Character analysis – Zoe's Online Journal

Judge:

The judge is a Boer 11 year old boy who grew up on a farm and is the oldest at the boarding school. The judge is a bull, probably because his parents bullied him or other people and he picked up on that. The judge hates Peekay because he is English and blames him for what happened to his ancestors. This shows what sort of person the judge is, he only sees things that are right in front of him and is too lazy to look any deeper. The judge is also abscessed with making Peekay cry, possibly because it makes him feel good when brings out someones weakness. We can see this when the judge kills grandpa chook and he said ” now we’ll see who’ll cry”

Inkosi-Inkosikani:

II (Inkosi-Inkosikani) is a Zulu medicine man who is kind but also very sexist and a bit racist. II is helps Peekay to resolve his bed wetting problem but his help goes much deeper then that, the place he shows Peekay helps him get through the judges torture session like nothing else could. II is very wise in some ways but ignorant in others, he knew exactly what Peekay needed (maybe he experienced something similar when he was young) but he was also very rude to the farm workers and the women, “be gone with you, you stupid old crows”

Peekays Mother:

Peekays mother is very mentally frail and did not play much of a part in Peekays life before boarding school but I think she wished she had “All you care about is that black woman, that stinking black Zulu woman” after she says this she has a bit of a break down. Peekays mother also is very christian but has balance her beliefs in god with her social status. Not really there mentally, not very logical. Peekays mother is not very logical and the opposite to Peekay.

Grandpa Chook:

Grandpa Chook is Inkosi-inkosikani’s gift to Peekay. Grandpa Chook is Peekay’s only friend during boarding school. Grandpa Chook is made out to be a very smart and loyal pet to Peekay and would rather die than leave him “Grandpa Chook hopped onto a lower branch and then, to my horror, flew onto my should and gave my ear one of his famous grandpa chook kisses”, this happens right before Grandpa Chooks death.

Doc:

Doc is depicted as a teacher to Peekay, “Doc became my real teach, and school was simply time spent between 8 and 1 o’clock”.

Doc is a very kind person who sees things from a childish point of view. We see this when Doc first enters the book by taking a picture of Peekay standing on a rock, Peekay notices this, “His eyes were an intense blue and seemed too young for his face”. When Peekay notices this he is seeing the look of someone who has not lost their childlike innocence and sees the world without any racist views or judgment.

Doc is very artistic and has a very imaginative mind. He doesn’t conform to the social norms or styles, his hair is an example of this, it’s long, white, and opposes that of the normal men hairstyle. Doc is imaginative because he sees his cactus as a real person, and maybe he thinks of all things like that, “Peekay, this is Euphorbia Grandicornis, a very shy cactus and very hard to find in these parts.”

Chapter 15 doc wants to give his thanks by giving a concert “as his tribute to them (the prisoners)(page 536)”

Peekays mentor

Hoppie:

Hoppie first introduced Peekay to boxing and first showed Peekay kindness. While Hoppie was only in the story for a short perioud of time he had a very large impact on Peekay, what Hoppie said will most likely stay with Peekay for his entire life “Box first with your head and then with your heart”

Geel Piet:

Geel Piet is is what I imagine Peekay would be like if he had stayed at boarding school. He is a master of camouflage and very tough from his many beatings. Geel Piet has a very attuned sense of survival and always has part of his mind on himself “big Baas, it is always like so in a prison. If I am discovered I will be killed.” however Geel Piet still thinks of others and is very kind and encouraging with Peekay when he is boxing. Geel Piet is very manipulative.

“Some times with enough hate this thinking can kill (page 595)”

“it is hate, when it boils up there is no stopping it (596)”

Nurtured the myth of the tadpole angel

Lieutenant Smit

Lieutenant Smit Must like or care about Peekay because he goes to Peekays house to notify Peekays mother about the boxing match. He may have done this because he see’s potential in Peekay.
Lieutenant Smit has respect for Geel Piet
I think that Lieutenant Smit might not be a racist as he makes out to be and that he only seems racist as a show because he feels he needs to seem racist to get the respect of the other warders. This is clear when he tells Geel Piet to come and get his picture taken with the boxing team and then later asks for the pictures back because he had been promoted and din’t wan’t them to make him seem less professional (page 505)
hates borman, does everything to oppose him

Peekay

Peekay is leader, he leads the kids at school as well as the prisoners at the barber-town prison. He is known to the Prisoners as the Tadpole angel or in Zulu Onoshobi-shobi Ingelosi. This name shows that to the people Peekay it mysterious and a bit mythical. Peekay is very brave, he goes into the ring in his final match at his first boxing tournament against Kroon, a very mean boy who is much bigger than Peekay. Peekay feels no fear during the fight. Even during his first fight Peekay has the ability to push aside his fear “seen from my stool he he seemed very big, but I had waited to long for this moment to be afraid (page 464)”. With all of the smuggling at the prison, it becomes clear that Peekay is both selfless and moral. He see’s the injustice at the prision and at his own cost, finds a way to help. This is why the prisoners like him so much, he treats them as equals, he is probably the person associated with the barbertown prison who is well liked by both the guards and the prisoners. I think that the prison guards should notice how loyal the prisoners are to him and maybe do things more like how Peekay does. “that was the moment that I realized with conviction that racism is a primary force of evil designed to destroy good men (page 505).” Peekay is the only kid not destroyed by racism.”

Peekay begins questioning Christianity and also the politics of his country. “If nobody is dirty, and nobody works, than why can’t black people live with white people (page 491)”

Peekay has the power of one to bring good things like hope and happiness to the prison.

Treats all the with kindness and respect so is able to control people.

still has is tadpole angel fan club
Still has never lost a fight
“Is he not lord of the dark, the night and the day” Links to what is going on with the racism in south Africa, the light is the hope and the power of one (page 671)
mamas lighter angle
kaffer boy (supposed to be an insult but could be taken differently)
he’s now 14 and has camouflage is being so far a head of everyone else that they can’t get them. He never seems to completely belong, he is the poor kid at his school, the only English kid in the prison, the only one who doesn’t believe in the bible

At the end of Peekays high school years he seems to be losing himself, following the system and gaining from it. It is similar to how lieutenant Smit let geel piet in the picture but then burnt the picture because his power of one was less than his want to be good at his job.

Lieutenant borman

Lieutenant Borman is similar to Geel Piet in that he is very manipulative. He manages to manipulate the commandant into promoting him to Lieutenant. Lieutenant Borman however contrasts Geel Piet because is incredibly racist and mean, “A glance as he passed was sufficient enough to get him going (page 514)”. Borman would then talk to the offender until he said something worth beating him for. getting power under kommandant. the power of one to bring bad things evil and angry. Put out a lot of hate and got it back, took some of his own medicine.

Peekays Grandpa:

Peekays Grandpa is very kind and seems to be full of good advice. He is portrayed as being very wise and the advice he gives is never strait forward.

Hymie:

Hymie is Jewish boy the same age as Peekay who is very smart. He is similar to Peekay because he is very logical. He is not very similar to Peekay because he very confident and his family also has a lot of money. (page 670 quote). Hymie always thinks about morals and cares about his reputation as a Jew.

Other notes:

Gert, smit, geel piet, peekay, and doc have remained good men untuched by racism the others have been ruined (page 505)

full moon is symbolic, full moon on the night of grandpa chooks life and on the night of the concerto. Could be a sign of regeneration, going into a new phase of life. could also be sybolism for death, grandpa chook dies under a full moon and so does Geel Piet.

all of the tribes of Africa and the tribe of the white people represented by the piano brought together by music. symbolic of what south Africa should become.