An opportunity to use or abuse power becomes a daily choice, but what if that same day was relived repeatedly? Stuck in an eternity of consistency, narcissistic weatherman Phil Connors in the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” finds himself in this exact situation and wakes up every morning to face the same events of Groundhog Day that he lived the day prior. Connors has to deal with the same people and events for several straight days until he gets it “right” but struggles to find what “right” exactly is.
French philosopher Michel Foucault believed that power is not only held by people in charge but is present in all relationships. As Connors’ life gets thrown into a never-ending spin cycle, at first, he struggles to understand the power which he holds. His first days are spent confused and dreading redoing that same day while disregarding his relationships
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Another day of knowledge gained was another day of intensified power, and “power/knowledge are one in the same thing, inextricably, inherently, and permanently linked.” Knowing what would happen, he had complete control of his life and its relationships. By reliving the same 24 hours, he learned what to say and do to benefit the relationships in his life. However, he chooses to abuse these powers to some extent. His motives become selfish, only using his power for his own fulfillment and not in his relationships. The strength of his authority causes him to manipulate women and commit crimes, knowing he will not face any consequences. He abuses his forgiving lifestyle by gaining information about his coworker Rita to win the ultimate prize of sleeping with her. After that fails, life becomes unserious, and he tries to kill himself in multiple different ways. Yet, his alarm clock goes off every morning at 6 a.m., and nothing changes because he has yet to form genuine relationships, as Foucault’s theory