The Nickel Boys: Modern Abuse Of Power

Reid Vaughn
Mrs. Smith
ENGL 1213
24 February 2023
Modern Abuse Of Power
The word power can have many meanings. However, power among people is hard to get, but once got can influence many factors. Power is the ability to influence one's life for either the greater or worse. Popular sovereignty is the term used to describe power in the government, and having the ability to alter an individual's life. In the U.S. democratic government, social classes play a huge role in the life that you live. Precisely, the U.S. government has an overwhelming amount of power over citizens. The government has prevented true privacy among people. The work environment that surrounds us also has major imbalances in power. Workers will feel threatened to go to work

In the prologue of the Nickel Boys, an abuse of power took place at the Richmond Hotel. Elwood can be seen spending time with the kitchen workers at the hotel. However, an abuse of power takes place when the kitchen workers take advantage of Elwood’s “kind and trusting nature”, and trick him into doing the dishes for the other workers (Whitehead). Using the power they held over Elwood, the workers abused Elwood by tricking him into doing the workers' work for them. This illustrates how an abuse of power can be seen in workplaces to take advantage of those who do not hold as much power. In today's society there is still a clear abuse of power that takes place in the work field. As seen in many work environment, “workplaces without capable guardians create further vulnerabilities to bullying as a managerial control tactic” (Readshaw) Clearly, this quote is shown how there is a clear division of power, and those who have higher authority over others, can bully and abuse those who are of lower power in the work fields. The abuse directed towards these workers is typically verbal, normal statements that remind them they can easily be fired and replaced if they do not work harder. In conclusion, as seen in The Nickel Boys there was a clear sign of an abuse in power between the kitchen workers and Elwood. Similar types of abuses in power take place in work atmospheres in today’s

These abuses of power carry over and still happen in our society today. There is a clear unequal distribution and abuse of power between races. Before the civil rights movement, white people held more, and abused the amount of power that they had to segregate against black people. In addition, in the school system power is majorly abused. As seen in The Nickel Boys, there was an abuse of power within the school between the school workers, and the students attending the reform school. Power being abused in the school system can also be seen in recent times with the Glen Mills school. Last, in the work environment power can be seen being abused. This is through managers using their higher authority to make their employees life hell, and in the Nickel Boys Elwood being tricked and forced to work by a person with a higher power and authority than him. The abuse of power in our nation is a crucial issue. As seen in the Nickel Boys, and even in modern times, the abuse to helpless individuals is mentally and physically damaging and needs to be