Published Online:March 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJES050326
DOI:10.71329/IUPJAF/2026.21.1.49-60
Author Name:Shyamalima Kashyap
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Arts and Humanities
Download Format:PDF
Pages:49-60
Power has been associated with men since the concept was first introduced. Men have wielded power in a variety of ways over the course of history. They have majorly been the wielders of power, whether it be in terms of political agenda or in matters of decisionmaking addressing the demands of the society. A woman’s role was usually confined to domestic and familial duties; as a result, women had little influence over socially-significant issues. The traditional belief that women were incapable of handling crucial responsibilities and situations kept them largely out of positions of authority. However, since the turn of the 20th century, there has been a great increase in the distribution of gender-neutral opportunities with women now achieving larger positions in social, professional, and political spheres. And women proved that they are equally adept at misusing power for their own ends. This paper aims to present power as a gender-neutral concept and as a tool that can be equally misused by women to inflict pain and suffering on men, with reference to Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
The world at large has a propensity still to think that only men in positions of power are capable of abusing them, and that women, if they are in positions of authority, are incapable of doing so due to their maternal and feminine traits. The ability or capability of a person to influence the behavior, actions, and beliefs of others has been referred to as power in politics and sociology. Depending on the individual’s motivations and the results of it, power can have both good and bad aspects, like two sides of a coin. Legitimate power is authority that complies with the law, whereas illegitimate power is control that primarily serves to elevate one person over another.