History Literature / ThePowerOfOne

%%* TheApartheidEra

* EmbarrassingNickname: Pisskop (Afrikaans for "Pisshead"), from which "Peekay" is derived. Also Rooinek ("Red Neck"), a disparaging term for Englishman.

* GoodOldFisticuffs: As the cover might suggest, boxing is central to the novel

''The Power of One'' (1989) is a novel by Bryce Courtenay set in South Africa just before and during WorldWarII. It follows the life of an English boy [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname known only as]] Peekay after his mother suffers a nervous breakdown and he gets sent to an Afrikaner BoardingSchoolOfHorrors. After leaving the school, Peekay gets on a train for Barberton and meets Hoppie Groenwald, the train guard and a welterweight boxer. After witnessing Hoppie's match, the young boy is entranced by the sport and encouraged by Hoppie to become the welterweight champion of the world.

* DuringTheWar: One of the earliest events in the novel is The Judge mentioning UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's [[WorldWarII invasion of Poland]]. Hoppie is later drafted to fight [[ThoseWackyNazis the Nazis]].

* UnskilledButStrong: Jackhammer Smit and Jaapie Botha. [[spoiler:The "unskilled" part is their undoing.]]

* TheAlcoholic: Doc.

* AllJewsAreCheapskates
* TheApartheidEra
* AProtagonistShallLeadThem
* AxCrazy: Jaapie Botha.
* BadassBookworm: Peekay.
* TheBully: The Judge.

* CoolOldGuy: Doc.

* FriendlessBackground

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Rasputin.]]
* HotForTeacher

* JerkAss: The Judge.
* JewishAndNerdy
* KidHero
* KidsAreCruel / TeensAreMonsters: The Judge as a teenager and his entire crew.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:The Judge.]]
* MightyWhitey: Oh boy.

* NiceGuy: Peekay, in spades.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown
* TheObiWan: Doc.
* ParentalAbandonment
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: The Judge.

* RedOniBlueOni: In the second half of the book Peekay is red to Hymie's blue.
* SecondBoerWar
* [[spoiler:SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: Jaapie Botha, formerly known as The Judge.]]
* TheSociopath: The Judge.
* TookALevelInBadass: Peekay.

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992. It scores a 2 on the SlidingScaleOfAdaptationModification. It should not be confused with the second ''{{Pokemon}}'' movie, which in English bears the same title.

* DuringTheWar: One of the earliest events in the novel is The Judge mentioning AdolfHitler's [[WorldWarII invasion of Poland]]. Hoppie is later drafted to fight [[ThoseWackyNazis the Nazis]].

* UnskilledButStrong: Jackhammer Smit and Jaapie Botha. The "unskilled" part is their undoing.

* TheObiWan: Doc

* KidsAreCruel

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Jaapie Botha.

* EverythingsBetterWithChickens: Granpa Chook.

!!The ''Power of One'' contains examples of:

* AllGermansAreNazis: Subverted ''hard'' with Doc, and becomes a major plot point when he is sent to prison.

* IronWoobie: Peekay takes massive amounts of abuse at the hands of The Judge and his crew, but refuses to cry, infuriating them further.

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992. It scores a 2 on the [[SlidingScaleofAdaptationDecay Sliding Scale of Adaptation Decay]]. It should not be confused with the second ''{{Pokemon}}'' movie, which in English bears the same title.

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992. It scores a 2 on the [[SlidingScaleofAdaptationDecay Sliding Scale of Adaptation Decay]]. It should not be confused with the second Pokemon movie, which in English bears the same title.

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992. It scores a 2 on the [[SlidingScaleofAdaptationDecay Sliding Scale of Adaptation Decay]]

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992. It scores a 2 on the [[SlidingScaleofAdaptationDecay]]

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992. It scores a 2 on the [[Sliding Scale of Adaptation Decay]]

[[TheFilmOfTheBook A film adaption]] was released in 1992.

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Peekay is ridiculously intelligent (both naturally and from being tutored by Doc) and as such has no friends outisde his boxing squad until he goes to The Prince of Wales School halfway through the book.

* Red Oni, Blue Oni: In the second half of the book Peekay is red to Hymie's blue.

->''This is what happened.''