Bryce Courtenay: The Power Of One

Good Morning. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay is a potent novel and film. The story is narrated by the protagonist, Peekay who recounts his childhood and adolescence living in South Africa in the 1904s, from a future point as an adult. The story examines mature content and themes. For instance, the poisonous effect Apartheid had on the South African nation. Another dominant theme is boxing which is present to set up the line between boxing and fighting, and if there is even a distinction between them.

My foremost rule is that books are always better than their film adaptions. But in the case of the Power of One I was unsure. I did not find either the novel or film enjoyable nor would I read or watch them again, but I did marginally prefer the novel as it contained more detail than the film.

Hoppie leaves a substantial impression on the readers and Peekay. It is Hoppie who introduces Peekay to boxing and the concept of “the power of one”. In the film Hoppie is replaced by a pitiful version of his original character and a mixture of Geel Piet.

The film uses Piet as the character to introduce Peekay to boxing, and Hoppies quote: “First with the head and then with the heart “” (chapter 7) is spoken by Geel Piet and does not make the same impact on Peekay in the film unlike it did in the novel. Bryce Courtenay uses this quote to show that first with the head is – think, strategize, practice and then with the heart –spirit, emotion, passion.

The character of ‘Geel Piet ‘is portrayed terribly in the film. Piet is so important because it is him that teaches Peekay how to box rather than just to fight. Piet is the only non-white character who is not romanticized. The core of Geel Piet character is that Peekay sees Geel for who he is, a criminal and boxing mentor yet still a friend. Compared to the film where it hardly shows him as the intelligent man he was intended to