Hiding truths and replacing them with lies is often very devastating for family members and is even more so when the entire life of a son was built on these lies. Mark Haddon, in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, explores the effects of discovering a world of lies. The father builds a vast web of lies around Christopher in an attempt to protect him from the harsh truth and also because of the father's emotionally disturbing misadventures. All of these events ultimately prove essential in the development of the plot within the story. Therefore, as the story progresses and further fragments are revealed, the father plays an important role in the development of the plot through his lies with Christopher, the relationship with Mrs. Shears, and his absolute and unwavering love for Christopher. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The father heavily influences the plot through his relationship with Mrs. Shears, it was the relationship that supported the father in his darkest moments, and the relationship that would be the origin of the central plot, the murder of Wellington . Once Christopher's mother was gone, his father found reassurance from Mrs. Shears who had also lost a loved one in his life. When the father flew into a rage over Mrs. Shears' resistance to having a relationship between two, the only thing he thought about was that “she cared more about that damn dog than about me, about us” (121). He then goes on to answer one of the key questions of the plot, who killed the dog. The father's words in describing his reasons also reveal additional information that defines a multitude of characters in the novel. While Christopher once had to search for this information, his father now tells us vital information about characters like Mr. and Mrs. Shears. You get more insight into the events that occurred between Mr. Shears and his mother, as well as how the father weathered some of his darkest moments. It was also his relationship with Mrs. Shears that led Christopher to find the dog in Mrs. Shears' yard. In the first lines of the book Christopher states: “The dog was dead” (1). A simple line, yet it is the basis of the entire novel. As Christopher attempts to solve the mystery of who killed the dog, worlds of lies and secrets that had been wrapped around Christopher open up. Christopher eventually learns about the killer, his father thus resolves the original plot, but at the same time creates more conflict by believing his father is a killer. Following his father's affair with Mrs. Shears, the dog is murdered, an event that constitutes the essence of the entire novel and which also leads the father to build an endless web of lies around Christopher. The world of lies that the father builds around Christopher also plays a key role in establishing the plot because all of Christopher's trust for his father is replaced by a fear that pushes him away. At first Christopher is unaware of many secrets of his life. He also continues to say about his father that he "always tells me the truth" (87). This comment by Christopher regarding his father indicates the high level of trust Christopher places in his father. The story is told from Christopher's point of view, and how Christopher views his father is a very important factor in the development of the plot. Without any trust in his father, or the belief that his father loves him, Christopher would run away at the first sign of impatience. Even so, the harmful effects of this misplaced trust become clear when Christopher realizes itthat “mother had always been alive. And the father had lied about it” (112). This marks a major turning point in the plot. Not only does it reveal that much of Christopher's world was made up of lies, but it also reveals a...separate plot, specifically where his mother was. Many events that follow also occur due to the revelation of the one truth. It destroys all trust between Christopher and his father. The plot advances further when it is revealed that Wellington had been killed by his father in a fit of rage. With the father revealing and also admitting that Christopher's mother was still alive, we see the plot shift from who killed Wellington to become the question of Christopher's future. It can therefore be concluded that the vast web of lies built around Christopher is an important factor in the development of the plot. The collapse of the lies reveals that the father killed Wellington, but at the same time it also reveals the main driving force behind the plot, the father's unwavering love for Christopher. Finally, the father reveals his motivations behind the entire plot, namely his love for Christopher. This clearly illustrates the reasons behind each event that occurs within the novel in great detail. After his father's confession that he broke up with Christopher's mother, the question remains as to why his father hid the truth. He then proceeds to respond, “'I did it for your good Christopher'” (114). This indicates how the father viewed many of his own actions and how desperate he was to protect Christopher from many of the harsh truths. The World of Lies was born from a single lie and a single event that happened in the past, however Christopher's unwavering love prevented his father from directly revealing the real events. The father did not want Christopher's image of both his mother and himself to be tarnished by the bad events that had happened, and especially that his mother had left Christopher. Many post-divorce events are also influenced by this constant love. Reluctant and careful to never show signs of exhaustion around Christopher, he turns to Mrs. Shears, who had also lost her husband. This then reappears later in the plot when Christopher rediscovers the information his father had attempted to hide. The events build up to a final statement from the father in which he tells Christopher, "'you have to learn to trust me...And I don't care how long it takes'" (218). It clearly demonstrates how desperate the father is to support the relationship between him and Christopher. This desperation stems from her unwavering love for Christopher and the fact that she does not believe herself capable of dealing with the loss of another loved one. Many of the resolving events within the novel also come from the father's love and desire to hold on to a loved one. He constantly attempts to regain Christopher's trust in the hopes that Christopher will not leave him. It then becomes quite clear that the entire plot of the story is driven by the father's love for Christopher. The source of the main conflict, Wellington's death, originates from the father's need and desperation to remain strong for Christopher. The climax also comes from the collapse of a web of lies that the father had built in his desire to protect Christopher. Finally, the multitude of events that occur during the resolution are all tied to the father's love for Christopher as the thought of Christopher leaving and the loss of another loved one is too much for the father to bear. Please note: This is just an example Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Overall it is quite clear that the father holds a key position in creating the plot of this novel.