Chapter Twenty-Three Summary

It is the final year at the boarding school, and Peekay and all the boys in his group are concerned with their futures after they leave the school. Peekay writes out the application for the Rhodes scholarship, although Morrie and he both agree that he is not a likely candidate as it is often given to a man who has already earned at least one degree. It turns out that this is prophetic, and being denied the scholarship is really the first defeat that Peekay has suffered. He does not seem to mind much, although the people around him are disappointed and he chooses to see their disappointment as evidence of the fact that their investment in him comes at a price; namely, the price of fulfilling their ambitions for him. Being turned down for the scholarship means that Peekay is...