I was responsible for 10 questions regarding conflict. Here they are:
1. 1. What do you think the main conflict is in the
story: Character vs. Character, character vs. self, or character vs.
environment? Why?
It’s more of a character vs. environment conflict. No one really understands Chris (poor chap)
or his motives. All he wants to do is
solve the mystery of who killed the neighborhood dog, but people aren’t
accustomed to his behaviour and mentality, so, in a way, they’re slightly
afraid of him.
2. 2. Do Chris and his father have a good
relationship?
I’d say, yes, they do have a good relationship with his
father, even in the worst of times. They
get along and his father is very patient and understanding of Chris. Even then, Chris pushes the limit of each
other’s trust and does things that he knows are risky in his father’s eyes.
3. 3. What really triggered Chris’ curiosity
surrounding his mother’s “death?”
Well, obviously, whenever he talked to Mrs. Andrews about
Wellington at the corner store.
Suddenly, a huge veil was lifted and a completely other mystery was
revealed, adding further complication surrounding the plot.
4. 4. Do you think that Chris’ dad overreacted when he
found Chris’ book and read what he wrote down?
Was it really necessary to bring on violence?
He was perfectly sensible up until he hit Chris, in my
opinion. I’ll be honest, he was fed up
with Chris disobeying his orders and breaking his promises, but violence wasn’t
the answer.
5. 5. Chris seems to go off topic a lot. Does this in any way help progress the story,
or hinder its progress?
This is tough.
Personally, I see it progresses it in a strange way, because his
off-topic things aren’t really that off-topic.
They just give lots of explanation to an inquiry or to why someone has
done this or that.
6. 6. Dramatic Change: Chris’ Mother May Still Be
Alive. Does this plot twist make the
story more interesting than before, or is it still a dull read?
I really don’t know why I asked that question, because it
isn’t a dull read in any way whatsoever.
I do find that when Chris finds those letters in his father’s room, that
everything suddenly changes, and that the story is no longer just about dogs
and maths.
7. 7. Chris’ mother never died. Why do you think his father told him so?
This is tough. We
first must understand that Chris doesn’t understand human behaviour that
well. It’d be too complicated for Chris
to understand what went on.
8. 8. The initial mystery of the book was pretty
bland, do you find? Do you find that
people are brushing off Chris as some kind of message?
It seems like more of a kid-ish mystery to solve. If he was a younger kid trying to do it, the
neighborhood would think that it’s cute.
Since he’s 15 and should know better, everyone in frustrated.
9. How does Chris' character add to the conflict?
He's an interesting fellow that handles situations differently. This creates a bit of a barrier between him and the rest of society that is a huge obstacle for him to overcome.
10. How does Mrs. Alexander's part in this mystery add conflict?
She revealed everything about Chris' mother's death--I mean, affair with Mr. Shears. Enough said.
IN REPLY TO; How does Chris' character add to the conflict?
ReplyDeleteI agree that he is an interesting "fellow" who handles situations differently. Because he is autistic, it's harder for him to overcome certain problems, which essentially builds the conflict. Like when he travels to London. Because he fears crowds, he has to overcome just being in public. This creates a small barrier between him and the rest of society that is a huge obstacle for him to overcome, as you said. It's kind of a character vs self to self vs environment. It's a combination. Do you think the conflict is still weak to the reader, even though Chris is autistic and to him it is a huge obstacle?
Question 1.
ReplyDeleteI was responsible for theme of the book and I said that there was a character vs. character because nobody understands Christopher like the police officer, character vs. Self because Christopher does not understand things the same way as none autistic people therefore his life is harder and character vs. environment conflict for the same reason as you but also our society is not built for autistic people so they have a much harder time. I do think that the character vs. environment conflict is the most important one in the book though.
Sarah Hamilton :)
IN REPLY TO: What do you think the main conflict is in the story: Character versus Character, character versus self, or character versus environment? Why?
ReplyDeleteI think there isn’t a main conflict. Because the book’s storyline is choppy and changes, I think it has all three conflicts you listed. Each three conflicts are equally strong as well. The book starts out with a character versus Character. He goes against his dad’s wishes and seeks out the murderer of Wellington. Then it takes a twist, and Chris goes searching for his mother, Chris finds himself in London, and hates it. This is when the conflict changes to Character versus Environment. Lastly, throughout the WHOLE book, character versus self is a huge part of the conflict. Though Chris doesn’t have a hard time with his autism knowingly, but it does make certain tasks harder. While he might not see it, the reader sees the conflict. Point is, I don’t think there is a main conflict. So yeah. That’s what I think.
What did you think of the overall conflict(s)? Was it strong or weak? Do you think it affected how you thought about each of the characters? Also, did you get anything out of it personally? I kinda just got the sense of; you can do anything you want no matter what the limitations. But this didn't really speak to me in any way. How did you react/ feel about the conflicts being overcome and... unaccomplished?...
ReplyDelete