Reader Response Journal #2

Christopher, being a boy with Asperger's, has a hard time reading facial expressions, and the emotions portrayed by facial expressions. He lacks the ability to make good inferences, and can only read an expression if he has already memorized it, or the person he is talking to tells him how he/she feels. Otherwise, Christopher has no idea.

I have noticed throughout the book that not only does he have trouble figuring out someone's emotions, but he really doesn't show much either. For example, when someone in your family dies, you would be sad, right? Especially if it was a parent. I know I would. However, when his Father breaks the news that his Mother has died, he doesn't really seem to notice, or be sad or even miss her. All he wants are the facts. But even though he doesn't show it, I think that he may have been sad. Not a whole lot, but when he knows all the facts he feels better, like a regular person feels better when people hug them and are there to talk to. If it were me, I would be very sad, because I love my mother so much.

He doesn't really react emotionally to the things that would normally make us angry or sad. For example, when he finds out that his Father lied to him about his Mother's death, he just runs away, because he knows he cannot trust his Father anymore. If it were me, and I found out that my Mother left, she didn't die of a heart attack, I would be so mad I wouldn't be able to see straight. Just knowing that my Father would hide a whole bunch of letters and lie to me for a long time would be enough to make me run away and never come back or even look at my Father again.