When power challenges authority

Life is capricious. Physics always wins in the end. Biology fails us. Criminals choose to ignore the law. Storms can’t read property deeds. We use language to build up the idea of authority, but that authority is constantly challenged by power.

In a story, if a force changes the world but doesn’t challenge anyone’s authority, it’s nothing more than an observation. A storm knocks down a tree, but no one claims it, thus the scene merely describes the weather. But once that tree falls onto a car or home claimed by someone, the storm breaches their authority and we have a potential plot point.

When power breaches authority, it creates a vacuum that requires someone to step in and restore authority. The doctor cures the illness. The mechanic restores the car. Or, in a story, the character must step in and restore their authority. Even a child might be called upon to serve this function. In Home Alone, Kevin is justified in applying cartoon violence to protect his home against burglars. In Anne of Green Gables, an illness justifies Anne entering a neighbor’s home to take over care of another sick child.

These ruptures in authority make for good stories. We run these kinds of scenarios in our head all the time. What would I do? Most of the time, though, we call the insurance agent, the police, or emergency services and let them sort things out.