May’s arrogant boss when she works at the car wash in Sydney, who helps the police deport Charlie, another employee who is an undocumented immigrant. The novel doesn’t divulge much about this character, but by giving him a Greek name it implies that he’s an immigrant, in which light his behavior towards Charlie takes on a distinct tinge of hypocrisy. Through Mr. Tzuilakis, the novel points out the hypocrisy of all European Australians who act as if they own the land, when in fact they are all immigrants to its shores.
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Mr. Tzuilakis Character Timeline in Swallow the Air
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Tzuilakis appears in Swallow the Air. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
10. Chocolate
However, May and Charlie are both wary of their boss, Mr. Tzuilakis , who “waddles” out from his office several times a day to inspect their work...
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Suddenly, Mr. Tzuilakis yells out, “Hey Chocolate,” and appears with several police officers, who quickly arrest Charlie and...
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...pay for. When she returns with the bottle, she finds them in the storeroom. Soon, Mr. Tzuilakis appears on the scene, and the men run away. The boss assumes that they’re May’s...
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...steal anything. Joyce assures her that she knows the truth and that the cops and Mr. Tzuilakis are racist. Still, as she makes lunch she’s worried, and seems to think May will...
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