Bryce Courtenay: The Labels Of Every Man

The Labels of Every Man
Learned at a ripe age, what begins in the earliest stages of a child’s life becomes a mindset, an unspoken belief that settles into the back of their hearts. Generalizations, particularly stereotypes, are instilled within every child as a fundamental part of their core beliefs whether they accept them or not. They become a sort of instinct, a thought that no matter how detestable cannot be purged from their mind. In The Power of One, Bryce Courtenay acquaints Peekay with societal oppression and discrimination in the form of the Judge in order to ingrain the negative generalization of a rooinek into his judgement. Thereafter, Peekay unconsciously views himself as separate and inferior from others despite his attempts

to rid himself of the past. Only through his epiphanic vision of Africa does Peekay finally strip himself of this label and open himself towards new perspectives. The progression of Peekay’s self perception influences his outlook and only after removing all labels does his view broaden into true understanding, unlimited by the pressures of classifying his identity.
Peekay’s first encounters with segregation and torment during his years in boarding school convince him that as a rooinek, he is an inferior human that disgraces the South African name.

As an Englishman at an all Boer academy, Peekay is the target of hateful revenge for the Boer concentration camps hundreds of years ago. He believes he is “doomed to be a pisshead for the rest of [his] life” because of the bitter, yet influential words of the Judge, his main tormentor (Courtenay 7). By assuming that he is “doomed”, Peekay is convinced that his eternal torture was inevitable because being a “pisshead” and a worthless human was an integral part of his identity. His heritage becomes his sole classification at school and consequently develops into a label of inferiority for the latter part of his life. This traumatic punishment influences his judgement even after boarding school, demonstrated in his reluctance to admit his rooinek identity to Hoppie because he believed that Hoppie “might think differently” of him (Courtenay 67). Peekay respects Hoppie as an adult and hides his identity because he feels that being a rooinek would degrade his reputation in Hoppie’s eyes. To go to the extent of consciously hiding his heritage, Peekay has solidified the idea of his inferior status into his personal

mentality.
After his encounters with the Barberton people, Peekay progressively corrodes the influence of his inferior mentality, yet, despite his attempts, cannot completely erase its effects. Once he forms a bond with his mentor Doc, Peekay is persuaded “to drop [his] camouflage and not play dumb” (Courtenay 162). Peekay uses his camouflage as a means of forcing upon himself the role of an inferior. However, Peekay refrains from using his camouflage in order to demonstrate that he is no longer under the dominance of his days living as an inferior. Peekay also suggests that his camouflage equates to playing dumb. By suggesting his camouflage is the same as playing, Peekay interprets the camouflage as a childlike behavior that he has grown to control. As Peekay slowly sheds his belief in rooinek inferiority, he is convinced that he has overcome the effects of his traumatic experiences and grown to suppress the label. However, he is proven wrong when he admits that “ I was a child of Africa, a white child to be sure, but nevertheless” (Courtenay 360). At this point, Peekay understands that he is no longer bound by the name rooinek and cursed to live a lesser life shown through the acknowledgement that he is a “child of Africa” and no longer identifies as the descendant of the Englishmen who enslaved Africa. However, by differentiating that he is a “white child”, Peekay indicates that he still defines himself as different from the Boers and the kaffirs. He still considers that there is a barrier between the races that he cannot transcend.
Peekay’s vision after his fight with Gideon becomes the turning point in which he finally strips away the identity of “white” that has inhibited him from understanding the full unity of Africa.

In his vision, a piercing white light evades Peekay’s mind and as the chants of the People become eminent, Peekay describes how “the light and the sound were one” (434). Peekay perceives the light as a “whiteness” that “sharpened” his pain indicating that the light was a representation of his white identity, the cause to the traumatic pain Peekay had to endure. The sound, on the contrary, symbolizes the People of Africa as their chant “Come back Africa” hinted at the hope and desire for the revival of Africa into one united force (434). Through understanding that both his identity as an Englishman and ties to the kaffirs were one in the same, Peekay breaks the barrier he believed would inhibit him from truly connecting with the People. Peekay is overcome with this prophetic vision in order to bring about the realization that Peekay “was a part of the crystal cave of Africa” (Courtenay 434). The crystal cave was discovered by Doc and Peekay and became a symbol of the history of South Africa in which harmony had existed between the people. By realizing that he was apart of this history, Peekay understands that he is no longer the “white child” of Africa and does not need to be restricted by racial differences. Peekay’s vision of the harmony of light and sound allows him to discards his

racial classifications and realize the unity of Africa disregards personal classifications.
Through his traumatic childhood experiences,Peekay forces upon himself a label that he finds significant to his personal identity. However, Peekay’s classification of “white rooinek” prevents him from creating permanent ties with the other Afrikaans. By slowly stripping away this label, Peekay is finally able to connect with the People and understand his role in the apartheid. Peekay’s journey in overcoming his rooinek identity suggests that sometimes, the true matters of life can only be seen after stripping away the barriers, names, and labels that one has assumed for themselves.
Peekay’s rejection of his name and role as Tadpole Angel further reflects his perspective on racial barriers. Peekay requests for Mr.Nguni to “tell the People [he] is not a chief” because he “has no power” (Courtenay 424). Peekay rejects the idea of being the Tadpole Angel because he does not recognize himself as one with the people. Because he believes himself to be an Englishman who is of a different race and therefore is separate from them, he believes he cannot have “power” or jurisdiction over those whom have no relation with him. Because Peekay