Death, war, and discontent are some outcomes when abusing power. Although power is considered a benefit it is also a burden. People who possess power not only use it, but carry a great responsibility with it, as well. This responsibility applies to all power, and it is important to understand that power is not always on a grand scale. Kings, presidents, and CEOs are not the only ones with power. Sometimes the greatest power one can possess is over oneself. Yet there is something all kinds of power share: the consequences of abusing it. There is an unwritten, universal rule that states that when someone abuses his/her power, the outcomes will be negative. Many authors chose to write about the uses and abuses of power. Power is a part of the human condition. Therefore power is a theme for any book about humans. Shelley, Morrison, and Roy write of the dangers of power in their works Frankenstein, Beloved, and The God of Small Things, respectively.
In Frankenstein, Shelley portrays the power to create. The main character, Victor Frankenstein is a devote scientist. He dedicates much of his life to the study of natural sciences. One day he realizes he has discovered how to create life. He becomes so blinded by his ambitious mind, that he ignores the consequences his power might cause. Instead of taking a breath and exploring these consequences, Frankenstein almost instantly starts using his power. He wants to create a human being and override the power of Mother Nature. As the unwritten rule states his story ends dreadfully. The abuse of his power is the cause of all the horrible events that take place in the rest of his life. Victor Frankenstein looses all his dear ones, and it is all his fault. In Frankenstein, power only reveals one of its many faces.
Morrison depicts in Beloved the power a mother has over her children and the power of a daughter to avenge her death. Sethe was a black woman who conceives three children while being a slave in a plantation.
