Benjamin Carson once said "Beware the abuse of Power. Both by those we disagree with, as well as those we may agree with" to elucidate that the consequences of abused power can have benefits and burdens on those around them. Abuse of power is usually seen as a negative, rightfully so; however, in the novel The Green Mile by Stephen King, the author does an effective job of portraying how the abuse of power can be a positive force. King does this by using characters Percy Wetmore and Paul Edgecomb, who are both guards at the prison the novel is set at, but whose abuse of power could not be any more different. Percy abuses power in the way many think of, by making those in lower "classes" than him in suffer, all by the power his family relation holds. In stark contrast, Edgecomb uses his own title as head guard of the cell block to do good on the behalf of others, using the respect of inmates and fellow guards to his power as the headguard to do the right thing, even if it is technically "abusing" his power. Percy Wetmore is a sadistic, arrogant guard at the prison. He unrightfully gains his power in the prison by simply being the governor's only nephew, and feels as if he can do anything he wants to the inmates because he is superior to them. Throughout the entire novel he abuses his power as a guard by causing as much physical and psychological …show more content…
Unlike Percy, he gains his power from being a well-respected, empathic, fair guard and is able to use that to his advantage. The other guards follow his orders without any hestitance and the inmates easily communicate with him comfortly during their last moments of life. He is able to earn the respect of the prisons warden, Hal Moore, to the extent that he lets him get away with a an act that would get anyone else fired or suffer severe consequences within the