Peekay is a extremely attractive character. Everyone who reads the book becomes attached to him, even if they don't agree with all his beliefs. Peekay tells his story as he knew it at the time it happened. For example, although he 'knew' what happened when he apparently wrote the book, Peekay tells of his experience with 'death' (when the judge sentences him to death), by describing the urine falling on his head as blood flowing over him. This is both amusing and sad, and helps attach Peekay to the reader right from the beginning of the book.
Peekay doesn't speak very much in the first half of the book. He is quite shy and dependant on other people because of his horrific experiences at boarding school. A example of this is how he came by his name. Peekay was called 'Pisskop' by everyone at his school, including the teachers. It was the only name he knew of. A Jewish merchant gave him the name Peekay, as it was a nicer name, and less offensive. Instead of speaking, Peekay gives his thoughts to the reader. This is a important part of the book, as it tells the reader what Peekay is thinking, and keeps the book entertaining, and less like a biography (which is often boring). These thoughts are also the main way Courtenay uses to give his opinion on events in the book.
A large part of Peekay which everyone loves is his actions. Peekay is a boy who always does things for others. Despite the high opinion everyone has of him, Peekay remains modest. He helps the black people in the prison, without any payment, and is embarrassed when the people call him a angel. When Peekay talks about his life at school, he states that he 'gets the reputation of being smart, which is quite untrue'. Peekay fights to become independent, a power of one, to defeat the big cruel world.
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