As is found in every book, The Power of One also has its symbols throughout the book. Five major ones were the waterfalls, the loneliness bird, the swastika, the tadpole angel, and the Black Mamba snake.
To cure Peekay of his habit of urinating in his bed, Peekay's nurse called the great witchdoctor. The witchdoctor told Peekay to close his eyes, and Peekay was placed in a world of the imagination. In this world, there were three waterfalls. Peekay had to cross the stream above the waterfalls by jumping across 10 black stones. The waterfalls symbolised strength and hope. Whenever Peekay needed strength, he would close his eyes and visit the world of imagination. Peekay always entered this world when he had to appear before the judge and jury, at the boarding school. Later, Peekay used these waterfalls to give him strength to go into the ring again to finish off an opponent.
The loneliness bird, another symbol represented in the film was a 'stone bird' which lived inside Peekay, squatting on its nest in his heart, weighing heavily on his mind. This 'bird' first came to him while he was at boarding school, being bullied by his fellow peers. One of Peekay's goals was to rid himself of the feeling of loneliness, or the 'loneliness bird'. Peekay succeeded in this goal when he was at the Prince of Wales boarding school, with his faithful friend Hymie Levy.
A third symbol in the book was the swastika. This was a symbol of power. The 'judge', from boarding school, had a swastika as a tattoo. With it, he boasted, all the hated 'Rooineks' would be marched into the sea, and the war would be won. Later on, at the very end of the book, Peekay has a street fight with his enemy, the 'judge'. He recognises the judge because of the swastika tattoo. By this time, the 'judge' was a powerful man who everyone, bar Peekay, was frightened of. This symbol was a recurring symbol which kept coming back with extra power behind it.
Peekay was a important person to the black people in the prison. Everyday, Peekay brought the prisoners some tobacco and anything else they wanted. Because of this, the black people, otherwise referred to as 'the people', dubbed Peekay the 'Tadpole angel'. They called him the 'Tadpole angel' because he was the small musician. The big musician, Peekay's friend Doc, had the name 'frog', so, naturally, Peekay was called 'Tadpole'. The black people thought that Peekay was the great chief they had been waiting for. Peekay was the symbol of hope among the black people. He was supposed to break the black people from their oppression.
The Black Mamba is one of the most deadly snakes in Africa. Peekay first comes into contact with the Black Mamba, when he asks the 'spirit' of Doc for a sign. The Black Mamba slithers over Peekay, and, subsequently becomes a symbol of danger. Peekay is warned in a dream of the accident he was going to have while working as a grizzly. It also appeared for Peekay when his is about to have his dangerous showdown with his childhood enemy, the Judge.
All these symbols have a large role in Peekay's life, the way he treated different types of people, and the actions he took. For example, Peekay latched onto Hymie Levy in boarding school, to defeat the loneliness bird. He treats the black people like they were his equal, even agreeing to box one of them at the black township. The waterfalls gave Peekay strength, and helped him become a great boxer. These symbols also give extra meaning, and thinking material, to the book.
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