Power, Corruption, and Greed

The famous saying, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," is certainly applicable to this novel and can be seen as a universal theme dating back to early Greek tragedy. The third component is greed, for those who corrupt themselves are most often focused on money and the power that it wields. Though Silva's novel was published in 1998, its universal message for contemporary America is quite clear as well. Individuals and/or groups of individuals are willing to corrupt any political or economic system for their personal gain. Mitchell Elliott is the epitome of corruption, as he is willing to murder, manipulate, and cause the death of innocent airline passengers, in order to achieve both the goals of the secret society to which he belongs, as well as his personal aims of enrichment, through the development of a missile defense system at taxpayer expense. He...