The Shaping of Triton's Life Anonymous College

In the novel Reef, there are a series of events that mark Triton’s (the protagonist's) coming of age. To understand Gunesekera's novel, a reader should heed these events and consider how these occurrences have shaped and affected the protagonist’s life. In the novel Triton holds an insider/ outsider status in the Salgado household, which is instrumental in many of the events that leads up to the awakening of his maturity.

Mr Salgado’s fast-developing relationship with Ms. Nilli becomes a catalyst for change in the Salgado household. At this juncture, Ms. Nilli has already moved into the house and resides in Mr Salgado’s bedroom. The beginning of the chapter (“A Thousand Fingers”) which is where the given extract is from begins with Triton saying “A few days later Ms Nilli moved in. For us it was a beginning of a new era.” (Gunesekera 103) With Ms Nilli presence comes a world of change. A female presence in the house alters Mr Salgado attitude immensely, he becomes more relaxed and smiles a lot more than he usually does. “He was smiling. He leaned back and his face seemed to relax into something much bigger than before.” (Gunesekera 105). “His shirt was twisted on one side as if he had been fingering it. I didn’t do anything...