When talking about The Power of One, it is easy to be distracted by
"the power of one" itself and place ultimate importance on Peekay's
slippery personal philosophy. But to do so to the exclusion of all
else but racism is to read only a small portion of Bryce
Courtenay's masterwork.
The Power of One also deals with class, religion, science,
obsession, faith vs. reason, objectivism, homosocial intimacy, and
in one of the finest literary expressions of its kind, the
importance of violence.
Peekay's use of violence is controlled and seemingly benevolent,
but he doesn't just use violence, he needs violence. It is the very
basis of his obsession with becoming the Welterweight Champion of
the World. It is at the root of everything he fights for and
against. And it is the question and the answer to the defining
struggle of Peekay's life.
One need only look to the final pages of The Power of One for the
answer to the question. Peekay savagely destroys Botha, the Judge
that started him on the road to violence; while Peekay is violent
in self defense, he perpetrates his violence with a ruthlessness
and controlled savagery that dwarfs any of his childhood
persecutions at the Judge's hands. The final, brutal mutilation of
Botha -- an act that likely raises few eyebrows amongst readers
directed as it is at a symbol we consider pure evil -- is an
overtly violent catharsis that brings peace to Peekay's spirit (but
not an end to his need for violence).
It is difficult to see Peekay's conquering of Botha as anything but
just. Not only is Botha responsible for the abuse that dehumanized
Peekay as a child (although Botha was a child himself at the time
of the abuse) and about to take Peekay's life, but Courtenay
overdetermines Botha's desert by making him a branded acolyte of
Adolph Hitler, a Nazi racist who is apparently beyond redemption.
But beneath and behind this easy rationalization of Peekay's
violence is an important commentary on our need for violence.
Violence isn't something that we need to erase from human behavior
because we actually need it -- especially on a personal level where
it is most in danger of being sterilized from our lives (already it
is only an appropriate response in our popular mythology). Violence
is something we need to control and embrace and realize is part of
who we are as humans. Violence is essential to both men and women.
Violence is an integral part of our humanity.
Violence of the kind Peekay engages in against Botha serves several
purposes: it is defensive; it is purifying; it is redemptive; it is
responsible; it is empowering; and it is healing.
Many find themselves supporting Peekay's actions without a second
thought. But were a similar situation to play out in our North
American reality, Peekay would find himself going to prison for a
very long time, and most would agree that while he was defending
himself at first, Peekay took things too far and deserves to be
punished.
Amongst its many concerns, The Power of One tells us that we need
to reconsider our personal relationship with violence. It reminds
us that we need to keep violence as a tool of our own, rather than
passing it off as a tool for our governments, our armies, or any
other persecutors who may use it against us. And so long as we use
violence "first with our head, then with our heart" it can lead to
positive change.
Even if we never use violence ourselves, however, even if we only
admit that we are violent animals who need violence as deeply as we
need love making or tenderness, even if all we do is recognize its
place in our human natures, we can start to overcome things that
before we simply let overcome us.