The Power Of One 7-9

In the novel The Power of One, Bryce Courtenay demonstrates through mentors that they have a big influence on Peekay. A mentor is a man or woman that guides someone in the right path to success and to help them make great achievements in life.

Hoppie helps him by telling him the secret ingredient to the power of one. “Mix-the-head with-the-heart you’re ahead from-the-start. Mix-the-head with-the-heart you’re ahead from the start, the wheels chanted until my head began to pound with rhythm. It was becoming the plan I would follow for the remainder of my life; it was to become the secret ingredient in what I thought of as the power of one.” “Small can beat big. But remember, you have to have a plan… Remember always, first with the head and then with the heart. Without both, I’m telling you, plans are useless.” Hoppie is helping him through his fight and teachings of what is thought to be as the power of one. The power of one is suppose to help Peekay in his life. Everything Hoppie is teaching him is giving him hope and helping him fight obstacles in his life. In the second quote, this is describing what Peekay has to do during his whole life. Both Hoppie and Peekay are small but they are both smart and are able to think of plans. But one thing that Peekay needs is heart. Peekay is scared to show people the real him and doesn’t know what people thinks of him when they find out he’s a Boer. There is one person that gives him hope, Big Hettie

Big Hettie gives him hope before she dies. “You will be a great fighter, I know it,” Instead of saying I care about you, she tells him he is going to be a great fighter which is giving him hope. She is telling him before she dies that she has hope and faith in him and not to give up no matter what the cause is. She also taught Peekay about life. “Peekay, you will be a great welterweight, I know it. You have pride and courage. Remember what I told you about pride and courage? Pride is holding your head up when everyone around you has theirs bowed. Courage is what makes you do it.” She is teaching him to not be arrogant even when he becomes champion. She teaches him also about life in this quote. This is saying that when everyone else wins a match they will bow to the crowd but when he wins a match he will keep his head up. Another meaning of this quote is that even when he loses, she wants him to be proud of what he did. Hoppie and Big Hettie both have great influences on Peekay which will shape his life in the future.