Peekay In John Steinbeck's The Power Of One

In the novel The Power of One, the plot is directly affected by the characters that the main character, Peekay, comes in contact with. Throughout the novel, Peekay discovers his true purpose and works to achieve it despite the setbacks he encounters. Through conflict, relationships, and outer influences, the plot of the novel and Peekay’s life are built by the characters involved. Whether he was affected by Hoppie’s encouragement, Geel Piet’s uncensored life lessons, or the Judge’s ruthless torture, Peekay’s fate was molded by those who raised him.

The Power of One, a novel written by Bryce Courtenay, depicts a South African boy whose childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment. Through the eyes of the main character, Peekay, Courtenay introduces the horrors of apartheid that existed in South Africa in the 1930s. He constantly overcomes obstacles and learns how to survive in the harsh and cruel world. In addition to the distinctive attributes of Peekay, a theme of blending in is frequently shown throughout the story.

Later in life when Doc, Geel Piet, or Big Hettie all died, Peekay could have thrown in the towel but he worked through it. He didn’t let anything big or small influence his goals. With the help of the Judge’s endless torment, Peekay became a more self-dependent and strong

Think back to when you were five years old. Were you sent to a boarding school with kids a couple years older than you? Were you persecuted and bullied for being a “redneck” or for just being who you were? Chances are, the answer to these questions should be “no”. However, a small little boy growing up in Africa during the mid-1990s can probably describe every single tortuous day that he went through in this situation. His name is Peekay, and he is the narrator in Bryce Courtenay’s award-winning novel, The Power of One. Peekay describes his life form being a small five-year old boy to a teenager. Along the way, he meets many mentors and friends, such as Hoppie Groenewald, a champion boxer,

Early on I worked from the premise that people don’t exercise enough imagination when naming their children and merely employ the same names over and over again. Every child in the country carries the name David or Robert or Ann or Mary. Well, that isn’t true and there’s an abundance of unusual, exotic, strong, wonderful names currently being worn with pride.

In the Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, one character trait which Peekay has that is essential to his personality is his internal requirement for independence which enables him to seize control of his own life. Throughout the novel, Peekay feels that he must separate himself from both his peers and mentors in his quest to be welterweight champion of the world, as he feels their love and help as a pressure to do well. Peekay begins striving for independence when he changes his name – and consequently, his life – at just six years old. This is exemplified when Peekay’s mother “turn[s] to [him and questions] What on earth have you been telling the Professor? Who is Peekay?”

In Bryce Courtenay's The Power of One, Peekay's loyalty to those who help him throughout his life allows him to honor their wishes and bring them justice when the need arises. When Peekay finds himself face to face with the Judge at the end of the book, part of why he fights the Judge so fiercely is because the Judge killed Granpa Chook. Granpa Chook is Peekay's first real friend, and the chicken does a lot to protect him during boarding school. Peekay wants to avenge the death, so he tears away at the Judge mercilessly until the Judge is lying weak on the floor. From there, rather than scream something about payback for all the torture and bullying he put Peekay through in boarding school, Peekay screams, "'You killed Granpa Chook!'" (Courtenay

Peekay, from The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, is a character whose struggles and achievements have caused him to develop the trait of perseverance, which has led him to even greater heights. Throughout his life, Peekay has been blessed with many victories: the positive influences in his life and the happiness boxing gives him. However, they have still developed his perseverance. In addition to those, Peekay’s downfalls have also toughened up his enduring abilities. Peekay has been influenced greatly by outside forces, but it is his perseverance that has kept him afloat.

Steinbeck’s Idea on how people can have a chance at the brief nature of power before it shifts can be summed up into the quote:

Doc was influential to Peekay because he was the man who taught Peekay important life lessons, and Hoppie was a prominent character because he was the man who initially introduced Peekay to boxing. Geel Piet was and still is a very influential person in Peekay’s life. Even though Geel Piet was brutally murdered by Lieutenant Borman, Peekay still remembers his teachings to this day. Geel Piet was an influential figure because he was Peekay's boxing coach.

It all begins with Hoppie Groenewald as Peekay’s life is heavily influenced by him. This is shown by how “(Hoppie) had given Peekay the power of one, one idea, one heart, one mind, one plan, one determination,” after he proved to him that small can defeat big if you “first use your head and then your heart.” This motto heavily transforms Peekay’s life and is what he constantly uses to keep his composure in future boxing matches. Hence I thought “the power of one” was a fitting title as it later not only becomes a feeling for Peekay but a philosophy which defines his life. “The power of one is how above all things the power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability you may have previously demonstrated.”

As I was growing up, when I was sent outside to play, I had things to do that I loved to do. I created games I had never thought of before.

I started kindergarten when I was 3 to 4 yrs old and kindergarten was fun we did a lot of fun projects and just played game I thought we would have tons of work but I was wrong I remember when I would take my folder with the numbers and colors and act like it was computer by tapping the multiplication chart with my fingers.

Parental figures tend to shape children into the individuals they become later in life. In The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, Peekay lacks the traditional parental figure that most people have, and instead crosses paths with many significant people over the course of the book. This puts Peekay at an advantage because he is able to see the world through different perspectives, the perspectives of those who mentored him. He learns from people of all walks of life, which leads to him being unbiased and open minded. Peekay also is at an advantage because he has to learn to think for himself. His mentors help him with this, but the lack of a true parent forces him to learn this skill early on and master it by time is was older. Finally, each of Peekay's mentors have something different to offer, a different key piece of advice, that give him a set of morals to live by. In the Power of One, the lack

Elementary school started out as a bore but moved on to eventually being fun and enjoyable. I grew to love school and learning during my fourth and fifth grade years at Zia elementary school. My teacher taught me the value of history and American History