In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon utilizes different types of syntax - in particular, polysyndeton and syntactic permutation - to develop Christopher’s character and his struggle with communication, as well as support the purpose of normalizing uncommon perspectives.
Polysyndeton is a recurring and prominent aspect of Christopher’s communication. For example, when explaining a behavior done with his father, Christopher says, “And after a while I stopped screaming and I held up my left hand...and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other and mother said...and then I felt better” (77). The repetition of the word “and” paired with the lack of commas creates polysyndeton. This sentence structure suggests that Christopher’s brain often floods with information, causing him to bunch phrases together in excessive, run-on sentences. The quote also lets us know that Christopher has behavioral issues - including screaming in public - and that he often needs to be comforted in stressful situations. This method of conveying information is also shown when he describes what is inside his father’s drawers: “these [drawers] only contained aspirin and nail clippers and batteries and dental floss and a tampon and tissues and a spare false tooth” (93). Polysyndeton is frequently used to slow down the reading of sentences; Haddon’s use of this technique suggests that Christopher's mind works and processes information slower than the normal person. Use of polysyndeton develops Christopher’s character as someone who struggles with communication. The quote also tells us that he is a curious child who is not afraid to investigate to find the information he needs.
Borrowed from DCC Academy
The author also uses syntactic permutation as a method of characterization. For example, when explaining his thought processes, Christopher says, “But if I say that I actually had Shreddies...I start thinking about Coco Pops...and how I wasn’t eating my breakfast in Egypt...and even writing this makes me shaky and scared...and my head is so full of all these things that I’m afraid I’m going to...fall over and be killed” (19). Christopher goes on a long tangent during this quote; the entirety of the sentence covers half of a page of the book. He is clearly showing obsessive tendencies, and cannot control where his mind goes. Use of syntactic permutation gives the readers an insight into how Christopher’s mind works, and shows that it is hard for him to contain his thoughts.