Abuse Of Power In Great Expectations

With great power comes great responsibility. It’s difficult enough to gain power, but losing it is what comes as the easiest. It’s often hard to control and figure out how to use power the right way. This is what leads to the abuse of power. When one is unsure of how to communicate her power without harming others or herself, negative things can come from it. Therefore, Those who gain power abuse it. The excessive use of power leads to the harm of others or oneself. In the novel, Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, long ago, a man left Miss Havisham at the altar which came as quite a surprise to her. Due to this incident, she was heartbroken and prompted her daughter, Estella, to despise men and caused her to be unable to love one.

Upon making this realization, she said, “‘But as she grew, and promised to be very beautiful, I gradually did worse, and with my praises, and with my jewels, and with my teachings, and with this figure of myself always before her, a warning to back and point my lessons, I stole her heart away and put ice in its place’” (Dickens 365). As a mother to Estella, Miss Havisham’s responsibility was to use this power to ensure her daughter would essentially have a successful future. However, with such power, she was able to give Estella many things like “praises” and “jewels”, but she managed to abuse her power and diminish Estella’s chance to avoid reliving her mother’s past. Instead, Miss Havisham caused her to be cold and heartless or “stole her heart and put ice in its

Due to this tragedy, Ralph Nickleby, Nicholas’s uncle, stepped up in order to do right by his family and ensure their lives remained stable among the death of his brother. However, rather than help his family, he used them to his advantage in order to gain money for his own benefit. Specifically, he took advantage of Kate. He allowed his ‘friends’ or potential clients, rather, to take advantage of her as well, assuming they would want to invest in his business following this. This lead to Kate being humiliated and losing her own self-respect. (Nicholas Nickleby). Ralph’s intolerable behavior not only hurt Kate, but himself as well. By abusing his power over his family, he harmed them and himself. When some possible investors saw what he did, they turned their backs on him and his business plummeted. Today, one may be so absorbed in their own goals that her power may go to her head. In life, it’s natural for people to want to progress and help themselves the best they can. However, when one abuses the power she has, it may only hurt her in the long run. Many times, people dislike when someone acts as if they are above them or someone else. When people feel equal, it makes them more