The Power is a new Amazon Prime Video series based on Naomi Alderman’s popular book of the same name. The series, adapted by the author herself, explores how the world changes when women around the world acquire the power to cause pain and death with a simple touch, unleashing electricity through their hands, and how this change transforms society and the balance of power between men and women. Through the perspective of the main characters, the series and book examine themes such as gender oppression, corruption of power, and human nature. In The Power, there is a main character with a peculiarity: Allie/Eve is guided by a voice that induces her to change her destiny.
You can watch the official trailer for The Power here on Youtube.
The Power on Prime: what’s the voice Allie/Eve hears?
Allie/Eve is a complex and ambivalent character who represents both the ability of power to fight for justice and the need to resist oppression as well as to corrupt people; this ambivalence is heightened by the Voice that guides her, an inaudible female voice to others. The Voice guides Allie’s steps, comforts her, and helps her discover her power and how to use it, but at the same time, it can be threatening and evil. This peculiarity makes Allie’s character the darkest and most fascinating of the series.
Is it the voice of God?
Allie/Eve is guided by a voice that she hears in her mind. This voice gives her strength, gives her advice, and helps her discover and develop her power. In a way, this voice is what triggers her transformation and leads her to become the leader of the cult she later founds.
As we were saying, by following the Voice, she becomes the leader of the sect, calling herself “Mother Eve”; she becomes the prophet that the world needs, according to the Voice. From the book written by Naomi Alderman:
“Allie thinks over the Sister Veronica’s words, and wonders whether it was right for Eve to pass the apple—whether it was “what the world needed.” The voice commends her. Allie asks if the voice is God. The voice responds, «Who do you say that I am?” Allie doesn’t fully answer, only affirming that the voice guides her in her time of need. Allie also wonders why the power would exist if God didn’t intend it. The voice then tells Allie that there is a need for a prophet in the land—Allie herself”
At first, this exchange between the Voice and Eve might seem like a mystical dialogue: the Voice seems to know things as if it were an omniscient voice, as if it knew future things. But as the novel progresses, the Voice urges Allie/Eve to use her power to manipulate and control others, and the quest for justice and equality leads to the oppression of those who oppose her sect.
It’s difficult to reconcile the idea of a God/Goddess who asks for evil things with the image of a good and just God. Furthermore, if the suggestions perceived are negative and lead to malevolent behaviors, it could be more likely that they are hallucinations rather than divine messages. Remember that Allie/Eve went through extreme difficulties, suffering abuse, and it is very likely that her personality has been broken by the abnormal suffering to which she has been subjected. Is it possible that Allie’s personality has been divided due to deep suffering, and that the split is nothing more than the possibility of continuing to live, her life impulse?
In conclusion, we cannot say for sure whether that voice was truly that of God or just a fleeting illusion. What is certain is that it leaves us with a doubt in our hearts regarding every prophet of every religion. Were they bearers of a divine message or just humble madmen seeking justice?
