Comparing and contrasting these two books will reflect society’s views on autism during the two different time periods. This book was written in the 21st century, therefore, more of a modern view of the disorder is established.
Although people with autism are still not embraced as much as they should be, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time provides further insight into the thoughts and feelings towards the disorder.
Flowers for Algernon was published when the lack of research and understanding of mental impediments led to the rejection and ostracization of people with disability. The research question is “How do the approaches to mental disabilities contrast in Flowers for Algernon and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time?” This is a question worth researching further and answering because of each book’s historical circumstances, and how this reflects society’s response to mental disabilities at the time. Portraying the protagonist as a teenager who struggles with communication is what shapes the complexly profound novel (Cline 1). In Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome, is determined to solve his neighbor’s dog’s murder. However, after his life-changing operation, his mental state age increased exponentially, despite him still being the same age, 32. Charlie’s IQ of 68 meant that his mental age was younger than his physical age, which dictated that he could not perform as well as other people his age. Many with this disability have an incredibly troublesome time adjusting to life, and generally, have IQs equal to or less than 70 (Berger 1). Being intellectually disabled means having severe limitations when it comes to mental and cognitive capabilities. In Daniel Keyes’ novel Flowers for Algernon, Charlie, a 32-year-old intellectually disabled man, undergoes a newly researched surgical procedure that turns him into a genius.
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