The concept of alcoholism comes up throughout the book, overcoming victims such as Kerewin, Joe, and Simon. Although Simon is underage, Kerewin allows him to consume alcohol. We can attribute Simon’s drinking to his identity as a Maori. He drinks out of fear of the future, social pressure, and not knowing what actions are moral. In addition, studies regarding alcohol and juveniles indicate that Maoris who suffered from a “lack of confidence ultimately started to drink alcohol”(Huriwai and Neild, 2010). This helps us to understand Simon’s situation; he suffers from a lack of confidence because he is bullied at school and he feels insecure not knowing his past. As a result, drinking helps him overcome that insecurity by creating a physical barrier
