Rooinkey And Kaffer In Bryce Courtenay's The Power Of One

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You Must Struggle To Survive Rooinkey and Kaffer are two terms that are used in the book The Power Of One. What do these terms have in common? They are titles given to individuals; these titles can have a negative effect on an individual for life. Being a rooinkey or a kaffer can hamper your chances of succeeding. It takes hard work and motivation to fight against what society branded them to achieve their dreams. In The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay uses the struggles of secondary characters to show Peekay can overcome the odds with help from others because he needs to see how individuals are pushed to the back and ignored, yet they fight against society as a whole to be treated as an equal. An outcast, energetic, hyper; that is how many-viewed …show more content…

When Peekay first meets him he treats Piet as an equal not as a prisoner, not eve for being an African American. They grow even closer when Pielt decides to teach Peekay some methods for boxing, helping Peekay become a better boxer then he was before. This relationship also has a business aspect because Pielt and Peekay work together to start a black market for the prisoners, but this relationship could end with one of them being caught because they are involved. This unfornatley happens to Piet who is caught with letters and will not name people who are helping him. Pielt is beat and eventuately killed because he keeps his honor and promise and never rats on Peekay for helping him with the black market."He wouldn't tell me who gave him the letters, who brought the letters in. I caught him red-handed, two letters, man, red-handed! Two fucking letters in his pocket. He wouldn't tell me. I broke every bone in his face. I jammed the fucking donkey prick up his arse till he shit his entrails, but he wouldn't tell me" (Courtenay 303). This shows hoe Pielt would not turn on Peekay, no matter the punishment, because he made the promise. Even when Pielt was dying he did not turn on the small boy. The important thing to notice is that even though Peekay and Pielt are different races, different backgrounds, he is willing to die for this

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