Tiri By Phil Kawana

In the short story Tiri, written by Phil kawana, Tiri, the main character, faced a challenge that had a great influence on his personality and well-being. The challenge he faces is an important factor in understanding the characteristics of Tiri and reasons for his actions.

Tiri grew up with his father, a violent and alcoholic man who gave him no love, respect or compassion. His childhood was filled with violent scenes from vicious beatings his father would give him, and from the numerous street fights he was not ashamed to be involved in. Tiri grew up in isolation with no guidance, no rules or no positive influences to follow, therefore with no doubt, Tiri grew up to become a rebel. I quote, “THE DESIRE TO HURT someone, anyone, is incredibly strong. It sits within me like a cold iron weight”, he says this because this is what he was feeling as a kid growing up in an unstable foundation. Tiri’s poor upbringing left anger in his heart and as Tiri was growing older, he made wrong decisions and did things that gave great pain to
This began to affect Tiri’s emotional state. The challenge that he faced when he was younger negatively affected the way he was living. He gave no respect to anyone even himself, since that was they way he was brought up. The result of his poor upbringing all lead him into depression. Tiri felt as if he was trapped in darkness, as stated by him, “the darkness just wrapped itself around me, black and bitter”. Tiri’s past as a child was filled with violence and struggles and so with all those aspects forming his foundation as an adult, he found himself trapped in the darkness. Tiri displays that children growing up without the guidance from family, are most likely to find themselves depressed. This is because they are unsure of making appropriate and good decisions that need to be