We think Uncle Ben said it best: "With great power comes great responsibility." In The Dark is Rising, Will knows this better than anybody because he's still learning how to use his magical abilities. Since he has more power than the average eleven-year-old (or one-hundred-and-eleven-year-old) person, Will has to figure out how the heck to navigate his newly discovered magic… along with all of the danger it brings with it. With the Dark on his trail, his newfound powers come with a whole lot of responsibility. It's far from fun and games for this kid.
Questions About Power
- When Will first learns about his power, he's told that it's a "burden" (3.58). What do you think this means? How do we see this play out in the book? Be specific, yo.
- How is the Dark's power different from the Light's power? How is it similar? What does this tell us about power?
- When is Will most powerful? When is he weakest? What trends do you notice?
Chew on This
Power always comes at a cost in The Dark is Rising. Sure, Will gets to light things on fire with his mind, but he also has to deal with the constant threat of the Dark.
Will's power means that he is more aware of the danger that is all around him. Without his power, the Dark would still be there, he just wouldn't be able to defend himself against it.