The Power of One

“I was the youngest child in the school by two years, and I spoke only English, the infected tongue that had spread like a plague into the sacred land and contaminated the pure, sweet waters of Afrikanerdom.”

The narrator uses an ironic metaphor and simile to emphasize the importance of race relations to the novel, comparing himself to a germ and the British people in South Africa to a sickness that contaminates the health of the nation. This illustrates Peekay’s perception of himself as an outsider and shows how Peekay conflates the perspectives of others with his own point of view as a young child.

“I had learned that crying is luxury good adapters have to forgo.”

As part of the novel’s thematic exploration of Adaptation, Evolution, and the Science of Survival, Peekay frequently mentions different lessons that he learns at the Afrikaans boarding school that he uses to adapt his behavior to fit in and survive the continuous abuse that he suffers. Bryce Courtenay mobilizes the double meaning of the word “adapters,” used to refer to a cultural behavior as well as evolution and biological traits.

“But then, what could I expect? I had been caught deep behind enemy lines and everyone, even a five-year-old, knows this is a death sentence.”

In this quote, an example of hyperbole and metaphor, Peekay illustrates the legacies of violence and war in South Africa by comparing the bullying that he experiences at boarding school to war. That Peekay expects “death” as the inevitable outcome in this episode illustrates the naivete of his perspective as well as revealing the harsh realities of South African life at this time.

“I didn’t know then that what seemed like the end was only the beginning. All children are flotsam driven by the ebb and flow of adult lives.”

This utilizes the conventions of the Bildungsroman genre as Courtenay contrasts the lack of power and agency of his young protagonist with the power and agency of adult characters.

“Obviously being a Jew was a very profitable business. Maybe I could be one when I grew up.”

Peekay’s reflections on race reveals his naivete. From the point of view of a child, Peekay regards race as a characteristic that is subject to change, and therefore aspire to and admire. At the same time, Courtenay explores the seeds of antisemitism by presenting Peekay’s easy adoption of harmful stereotypes of Jewish people as rich. This is emphasized by the novel’s frequent discussion of Nazi ideology.

“Hoppie Groenewald was to prove to be a passing mentor who would set the next seventeen years of my life on an irrevocable course.”

As an example of foreshadowing, this passage highlights the shifting role of the narrator. Though the story is told from the first-person perspective, the narrator has knowledge of future events, foreshadowing later events such as the brevity of Peekay’s encounter with Hoppie and the impact the man had upon Peekay’s future.

“Hitler is a bad, bad man and we’ve got to go and fight him so you can grow up to be the welter-weight champion of the world. But first we’ve got to go and fight the big gorilla who called me a kaffir lover. I’ll tell you what, we’ll use Jackhammer Smit as a warm-up for that bastard Hitler.”

Hoppie’s explanations and reassurances about the larger cultural influences impacting Peekay’s life allude to the symbolic significance of his climactic fight with the Judge at the conclusion of the novel, which portrays Peekay fighting the related forces of Nazi and Apartheid ideology. Hoppie’s explanation allows Peekay (and hence the reader) to connect Peekay’s boxing to wider political conflicts.

“Never forget, Peekay, sometimes, very occasionally, you do your best boxing with your mouth.”

Much of the advice that Peekay is given becomes refrains that guide his later behavior. Here, Hoppie reinforces the mental component of boxing, tailoring his advice to assure Peekay of The Power of the Individual.

“One thing follows the other, everything is dependent on something else. The smallest is as important as the largest.”

As one of the many concepts on which Doc mentors Peekay, Doc’s discussion of the ecosystem also addresses Peekay’s insecurities about his size. This advice is part of the size and power motif, which suggests that minoritized people can enact change.

“No, my friend, it tells you nothing about a man to say he is German. A man must think what he is inside. What he is on the outside, how can this matter?”

Doc is a mentor, a literary archetype that provides insight to the hero to drive character development. Doc mentors Peekay about xenophobia in this passage, articulating difficult concepts while the protagonist is too young to address or articulate the oppression that he sees within the system.

“My short experience with authority of any kind had shown me that they always won, they could always for you.”

Peekay grapples with issues of institutional power and the way that he fits into various social systems as an adolescent. Depictions of disillusionment is a common feature of the Bildungsroman.

“I am a Boer, not a Britisher. We Boers know what it is like to be robbed of our rights […] No, it is true, I must say it, you took our freedom and now you are taking the professor’s!”

The police commandant who ensures that Doc’s detainment is as pleasant as possible discusses South Africa’s troubled past at a concert given by the prison for the townspeople. The commandant’s ironic observation about the xenophobia that Doc encounters illustrates the hypocrisy of the systemic oppression in South Africa: Courtenay suggests that the Boers experience and yet reproduce injustice. The commandant’s comment contributes to the theme of Race, Racism, and Power in South Africa.

