Power comes with more than one definition and usage. This is anything but contrived; power and powerlessness encompass all things social, physical, and financial: The Truth About Sharks surrounds a power shift in authority and standing, in addition to the abuse and use of the same kind of power. Meanwhile, power in The Difficult Path is comprised of societal expectations, violence and intimidation, and education’s necessity. Yet, in Flying Lessons, a shift in power occurs in which a powerless character causes another character’s gaining of power, and emphasizes youth’s power. As can be seen, characters’ power or powerlessness doesn’t necessarily define their actions or being, and power shifts occur in varied ways.
The Truth About Sharks encircles a powerless character, Beth, and how she gains power and confidence by standing up to an authority figure. The story opens with a security guard named Madge P. Groton bearing physical and social power over the story’s protagonist, Beth. Madge at first intimidates Beth: not only is she a hulking woman, she wields a position of authority. She’s described by Beth’s narration as stocky and stern, with “frigid, gray eyes” (pg. 34). Beth narrates the violence and threats Madge imposes upon her, as well as the intense fear Beth feels upon these occurrences. Because of her ‘security guard’ title and massive size and strength, Madge’s physical and social power was at an imbalance with Beth’s as a common civilian. On the other hand, when Beth realizes the injustices she has suffered and gains the confidence to stand up to Madge, Beth gains power over her. As a customer, Beth holds social power over Madge. And yet, while Madge had abused her power, forcing violence and inappropriate behavior onto Beth, Beth uses her power to do what she considers right, and furthermore gains the confidence to stand up for herself and her own integrity as well as the dignity and respect of all women: “…but there was something shining in my face that I could feel – something, Mom said, that money could not buy – empowerment… and even though Aunt Cassie had questioned my innocence, when I told her about Officer Brennerman, she turned pink and flustered and hurried away. I even took Uncle Al aside and told him that the joke he told before dinner offended me and all women through the ages and he apologized ‘ (pg. 46). This demonstrates how, even in a single story, characters’ power doesn’t necessarily define and map out their actions. Further, this applies elsewhere in regards to power, as in The Difficult Path.
The Difficult Path, like The Truth About Sharks, demonstrates the different forms power shifts can appear in, but also further demonstrates the many forms power itself can appear in. To start with, the power shift in The Difficult Path occurs with the protagonist, Lingsi, gaining will over herself and her future. Already, this newly gained power appears in a form much unlike that shown in The Truth About Sharks. Other power dynamics too play into the story’s representation of power and later power shift: Lingsi, but a slave girl, is revealed to have a future as the housewife of her social superior mapped out for her. And yet, she can hardly fight these expectations, with her ‘owners’ and ‘future in-laws’ holding extensive wealth and social presence over her role as but a subordinate. Further, pirates are introduced into the story, and using violence, they wreak havoc upon the land. In this instance, power appears in the form of physical power and violence, though the pirates abuse their violence, intimidation, and infamy, causing much distress and injury. Still, despite everything, Tianyi is portrayed in a favorable light, and the author implies the sympathy and identifying with the readers should feel for her, despite her abuse of power. In a final instance, Lingsi, literate and a ravenous scholar, refuses Tianyi’s orders for her to return home, wishing to escape her servitude and sure future, by demonstrating her abilities to read. Here, Lingsi holds a certain power over Tianyi: she has an education, of which Tianyi is shown to greatly value and yearn for – and by encouraging Lingsi to teach her how to read, grants Lingsi authority in a student-teacher relationship. Thus, Lingsi’s power towards the end of The Difficult Path is her literacy, and along with demonstrating a form of power, this teaches us an important lesson: learning gives you wings. Even more so, The Difficult Path finishes up with a thoughtful statement with a lesson within its words: “But my head is raised and I can’t help but smile. For while the path before me might be difficult, it will be my own,” (pg. 39), reiterating the power within self-sufficiency.
Like The Difficult Path, Flying Lessons tucks its examination of power dynamics and shifts within thought-provoking streams of consciousness. Even as Flying Lessons explores the cagedness of old age and lack of experience (which do come into play in regards to power), power is nevertheless explored, encompassing interpretations other from the previously mentioned The Truth About Sharks and The Difficult Path. Flying Lessons follows Santosh and his grandmother, Nani, as she encourages him to come out of his bubble of academics and books and to seek real-life experiences outside of his comfort zones. Through Nani’s relentless encouragement, Santosh exits his comfort zone, finding merit in making friends and forming connections, and in this way gains social prowess and confidence. But still: Santosh’s gaining of power was not shifted from Nani, despite her encouragement: in the aspect of living his youthful life to the fullest with his newfound confidence and fiercely optimistic outlook on life, she is entirely without power, having lived her days through and now at a wrinkly, pruned (though admittedly still very much fabulous) stage. Despite her being a catalyst for Santosh’s willingness to ‘seize the day’, Nani is still powerless, a “caged bird” (pg. 157) if you will: “‘Money! What good is money to a bird in a cage?’” (pg. 140) And where Nani acts as a support beam and encouragement to Santosh, she herself lacked such privilege, her husband valuing money and awards, insisting their time has passed and discouraging her wish to ‘live’. Nani as a mentor to Santosh empowers him, an opportunity that she’d missed out on previously. All throughout the story, Nani is held back by her age, though Santosh is chained to but himself and his unwillingness to change. At the end, Santosh’s issues are resolved, he flies free, unchained from his own discouragement, reveling in his new power. Nani’s age is irreversible; she’s powerless to resolve it. So, as Nani assists in Santosh’s gaining of power, she herself is powerless. This therefore demonstrates another form of power shift, and how age is a power to be used. The reader learns how important it is to truly ‘live’ when youth is within someone, and how quickly its departure leaves them powerless.
Though The Truth About Sharks, The Difficult Path, and Flying Lessons each encircle vastly different subjects and teach vastly different lessons, they are similar in the way power is central in their themes, growth of characters, and character interactions. Still, power doesn’t just mean strength or ability, it can also mean authority and the shifts in authority, as in The Truth About Sharks; violence, education, and self-sufficiency, as shown in The Difficult Path; or even youth and the dynamics between powerlessness and power, as can be seen in Flying Lessons. Power and powerlessness are all-encompassing topics, and there is so much to be learned from the different demonstrations of power in writing.