Wall Street Extra Credit

Within this essay, I will be discussing the different forms of power held by the character Gordon Gekko, a big-shot investing guru who is both high in knowledge for his game and equally as arrogant. Power is a huge theme within this movie as Gordon Gekko throws his weight around and shows his prestige and dominance over society as well as main character Bud Fox. The specific terms within the theme of power that I will cover are Legitimate power, Reward power, Coercive power, Expert power, and Referent power.
The first power I will discuss is Legitimate power, an idea that is the main reason why Gordon Gekko can be the type of person he is. The only reason Gordon Gekko can be the cocky person he want to be is because he is “legitimately” knowledgeable. He knows the ins and outs of knowing how to gain information in order to predict the stock market. He knows how to manipulate and find information in order to create a scenario that is ideal for his plans. And because of these factors and his knowledge, other people mutually agree that he possesses and deserves his power.
The next power I will present is the Reward power. Gordon Gekko demonstrates this power because he is in control of Bud Fox’s “reward.” As the audience can see, Bud Fox idolizes Gordon Gekko and wants to be recognized by him. Throughout the movie, Bud Fox has to perform several tasks for Gordon Gekko in order to try to impress him. The only reason this can happen is because Gekko has power over the “reward” that Bud Fox may receive; that is, if Bud Fox can get rich and learn from the great Gordon Gekko.

The next power to consider is the Coercive power. This power is very similar to the previous paragraph’s ideas because not only can Gordon Gekko control Bud Fox’s rewards, but also has complete control over his “punishments.” If Bud Fox did not perform in the way the pleased and impressed him, then Gordon Gekko could simply ignore and shame Fox. It was clear that Gekko had this power in the