Tears Of A Tiger Critical Analysis

Is it possible that one decision can change a person’s life? In Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper, Andrew Jackson chooses to drink and drive after a basketball game and regretfully kills his best friend Rob Washington. After the accident Andy must live with the guilt and face his family, friends, and teachers each day. The guilt becomes so heavy that Andy contemplates taking his own life. Three events that lead to Andy’s suicide are being turned away by his parents, breaking up with his girlfriend, and calling three people who never answered the phone.

Andy reaches out to his parents for advice. When he approaches his mother he compares the feeling he has now to the way he once felt on vacation. He says “I was cryin’ out for help, but my
Carrothers, Coach Ripley, and Keisha in a time of desperation. When he is not able to reach any of the three, Andy begins to lose all the faith that he has. He makes the remark “Adults are always talkin’ bout bein’ there when you need them, but then when you decide you do, they be disappeared like dust!” (156-157) describing his frustration towards them. His failure of not being able to communicate with anyone sends him into a suffering stage that he can barely stand. Andy states “My head is throbbin’. My mind is cloudy. My heart is bloody, and my soul is on ice.” (159) showing that the situation brings him down.

Following the accident, these three events are what send Andy over the edge. He is not able to cope with his emotions after his parents turn him away, Keisha breaks up with him, and none of the three contacts answer his call. He states “I remember once when I was little I got this same frozen-gut feelin’.” (164) expressing the condition he feels. The frozen-gut feeling would soon become too much for Andy to handle. Finding himself in his bedroom with his dad’s shotgun, Andy decides that he cannot live with his decision anymore and commits