Student Question
The Power reflects modern society in that it focuses on a world in which women have power. Gender equality has been a hot topic for a number of years now, and by creating a world in which women actively oppress men, Naomi Alderman has taken this idea to a whole new level. She has created a narrative in which it is men's rights, rather than women's rights, which are being violated.
In a nutshell, this is a story of a world in which women are physically dominant over men. The "power" referred to in the title is women's ability to shoot electricity from a specialized muscle in their hands. This futuristic novel tells the story of three women who use this power to gain the upper hand against men who try to oppress them in one way or another.
As current affairs showcase, the world of 2020 is full of...
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stories of women who are trying to get the upper hand in a male-dominated world. This novel reflects modern society by portraying this battle in a new light—a light in which women have won. The four female protagonists in this novel—Roxy, Allie, Margot, and Tatiana—all use the power to win some kind of battle over men. In Roxy's case, she uses the power to avenge her mother's murder. Allie uses it to kill her sexually abusive foster-father. Margot uses it to climb the political ladder, and Tatiana uses it to kill her husband and take over the country of Moldova.
In summary, this novel reflects modern society by showing a fictional and exaggerated conclusion of a battle we are currently fighting—the battle for equality for women.
In what ways does "The Power" reflect modern society?
Naomi Alderman’s novel explores the idea of categorical role reversal, in which human females gain tremendous, natural physical power that renders them stronger than males. This sudden, inexplicable, global change most obviously connects to gender imbalances but can also be understood in connection with natural power in other categories.
The character of Margot Cleary and the initiatives she undertakes to help educate and empower girls is comparable to programs that are being developed around the world as we approach 2020. One area where such initiatives connect is in female participation in the technology sphere. Power can be understood as information and controlling its distribution, which increasingly occurs through computers and the internet. Similarly, powerful women have used their celebrity to encourage female education, such as Oprah Winfrey and the Leadership Academy for Girls that operates in Africa.
When we consider power as the ability to influence the fate of the world, female roles are becoming increasingly significant. The participation of girls and young women in political empowerment and decision-making for their future has become notable in the 2010s. These phenomena can be seen in the Fridays for Future movement and Greta Thunberg’s leadership role in promoting attention to climate change.
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