The Power of One

In 1951, Peekay continues his string of successes, winning the South African schools’ featherweight championship. He is awarded his colors (an award) for rugby and three times for boxing and becomes head prefect. Feeling confident, he applies for a Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford; however, his bid is unsuccessful, forcing Peekay to reassess his plans. Instead, he is offered scholarships to attend multiple prestigious South African universities.

When his friends and family are distressed by the failure, Peekay also takes time to reassess his identity. He decides that he has become too reliant on his “camouflage,” allowing others to control his destiny rather than himself. He refuses the scholarships to the South African Universities. When Morrie Levy offers to pay for his time at Oxford, Peekay also refuses. He tells Morrie that he must take this time to commune with Doc’s spirit.

Peekay goes to the “night country” before visiting the “crystal caves” to visit Doc. Unable to bear seeing his corpse, Peekay sits outside the cave and speaks about his fears of losing “The Power of One.” A black mamba crawls out of the cave and over his boot. Peekay takes this as a sign from Doc that he will be tested soon.