Christopher's mind functions. Furthermore, Christopher states that prime numbers are the perfect way to describe his life. They show that although Christopher does not know how to interpret social interactions his mind can comprehend logic and prime numbers because they are logical and understandable. |
Borrowed from mathematics-monster.com
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