Power Of One Esay Essay, Research Paper

Shortly after the beginning of the book, Peekay is put into an environment where everyone is evil, all the boys are cruel and prejudice, the adults hate him for being smart, and because he is English. He is beaten every morning for wetting his bed by Mever; Mever seems to look forward to beating Peekay every morning. The Judge only agreed not to hurt him and not make him march around the yard as long as Peekay could prevent him from failing, and once that was done, he wouldn t stop tormenting. In Peekay s experience with the school, the author portrayed everyone who is not Peekay as egotistical, bigoted, cruel, envious, or sadistic, which he continues to do throughout the rest of the novel. Bryce Courtenay portrays every charector in the power of one in a very cynical manor as an allegory to all people.

On Peekay s ride home from the school, he has his first encounter with a Born Again Christian. This man gripes about Hopie because he lost ten dollars betting against him and then tells another who one that betting is a sin. Then, when he reaches home, he finds his mother a Born Again Christian, who has gotten rid of the first person ever to be nice to Peekay, his nanny, Mary, because she is not a Born Again Christian. She also had gotten rid of Mary because she called on the African doctor to help Peekay with his bed-wetting problem because he is pagan, and therefore evil, regardless to the service he provided to Peekay. The fact that Peekay didn t like born-again Christians Doesn t portray the author view of them. They both are against them but for different reasons. Peekay because they were against people who were nice to him, they made him go to school, and their rules hampered his actions. The author displays his inherent dislike by the hypocrisy and self-riotousness portrayal of the characters as well as his overall cynical view on mankind.

Even Peekay s friends and mentors are portrayed with overall negative charectaritics. The main difference from the rest is the genuine care for Peekay and the genuinely value him as a person. Doc, the first friend and mentor who is the story a long enough period of time to judge his character, is very, very proud and inwardly condescending. But he is also almost cowardly and only displays his flaws when in a very comfortable/secure environment or when he gets angry. Geil Piet s flaws are very visible. He is one of the most influential teachers Peekay has because he teaches him how to box and truly cares for him, yet he is in a penatentury.

Another part of cynicism is the belief that most are naive, ignorant, and stupid. The Characters who meet this criteria is long. All of the students at boarding school except Morrie, the teachers there the judge and his followers, Peekay s mother,