The desire of everyone on the inside is to have power in one way or the other. The money a man works for is for him to have economic power to purchase his desires and subscribe to a standard of living above his present state. The woman who wants to be beautiful seeks the power to be an attraction and earn the favor of people. However, in a situation where two people are seeking for power in the same circle, there comes a play of Power Dynamics.
Power Dynamics is a key concept in the Marxist literary theory and it is also evident in the 7th episode of Abbattoir, Season 5. People in the upper, or simply in the higher, class, having access to the means of production, oppress those below and try to claim for themselves more economic resources or more power. We can see how Chief Gbade because of his wealth and power has formed in gang of thugs who go to the bank and attack a particular person.
Also, because of his economic standing, he can manipulate the DPO to unlawfully arrest a civilian, Martins. We can see power play also in how the DPO arrests Martins by framing him up in an unjustifiable manner, simply because he is in a position of power. He collects money from Chief Gbade for the operation. This shows that people in power freely oppress those below them and can act unlawfully without anyone being able to withstand them.
We can see also how, because he holds something that they want, the D.P.O can demand more money this portrays power Dynamics. This is also evident in how he dismisses officer Gabriel when she challenges his unlawful detention of Martins. This portrays the contemporary situation of Nigeria where people in power are not accountable to anybody because they feel they are too big to be corrected and no one is able to challenge them for fear of being put at risk.
We can see how power is interchanged when Chief Durosanya comes to get his son. However, the official under order does not listen to him defying his demands while the DPO is threatened by Chief Durosanya who also tries to show his power by threatening the DPO's family. We can see power play in how Chief Gbade treats Commando because he's the one who made him powerful.
We also see how Commando threatens his member by wanting to kill him and ordering another member, Calculus, to do the job. However, when the tables are turned against him because of power play, Smally, the person who he initially wanted to kil, mocks Commando and spits on him, simply because Commando is now at the mercy of a bigger power.
In the episode, there is a continuous show of Power Dynamics as people try to override one another with displays of the power. This also alludes to the presence of corruption in government offices because people try to use the power to meet their selfish desires at the expense of the rights of others. The Marxist literary Theory, therefore, portrays a channel of oppression in the text and how it is encouraged and strengthened.
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