Writer's Name Teacher's Name Class Date Feeling Fear Imagine having no emotional response to a situation or experience in life . Imagine not being able to cry at the death of a family member , smile when a goal is achieved , frown on a rainy day , or laugh at a funny joke . Christopher Boone has autism , and takes on the mission of writing a murder mystery novel as he tries to solve the death of a neighbor's dog . Through this mystery , he learns of the lies and deceit of his father , as he discovers his mother never died of a heart attack and his father is a murderer . In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time . author Mark Haddon demonstrates that betrayal leads to courage through situational irony and the characterization of the 15 - year - old Christopher Boone . Unfortunate experiences and unexpected situations frighten Christopher and force him to grow up , which is depicted through the situational irony of the novel . When Christopher discovers the dishonesty of his father , he " scream [ s ] and push [ es ] " him , refusing to speak with him ( Haddon 122 ) . The irony of this situation is that Christopher's father had once represented the only safe haven for him in life . However , discovering his father's dishonesty forces Christopher to realize that even his father is not safe and is not perfect . His father's deceit acts as the ironic situation that inspires Christopher to face his fear of leaving his neighborhood . As Christopher flees from his once safe home , he concludes that there is nothing he [ can ] do which [ feels ] safe , " except go to London to find his mother ( Haddon 130 ) . Facing the betrayal of his father strips away Christopher's naiveté and acts as the catalyst that gives him the courage to 2016 Bespoke ELA