“After all his years of incarceration he was a polished performer, no less a maestro at his profession than Doc was at his.”

The narrator frequently parallels the intelligence and skills of Doc with those of Geel Piet, referring to both as geniuses and elevating Geel Piet’s mastery of the prison system and boxing to an art form. This underscores the theme of Adaptation, Evolution, and the Science of Survival, as both have found ways to survive.

“Ag, man, it is nothing, the people love you, you are fighting for them.”

This is one of many moment during which Black characters tell Peekay that he is an important symbol of their triumph over oppression. Peekay’s early experiences with his Nanny give the narrator insight into the importance of symbolism to South African tribal cultures. Peekay and his respect for the Black African characters and their culture makes him a figure of hope despite his inability to effect any real change within the social hierarchy, making Peekay’s character a symbol within the Race, Racism, and Power in South Africa theme. At the same time, Courtenay’s portrayal of a white man as a loved and revered leader by the Black characters reproduces notions of white supremacy.

“Thus, on the night of the concert, all the myths Geel Piet had so carefully nurtured among the prisoners about the Tadpole Angel would harmonize in my appearance as the leader, uniting all the tribes in the great singing indaba.”

The narrator often reflects upon the symbolism that Peekay acquires in relation to “the People” of Africa. This passage also illustrates Geel Piet’s efforts to maneuver Peekay into a position where he might fulfill a role in uniting the Black Africans when he is too young to either accept or reject the role.

“Peekay, someday you will make a great kommandant. I have never seen such command of black men. It is as though you are some king of witch doctor, hey?”

In an instance of dramatic irony, the commandant compliments Peekay for his control of the Black prisoners. He is unaware that Peekay does not exert control but “the People” freely follow him as a symbol of their eventual freedom.

“It wasn’t until I went to boarding school the second time that I learned that survival is a matter of actively making the system work for you rather than attempting to survive it.”

Fitting within the theme Adaptation, Evolution, and the Science of Survival, this passage recalls Doc’s appeals to Peekay to stop hiding his intelligence. A major element of Peekay’s character development is his understanding of his own position and his agency as a white male within the system. This also foreshadows Peekay’s attempts to work around Apartheid while tutoring Black people with Morrie later in the novel.

“Morrie, in a grim pun, said the election of the Nationalists to power was one of the crummiest moments in the history of any people. Nineteen forty-eight was the year South Africa lost all hope of joining the brotherhood of man.”

Courtenay’s novel contains frequent moments of historical, contextual narration that demonstrate the changes specific to the South African setting. These passages allow the fictional components to provide social commentary on important aspects of race not included in contemporary historical records of Apartheid in South Africa.

“My bondage is not of the white man’s making. My bondage is not forced upon me by the white man’s sjambok. My bondage is in my own brain.”

Gideon’s speech to Peekay’s professor establishes lack of access to education as an insidious problem that Black Africans face. He acknowledges the power of the mind in an appeal for education, positing education as key to overcoming the circumstances that perpetuate racism.

“Without being asked to do so, Gideon rose from his chair. ‘Come here, Joe Louis, come and stand next to the Jewboy and the kaffir boetie.’”

Courtenay uses contextual references to famous figures and replicates the racial slurs typical from the period to realistically represent the racism in Pre-Apartheid South Africa. The author relies upon the ubiquitous use of racial slurs and derogatory language throughout the novel to illustrate the extremity of the cultural division and prejudice that leads to Apartheid in South Africa.

“From little acorns mighty oak trees grow. The Nats are not stupid. You should know.”

Courtenay uses the metaphor of an oak tree when Peekay explains to Morrie why they encounter interference trying to tutor the Black boxers and houseboys. Peekay suggests that small acts of rebellion can lead to revolution.

“It’s got to do with something that happened when I was very young. I can’t explain it, it’s just got to be that way.”

Peekay repeats this phrase to multiple characters as the novel draws to a close. He recalls his early trauma at the hands of the Judge, indicating the impact of the abuse he experienced as a child as well as his inability to move past that trauma. This repetition foreshadows the inevitability of the upcoming climax with the Judge.

“It was I who would shape the fight. I knew suddenly that all of Geel Piet’s footwork had been designed for this moment. It was time for the klein baas to dance.”

The climax of the novel draws together multiple elements of the story. Peekay faces the Judge on his own terms with the confidence and experience that mentor characters have provided. By referencing Geel Piet’s training, Peekay’s youthful nickname, and dancing, the narrator alludes to his mastery of the art of boxing, contrasting his skill with the Judge’s simplistic brutality.