Alexander the Great. Napoleon Bonaparte. Mr. Crabs.
Megalomaniacs want power. After all, if you have power, you can get people to do anything you want. Sounds okay, right? Well, the flip side is that with great power comes great responsibility. In The Lathe of Heaven, it's pretty clear that some people just aren't ready to have the amount of power they want: Dr. Haber, for one, believes he can rule the world, but all he does is make a giant mess. George doesn't want the power that he has, but he manages to save the world with that power twice. Maybe the key is not to want power but to use it wisely if you somehow end up with it?
Questions About Power
- How is the desire for power depicted in The Lathe of Heaven? Is it positive or negative? Why?
- How do George's and Dr. Haber's views of power differ? What about Heather? Do these views have any similarities?
- Are there different types of power in The Lathe of Heaven? If so, what are they? Who demonstrates each type?
Chew on This
Power is a worthy goal in The Lathe of Heaven.
In The Lathe of Heaven, the sort of people who want power are exactly the kind of people who shouldn't have it.