The Full Moon In Thos Peekay's The Power Of One

In The Power of One, the recurring symbol of the full moon represents the coexistence of death and rebirth. Many significant events seem to happen during the full moon. The full moon is first seen in the first chapter, when Peekay appears before the Judge and Jury for the first time. He remarks, “It must have been a full moon that night because the shower room was bathed in blue light” (4). This signifies the beginning of a new chapter of Peekay’s life, an era of constant torture by the judge. Peekay believes that he is going to die that night, and he does, in a way. The young Peekay that was spoiled by his Nanny is dead, and a new Peekay is born. Shortly after, Peekay returned to boarding school and the torture of the Judge from the holiday break. It was a full moon again. He says,“'I didn’t cry. They’ll never make me cry again!’ [He] said to the moon.” (25) Peekay’s “night water” has been cured and he now …show more content…
In the last scene, Peekay recognizes the diamond driller he was working for as the abominable Judge from his childhood. The two of them get into a fight. As Peekay fights the Judge, he draws on all of the boxing advice he has received from Hoppie, Geel Piet, and Solly Goldman. For the first time, Peekay beats the Judge and finally gets his revenge. Peekay says, “The slate was wiped clean. The hate was gone.” (513) Even though the Judge didn’t die, Peekay’s hate for him did. Peekay had finally settled the score and ended a thirteen-year feud. In the last scene, he is walking away from not only his life in the mines, but also the persecution from the Judge.
Peekay’s story reveals that there are two sides to every situation. During a full moon, a door is closed but another one is opened. Often we spend too long lamenting about the closed one that we do not notice the open one. However, the coexistence of these two doors indicates that hope and optimism can be found in even the darkest of