Themes and message

Power relations

In the short story "Tom Corridan", Arhondia explores the theme of power relations in the family through Tom’s relationship with his father, as well as through the father’s relationship with the other members of the family.

As an adult and parent, Frank is an authority figure for his two sons. The story suggests that Tom, Joe, and their mother depend financially on Frank (ll. 42-43), which also gives him general power in the family. Frank is aware of his power and probably thinks it is his right as a father to decide Tom’s future. Furthermore, he probably realizes that he will lose the power he now has over Tom if he decides to go to university. 

Frank is also psychologically abusive towards his wife (ll. 41-46). This shows that Frank tries to force Tom and his wife to respect him by abusing the power he has over them, using brute force and verbal abuse. The story suggests that this happens often (ll. 86-88), which could indicate that Frank feels a sense of powerlessness about his own social status and takes out his frustrations ...