Why do you thinks the boy made lists? Is there a calming aspect to list-making that appeals to more than one type of person? Do you consider yourself a list person?
Created: 04/16/17
Replies: 13
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Why do you thinks the boy made lists? Is there a calming aspect to list-making that appeals to more than one type of person? Do you consider yourself a list person?
Join Date: 02/08/16
Posts: 505
The lists put things in order for the boy. He was in a world he didn't totally understand or fit into. Having order, gave him purpose and put things right.
Join Date: 08/16/11
Posts: 25
The boy didn't really fit into the modern world. Lists and counting are calming to many people with anxiety related issues. Those lists and numbering made life calmer, gave him peace
Join Date: 01/01/16
Posts: 434
I make lists of what I need to do each day. As I go through my list I check off the things I have accomplished and this makes me feel very good. If I do not do one of the items I add it to the next day and I am fine with that! I think there is a calming aspect to making lists and this is probably why the boy did it.
Join Date: 09/04/16
Posts: 110
The lists were one of the things that made this boy One in a Million. It was part of him. Maybe he had aniexty or other mental issues or maybe he was just weird. It does not matter. This boy was himself and not worrying about following the sheep. This boy was brilliant. I loved him! If this character was real, I would be honor to have him as my son.
Join Date: 10/12/11
Posts: 256
Lists allow one to be organized and often serve as reminders of what needs to be done as well as of what has been accomplished. Lists can also be reminders of things we want to remember and review at a later date. Lists also represent order; I think by making lists the boy achieved some semblance of order in his life, and having only ten items was a reasonable, workable number for him.
Join Date: 10/15/14
Posts: 363
At some point in the novel we are led to believe that the young boy may have been "special" in ways that were not medically known at that time. The list making was perhaps a part of his mental make-up; it helped him organize his world. It also seemed to make him appear responsible beyond his years. He was interested in lists of a sort - records and achievements, and he listed those as well. I am a list maker, have always been. Doing so and then marking off the items accomplished keeps me organized and gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
Join Date: 09/15/16
Posts: 53
I thought maybe he had an obsessive compulsive type disorder. He liked to keep 10 of everything. The lists may have help keep things organized in his mind. It helped him make sense of the world and put things in order. I make lists when I have many things to do and don't want to forget anything.
Join Date: 11/18/14
Posts: 70
I am definitely a list person so that aspect of the boy's personality spoke to my heart. But I do believe that the boy was on the autism spectrum and his obsession with numbering was one of the traits that influenced that characterization. I've heard this book compared to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time whose central character had Asperger's Syndrome and maybe that was also in my head as I approached the book.
Join Date: 04/10/13
Posts: 78
This was an unusual boy and the lists were part of what made him a little different. I think it's possible he suffered from mild autism. He found satisfaction in making the lists and it became a compulsion. I don't think there was any way he could not make lists. It's part of who he was.
Join Date: 12/01/16
Posts: 292
I agree with kellilee. I worked with children and young adults with various disabilities and found that order was necessary to keep their anxieties at bay. I also cannot live without my lists.
Join Date: 05/29/15
Posts: 460
Join Date: 05/14/15
Posts: 49
Lists allow for order, particularly order of your own making. You make the list, the type of things to record, and go from there- it can be very calming if you feel overwhelmed to make lists. I make lists typically around holidays and family times, which can be stressful bc there's usually so much to get finished, but then I get to Check things off the list, which is calming. Lists are helpful in all sorts of ways :)
Join Date: 06/11/14
Posts: 80
I also felt from the beginning of the story that the boy was autistic, probably exhibiting symptoms of Aspberger's. He was so focused on his lists and certain subject matters that interested him. I found him to be charming!
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