Analyzing Power Dynamics in Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend

This report provides an analysis of the dimensions of power in Elena Ferrante's novel, *My Brilliant Friend*. The assignment requires the identification of specific examples of the first, second, and third faces of power, as defined by Dahl, Bachrach and Baratz, and Lukes/Gaventa, respectively. The analysis explores how power manifests through various social interactions, relationships, and societal structures within the novel. The report examines instances of power dynamics, focusing on how power is exercised, maintained, and challenged by characters in the story. Furthermore, the report concludes with a reflection on the most significant issues raised by applying these three dimensions of power to the narrative, highlighting the complex interplay of power and its impact on the characters and their environment. The report adheres strictly to the assignment brief, avoiding summaries of the book, external details, or discussions beyond the specified dimensions of power.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF DIMENSIONS OF POWER IN MY BRILLIANT FRIEEND
Analysis of Dimensions of Power in My Brilliant Friend
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Author Note

1ANALYSIS OF DIMENSIONS OF POWER IN MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
My Brilliant Friend is the first part of the four-part Neapolitan series novels by Elena
Ferrante, who is regarded as one of the leading authors of Italian literature of the present
times. My Brilliant Friend talks about power and how it is won and how it is held by the
wielder of the power. The book tells the story of the best friends from a Naples Ghetto and
how their life changes around them with their realization of the importance of power. The
novel is considered to be one of the most popular novels in Italian literature of the modern
period.
The theme of this essay is to analyze the various faces/dimensions of power that
are found in My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.
In the novel, it is seen that power indeed plays an important role which changes the
lives of the protagonist, her friend and those of the other characters in the novel as well.
Power in the novel has been approached from three different perspectives. This includes
reference of power with relation to Dahl, the second reference of power is related to that of
Bachrach and Baratz and the third dimension of power is related to that of Lukes or Gaventa.
Power is an important theme which is present in almost all instances of the novel. As stated
by Dahl (2018) this stages include right from the moment when both the characters grow up
to them receiving their education. Power is often accompanied by jealousy in the novel, as is
seen between the two main characters Lila and Elena. There is power in the way that the
friendship between the two character develops in the story. It is also one of the central themes
to be found in the novel. It is with the power of friendship that helped to develop Elena and
Lila into the characters that they would ultimately become when they grow up into adults
(Wong and Blackwell,2019). This concept of power is similar to that of the themes of Dahl
where themes of friendship plays an important role in most of his works. In most of the works
by Dahl, it seen that the concept of friendship has the most dominant role among other major
themes in the play. Similarly, in the novel My Brilliant Friend, the author Elena Ferrante,

2ANALYSIS OF DIMENSIONS OF POWER IN MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
taking inspirations from the works of Dahl, has used the power of friendship which has
helped to develop the characters of the protagonist and her friend when they grew up.
Similarly, there is a second dimension or face of power that is available in the novel,
My Brilliant Friend by the author Elena Ferrante. This second dimension or face of power in
the novel is considered to be jealousy. Jealousy is one of the important themes that drives the
plot and the characters in the novel My Brilliant Friend. In the novel, it is seen that jealousy
has made of the characters avoid each other and sometimes also to violence not only in the
protagonist and her friend’s life but also in the lives of other characters in the town where
they live. Jealousy is also seen in the main characters, Elena and Lila, who often tend to be
jealous of each other because of various reasons (Dahl and Strinebecker, 2019). It is mainly
caused due to the fact that both the characters manged to educate themselves in different
ways. While Elena is jealous of Lila for her effect on men, Lila is jealous of Elena as she was
able to continue her studies whereas Lila was not able to as her family was poor. Apart from
the main characters, other characters are also affected by jealousy, which is seen in the
instance that the Solara brothers had become richer than other townspeople. All these
instances in the novel proves the point that just like friendship, jealousy also plays an equally
important role in the novel. Thus, the jealousy forms the second dimension/face of power in
the novel (Ferrante, 2012).
Similarly, just like the first and the second faces/dimensions of power, there is also a
third dimension of power that is seen in the novel. This third dimension/face of power can be
considered to be that of violence. Violence has been a part and parcel of the of the live of the
protagonist and her friend. Quarrels, fights and attacks on individuals are nothing new for the
characters in the novel. The main character and her best friend Lila have been subjected to
acts of violence by their family members. This is evidenced by the fact that Lila’s father once
threw her out if the window, thereby breaking her arm. During their stages of growing up,

3ANALYSIS OF DIMENSIONS OF POWER IN MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
they witnessed many other acts of violence which has affected the way that these two
characters grew up. This dimension of power is violence, as violence causes a lot of damage
and problems in the lives of human beings. Thus, it is seen that Elena Ferrante, in her novel,
My Brilliant Friend, has made use of the three faces or dimensions of power to demonstrate
why the theme of power plays an important part in the movie itself. It is power which carries
the characters in the book. The author in the book has tried to portray the influence of power
on the society and its effects on the ordinary people of the society. It is power which causes
friendships, jealousies and violence throughout the novel. As stated by Ferrante (2012),
throughout the novel, it is seen that not only the protagonist herself but her friend and other
characters in the novel lead their lives following all these elements. While on one hand, they
are good friends by the power of friendship, at the same time, they are also jealous of each
other due to their educational qualifications. As stated by Wong and Blackwell (2019), while
Elena continued her education, Lila was unable to do so. Similarly, Lila had an alluring effect
on men while Elena did not have such effect. Thus, this forms the point of jealousy for the
main characters on one another. Similarly, another important instance of power that is evident
in the novel is violence. This dimension is related to the previous dimension i.e. jealousy. It is
well known that jealousy at times gives rise to violence and that is exactly what happens in
the novel. The townspeople, on knowing that the Solara Brothers had become richer than the
rest of the people and the fact that they had a car of their own, gives fuel to the rise of
jealousy and violence. The author also states that they (she and Lila) were subject to violence
(Ferrante, 2012).
Thus, from the above essay, it can be concluded that the author has managed
to accurately portray the faces and the dimensions of power that is presented in the novel.
Power is the underlying theme that influences the events that takes place in the novel. All
these themes point out to the importance that the theme of power has in the novel. Power is

4ANALYSIS OF DIMENSIONS OF POWER IN MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
the theme that drives the protagonist and the other characters towards the actions that they
perform in the play. Thus, the author in the play has successfully managed to describe the
dimensions of power that is evident in the novel.

5ANALYSIS OF DIMENSIONS OF POWER IN MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
Reference List
Dahl, R. and Strinebecker, B. (2019). Modern Political Analysis. pp.12-21.
Ferrante, E. (2012). My brilliant friend. Europa Editions UK.
Wong, D. and Blackwell, B. (2019). Power: its forms bases and uses. pp.1-20.