Blog Entry #8 - Representation

Courtenay has represented certain characters in certain ways; ways that he intended would serve his purpose, which was to entertain, yet inform readers about the problem of apartheid and the idea of strength and determination.  This story contains both adults and children, the main character being a child himself.  Just like the adults, Peekay has his own personal attitudes, values and beliefs in life.

                  There are many adults in this story, the main ones being Hoppie Groenewald, Doc and Geel Piet. Some are friends of Peekay but others, such as Mevrou, are not as friendly. Hoppie Groenewald is a boxer that Peekay meets on the train and he is the man who inspires Peekay to take up boxing.  Hoppie is very friendly to Peekay after he endured so many torments from the judge in boarding school. By introducing Hoppie into the text so soon after the judge, Hoppie is represented as a true friend who is kind to Peekay. Doc is a drunken German man that Peekay meets behind his house in the hills. Doc is also very kind to Peekay as he presents the world in a mystical yet wonderful way. Doc becomes Peekay’s piano teacher, mentor and best friend. As Peekay is the protagonist in the story, he is portrayed as a very likable character. Due to this, anyone who is his best friend will also be portrayed as a likable character. Therefore, those who are nice to Peekay are represented as friendly people. Geel Piet is a worker at the Barberton prison and becomes Peekay’s boxing coach. He is the man who teaches Peekay an important boxing manoeuvre.  It is due to Geel that Peekay is able to defeat his enemy on the last pages of the book. Courtenay has represented all adults in specific ways in order to build the storyline. He has also done this to the children.

                  The main child in the bildungsroman is Peekay and Courtenay has represented him as the hero of the story; the protagonist. He has done this by the use of Peekay’s speech, action and interaction with other characters, as well as with the use of generic and language conventions, as discussed in previous blog entries. The judge in the story is represented as the antagonist, the bad guy. As Peekay is portrayed as the hero in the story, we are made to empathise with him and feel the emotions he feels. In this way, Courtenay has represented the judge as the antagonist. As Peekay is the protagonist, the person who harms or hurts him is represented as the antagonist. These two distinctions are what form the storyline and make this book so popular.

                  Peekay was a victim of racism, though he himself did not have a problem with racism. He was not a racist boy, so he has a good attitude towards all people. He believes that everyone is the same, despite their skin colour or race. He values life, which is evident by the way he fights through the bullying and doesn’t just give up. He also values his family, which is clear by the way he misses his nanny and his mother when he is at boarding school. Peekay also believes that he can become successful and he can achieve his dreams of becoming a welterweight boxing champion. He believes in dreaming and determination to achieve his goals.