According to the English writer and philosopher Edmund Burke, "The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse." (Burke) This often proves true in Thomas Mofolo's novel Chaka. Power is a corrupting concept. If you do not have a truly selfless heart, you will be corrupted by your own power, which often happens to those in power in this novel. However, although power is often thought to have influence over others, power can also be decidedly self-centered. Power can be expressed by controlling others, but it can also be expressed by preventing others from controlling you. Helplessness occurs when you lose your determination to stop others from controlling you. Now, power is something that everyone can relate to as everyone is affected by it in some way, shape or form. In Chaka, Thomas Mofolo distinguishes between the powerful and the powerless making them more recognizable than others, while also showing how very few of the powerless have been able to acquire power. The powerless and the powerful have two very distinct roles in this novel. Mofolo takes his time to make sure that the powerful have a backstory: he wants his readers to be able to relate and see the humanistic side of the powerful, since most of them grossly abuse their power. The powerless, however, are portrayed as they are: powerless. They are the pawns used to benefit every person in power and are not given a backstory unless their story is relevant to a person in power. For example, Nandi, being Senzangakhona's illegitimate lover and Chaka's mother, originally had no power. However, we know Nandi's background because it is relevant to Chaka's upbringing and her struggle to gain rightful propertyh......middle of paper......er because her upbringing was sound; as well as Senzangakhona's internal battle between being with her family and keeping the throne, and Nandi's desire to have a grandson. Everyone in power in this novel was depicted as mildly to extremely evil, although recognizable. On the other hand, the powerless were represented as pawns; people with very little backstory who needed to be controlled, making it difficult for the reader to develop a strong attachment to them. Thomas Mofolo's use of power and powerlessness in this novel greatly emphasized the difference between the two and taught his readers how corrupting, manipulative and sometimes rebellious power can be. Works Cited Burke, Edmund, and Peter J. Stanlis. Edmund Burke: Selected Writings and Speeches. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Print.Mofolo, Thomas. Chaka. London: Heinemann, 1981. Print.