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More than once, father throws his hands up in frustration or holds his head in his hands uttering such things as, “Jesus wept.”In one case, he gives in to “the red mist” of rage. That is when he impales Wellington with a garden fork. Father goes to great lengths to protect his son, but his choices are not always wise. His decision to lie to Christopher about his mother, saying she has died when, in fact, she has run off with their neighbor, Mr. Shears, creates huge problems that cost him his son’s trust when he learns the truth.

At other times, Father is the gallant defender, standing up for his son’s dignity in the face of insensitive bureaucracy and inappropriate authority. When Christopher is arrested, Father vents his anger on the detective investigating the case, and when the headmistress at the school refuses to let Christopher take his A-level math exams, Father shames her into acquiescence. When Christopher learns on his own that his mother’s death is a lie, and when Father admits to murdering Wellington, Father becomes a monster in Christopher’s eyes. Since Father murdered Wellington, Christopher reasons, he might very well murder his son. In Christopher’s eye, murder is murder—dog or man. Because Father lied to Christopher, who views the world in absolutes, he is never to be trusted again.