Sometimes people in authority use their power to their own advantage. Often, too much power can go to that particular person's head, and he/she can become corrupt. As readers have seen in the literature, abuses of power are often harmful to the perpetrator and their subjects. Corrupt authority and abuse of power eventually lead to the collapse of society. This concept is demonstrated several times throughout the novel Lord Of the Flies and the short story "I Only Came to Use the Phone". Displayed through characters and actions, abusive power has dominated what should be morally correct in literature. The characters played an important role in defining the theme of abusive power; they take power over a group of individuals and lead them astray. An obvious example of Lord Of the Flies was Jack. Near the beginning of the novel, when the "elections" for leader of the group took place, Jack attempted to obtain power. "I should be leader," Jack said with simple arrogance, "because I'm the chapter chorister and head boy." I can sing C sharp’” (Golding 22). After losing the election to Ralph, he becomes the leader of the hunters. Here he abused the minuscule powers granted to him over the small group of boys formerly known as the “choir.” Jack's influence may have corrupted the minds of young boys and turned them into cold-blooded killers, ranging from killing pigs for food to harming humans for fun. “The circle has moved. Robert screamed in fake terror and then in real pain... Jack held him by the hair and brandished his knife. (Golding114). The significance of this was that it was the first major point that led to the collapse of society on the island. Jack thought Ralph didn't appreciate what he was doing for the group by putting...... middle of paper...... 'This way, sweetheart, the phone is this way.' » (Marquez 74). The authority was abusing its powers so that no one knew about it, which is usually the case when the authority plans to take advantage of a group of people. As the literature shows, corruption and abuse of power are the subject of ongoing debate. When it gets to the point where people are used and abused physically and psychologically, it creates a hostile environment for both the subjects and the abuser. As the two similar texts Lord Of the Flies and "I Only Came to use the Phone" show, the corruption of authority and abuse of power usually ultimately leads to the collapse of a society or a world of chaos and violence. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print. Mark, Gabriel. Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories. New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.