Living in a world surrounded by people who function differently might make us feel excluded, but finding another person, fictional or non-fiction, who shares similar characteristics can help resolve this problem. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, Christopher decides to write a mystery novel while trying to solve the mystery of his mother and Wellington's death. As he writes the story, he explains his love for Sherlock Holmes and their many compatible qualities. While Christopher may be considered to have unique characteristics, he finds comfort in comparing his individual traits to those of the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Christopher share similar thought patterns, personality traits, and social skills that set them apart from the average crowd. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout the novel, Haddon adds several moments that help the reader understand the way Christopher thinks. The way he processes events in his life is different from the average person. Additionally, the way he approaches a situation is unique to him. Work around the situation, finding out everything about the things involved and then address the problem. This is similar to Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock uses his brain differently than his assistant Dr. Watson. Holmes faces similar circumstances to Christopher where he gathers all the information he can before coming to a conclusion. Christopher states that his "memory is like a movie" and that he can "just press Rewind, Fast Forward, and Pause like a VCR" when he wants to remember something (76). He does not understand the use of metaphors and is unable to understand the topic of the supernatural. He states "Sherlock Holmes doesn't believe in the supernatural, which is God and fairy tales and hellhounds and curses, which are stupid" (74) He relates to Sherlock on this level because none of the two manages to believe that there is something that can exist but cannot be physically explained or seen. Christopher then mentions a moment when Watson was talking about Holmes and states: "the world is full of obvious things that no one ever observes by chance. ” where Christopher comments that Sherlock “notices them, as [he] does” (73). Christopher can identify with Sherlock because he can understand why Sherlock thinks a certain way better than the average person can and how he understands different things. Sherlock Holmes has a famous quote in which he compares the human brain to an attic. He states that "a man's brain is originally like a little empty attic, and [one must] stock it with such furniture as [one] chooses" (A Study in Scarlet). He then says that “the skilled worker is indeed very careful about what he carries into his brain attic” which he refers to himself and other intelligent people (A Study in Scarlet). This comparison to the brain is very similar to Christopher. Christopher and Sherlock both take the time to analyze how their brains work compared to other people, where Christopher's is like a VCR, Sherlock's is like an attic. Christopher at one point states that he "had to be like Sherlock Holmes and…detach [his] mind at will to a considerable degree" (132). This shows how Sherlock thinks and how Christopher turns to him in a difficult moment to help him overcome a situation. They seem to approach a situation the same way. One important thing about both Christopher and Sherlock Holmes is their distinct personalities. Sherlock Holmes is known for his narcissistic personality which Christopher is very similar to. They both believe they are very intelligent atto the point of being almost smarter than the people around them. Christopher is very reserved and doesn't like talking to strangers. Part of his growth through the book is his confidence in talking to strangers. Where Sherlock Holmes is a very conceited person and people find it difficult to be around him due to his attitude towards them. They both share similar personality traits, which helps Christopher find Sherlock as a character he can identify with. Christopher begins his story with “my name is Christopher John Francis Boon. I know all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7057” (2). This quote shows Christopher's personality and the immense amount of information he knows. He states that he will “prove that [he is] not stupid” (44). He wants to prove to people who don't believe in him that he can do anything he puts his mind to. He is very confident in the way he talks about his intelligence. Although confident, Christopher is very shy around strangers. He “[doesn't] like strangers because [he] doesn't like people [he's] never met before” (34). Before his adventure in London, he had never been in a situation that required him to talk to strangers. This combination of confidence and shyness is what makes Christopher's personality similar to Sherlock Holmes' personality. In one of the many stories containing Sherlock Holmes he states: "My name is Sherlock Holmes... it is my business to know what other people are doing." I don't know” (The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle). He, similar to Christopher, states what he wants people to know about him. By stating this, Sherlock openly displays his confident and narcissistic personality. Watson states: "this (Sherlock Holmes) may be very intelligent... but he is certainly very conceited" (A Study in Scarlet). Sherlock was always trying to prove that he was intelligent. This is similar to what Christopher wanted to do. Christopher wanted to demonstrate his intelligence similar to how Holmes does. Sherlock Holmes, in parallel with Christopher, is not a person who adheres to people. He enjoys his alone time and isn't ashamed to say it. Christopher and Sherlock Holmes share similar social skills when it comes to empathizing or communicating with other people. Both Christopher and Sherlock enjoy being alone and neither shows empathy towards any situation. Christopher struggles to grasp people's emotions and doesn't know how to react when someone feels sad or angry. Sherlock Holmes deals with death on a daily basis and has yet to discover the correct way to react in that type of situation. They both dislike the act of talking to strangers and try to avoid it as best they can. Christopher realizes that he is different from the people around him. He understands that he is capable of understanding things in a unique way and knowing this, he doesn't like the fact that he is alone in that sense. At one point in the story he talks about how he wished that “in the end there [would] be no one left in the world except people who don't look at other people's faces… and these people are all special people like [him]. And they like to be alone” (199). Christopher states that he would like this because he cannot clearly identify what emotion a person is feeling. It would be easier for him if the people around him were the same way and he didn't have to worry about trying to figure it out. There is a point in the story where Christopher's mother cries and says, “she made a loud moan, like an animal on a nature TV show. I didn't like her doing this because it made a loud noise, and I said 'why are you doing that?'” (193). This incident is just one involving Christopher and his lack of empathy. Instead,.