The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime siobhan

Siobhan is presented in the play as calm, kind, intelligent, and trustworthy. She is important because she is the person Christopher trusts most and because she functions as the narrator of the play, reading Christopher's words out to the audience.

Expert Answers

Siobhan's character in Simon Stephens's play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time does not differ greatly in terms of personality from the way she is presented in the novel. She is kindly, intuitive, and intelligent and is one of the few people in the world whom Christopher...

See This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

Already a member? Log in here.

Siobhan's character in Simon Stephens's play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time does not differ greatly in terms of personality from the way she is presented in the novel. She is kindly, intuitive, and intelligent and is one of the few people in the world whom Christopher feels he can trust.

What is different in the play, however, is that Siobhan shares with Christopher the function of narrator. In the novel, Christopher is an unreliable narrator who often misreads the situation. In the play, Christopher's words are read by Siobhan, giving them some of the authority of her personality, if only through her judicious selection. Siobhan uses Christopher's own words to describe what is happening to him and what thoughts arise in his mind.

As the play opens, for instance, Mrs. Shears is hysterical when she discovers that her dog has been killed. Christopher then has a tense dialogue with the police officer, which ends in him lashing out and hitting the man. Throughout these emotional incidents, Siobhan is calmly giving the audience the story behind these events, making sense of them, and adding structure. This is the role she fulfils throughout the play, making her seem even more like the infallible voice of stability and sanity than she does in the book and also making her a more central character.

Last Updated by eNotes Editorial on August 24, 2021

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Latest answer posted March 10, 2021 at 4:13:02 PM

1 Educator answer

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Latest answer posted August 13, 2012 at 2:30:50 PM

4 Educator answers

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Latest answer posted August 02, 2019 at 10:35:44 PM

3 Educator answers

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Latest answer posted June 10, 2020 at 4:37:15 PM

5 Educator answers

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Latest answer posted October 22, 2019 at 6:31:19 AM

1 Educator answer

Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. More books than SparkNotes.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

who was she?

what did she do?

what was she like?

Asked by on 3/27/2012 7:25 AM

Last updated by jill d #170087 on 3/27/2012 7:50 AM
Answers 1
Add Yours

Answered by jill d #170087 on 3/27/2012 7:50 AM

Siobhan - Christopher’s primary teacher at school. An even-handed mentor, she works to expand Christopher’s horizons socially as well as academically. As a result, she is one of the few people whom Christopher trusts, and in the limited moments when the reader sees her, she mirrors the reader as an observer and commentator on Christopher’s life.

Siobhan, meanwhile, plays the role of quiet observer, working much as the reader does to understand Christopher better through his novel. Siobhan initially tells Christopher to write his novel to give him a simple writing exercise, but the book’s autobiographical nature soon reveals Christopher’s inner thoughts and home life to Siobhan. In Chapter 109, Siobhan reads of Mother’s affair with Mr. Shears, and she realizes that she has inadvertently learned a secret about Christopher’s family. She attempts to engage Christopher in a discussion of his feelings about the affair, but Christopher reveals very little about his emotional reaction, just as he tells the reader little about his feelings on the subject. He instead dismisses the matter with logic, saying it makes no sense to worry about the affair when Mother is dead and Mr. Shears is gone. Because of Christopher’s condition, which leaves him socially and emotionally impaired, this response may in fact reflect his true feelings. But this virtual non-reaction leaves Siobhan, and perhaps the reader, to wonder exactly how Christopher experiences the world.

Source(s)

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/characters.html


What purpose does Siobhan serve in Christopher's life?

What purpose does Siobhan serve in Christopher's life? She looks after him while his father is at work. She tutors him in math and chemistry, as well as talking to him about adulthood.

How does Christopher feel about Siobhan?

Siobhan is one of Christopher's teachers at school. He seems really fond of her. Although Christopher's father understands him well, Siobhan is the only one who can really speak his language. Christopher often mentions Siobhan when describing the aspects of human communication with which he has trouble.

Why is Siobhan as an important character?

Siobhan is one of the few people whom Christopher completely trusts. She helps him understand the way other people act, and she seems to understand more than almost anyone how his mind works. She also guides his writing, assigning him a writing task initially and then giving him advice on his book as he goes.

When she reads Christopher's book What is Siobhan concerned about?

Siobhan becomes concerned about Christopher's emotional well-being after reading his account of his conversation with Mrs. Alexander, and she asks Christopher if he feels sad.