Images of Prejudice
The book is replete with images of prejudice against the Whites. The author has presented that while residing in Africa, the Whites face the same hatred as the blacks used to face in America. Peekay was brutally treated by his seniors at the boarding school because he was an English man. His class fellows threaten him that Hitler would move them out of Africa. His chicken was killed just because it belonged to a White man. Furthermore, there are images in the novel, which shows that the Whites were not even welcomed at certain shops. For instance, Peekay reads a board on a workshop "Blacks Only."
Peekay experiences the racist attitude despite of the fact that he was not biased against anybody. He believed in humanity and it's unity. He says, "I was a child of Africa, a white child to be sure, but nevertheless Africa's child. The black breasts that had suckled me and the dark hands that had bathed and rocked me had left me with a burden of obligation to resist the white power that would be the ultimate gift from those who now trained me."
Images of Fighting
The images of fighting are present in the scenes where Peekay fights during his boxing matches. There are images of matches between other players as well. Jackhammer Smit has been presented as fighting against Hoppie in Gravelotte. Smit takes the revenge of Geel Piet's death by fighting with Borman. There are images of Klipkop beating a servant for implausible reasons. At the end of the novel, Peekay fights with Jaapie Botha and uses all the techniques of boxing which he learnt from Solly Goldman, Hoppie and Geel Piet.
Animal Imagery
The author has also employed animal imagery at various instances in the novel. Peekay compares himself to a Chameleon when he couldn't resist Jaapie Botha and his torturing. He says, "I had become an expert at camouflage. My precocity allowed me, chameleonlike, to be to each what they required me to be." Then there are images of Granpa eating the head of a snake and Peekay hanging the dead snake outside the hostel window. The imagery of snake has also been evoked by Peekay when he says that he wants "sloughing" I.e his to remove his outer skin in order to reveal his inner or real self. Doc also visions about a mamba snake which demonstrates and foreshadows Peekay's fight with Jaapie Botha. The images of a chicken being killed by the judge are also present in the novel.
Images of Fairytale
The book also demonstrates the imagery of a fairytale. Peekay says about the crystal cave of Africa that it looks like "an illustration from a fairy tale." Peekay's garden at the back of his Barberton house has been compared to garden in "Alice in wonderland."
Peekay's Shangaan kitchen maidd who were twins are called as Dum and Dee which also refers fairytales. They were very protective about Doc and Peekay. Doc also talks about magic and mysteries and alludes towards the power of mystery in providing hope.
