Desire For Power In John Steinbeck's When It Happens

All humans at some point have a desire for power due to something that nobody has really figured out throughout history. Is it because you want fame, status or is it because we’re all just greedy in our own way?

In the novel When It Happens there are a few characters that need to free themselves from the shadows of other people. Sara is one of those characters in the novel that needs someone to free her from other people’s power. She is one those people who puts school first so she’s not in popular crowds. She really likes this guy Dave who is a bit of a power seeker; she then dates him and see that he’s not who she thought he was because he just followed what his friends do. All Sara really wanted was someone who was their own person.

Well Sara was dating Dave she sort of forgot who her real friends were. She became one of those people who everyone knew and talked about. When she broke up with Dave people who she thought were her friends stopped talking to her. She then went backed to her old friends almost as if they were her backup plan. She then dates another guy named Tobey. He’s not as popular as Dave but he really is who he comes off to be. That’s really what’s important, not to be fake so when people actually get to know you they won’t be disappointed because you were who they thought you would be.

People like power because it puts them in control like Dave. In the novel he feels like he’s dominant over Sara. So she automatically has to go along with what he wants to do. But everyone needs to be their own person, so why expect someone to go along with whatever you would do if you wouldn’t go along with what they wanted to do? A lot of people want to be in control of their own life but when someone puts pressure on them they’d just follow the next person. That’s why it’s important to be yourself and not be someone you’re