The Use and Mis-Use of Power

Throughout the narrative, the choices and actions of most of the main characters are defined by how they use and/or mis-use power. On one level, the tension and/or differences between perspectives on power can be boiled down to a basic good vs. evil conflict, with the text portraying Mami as clearly being on the side of the former, and just as clearly portraying Rudy on the side of the latter. The key point to note here is that these two characters, as the story unfolds, have access to the same source of power – the ability to communicate with, and draw upon, the energies of the spiritual world, and particularly the world of the dead. The theme of the use and mis-use of power is developed through the novel’s portrayal of what each character does as they draw on...