The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Chapter 31 Quotes
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Chapter 31 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
Quote 1
I stepped outside. Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people, so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me. (31.5)
It seems noteworthy that this scene – the first time we read about the "hand-hugging" – occurs in a sterile, empty prison corridor. Prison, of course, has got to be one of the loneliest places there is. The corridor outside the cell allows for some interaction, but there really isn't any place for warmth. So in this setting, does this greeting become more like an embrace, or does it make it seem that much colder?
Quote 2
We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people, so we do this instead, and it means that he loves me. (31.5)
We don't know about you, but we find this image both really sweet and devastatingly sad. Maybe we just really like hugging. Sure, there's nothing intrinsic about hugs that screams "love." You can hug people you don't like – your opponent in a boxing match, say, or your least-favorite relative. But there's certainly something in an embrace that signals a deep emotional connection. To imagine Christopher and his father touching fingertips seems like a terribly inadequate replacement.