SOCIAL POWER DYNAMICS IN WILLIAM GOLDING’S THE LORD OF THE FLIES

Abstract

This study examines social power dynamics and leadership in William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies using a sociological literary approach. The research aims to analyze how authority is constructed, challenged, and transformed in a situation where formal social structures collapse. Employing a qualitative method, the novel serves as the primary data source, supported by secondary sources such as scholarly books, journal articles, and theoretical writings related to social power and leadership. The data are collected through close reading and note-taking, then categorized and analyzed based on Max Weber’s theory of authority, including rational-legal, charismatic, and coercive power. The findings reveal that rational authority initially emerges through democratic agreement but gradually weakens as fear, emotional impulses, and survival instincts dominate group behavior. Charismatic and coercive leadership eventually replaces rational control, leading to violence and moral disintegration. This study concludes that leadership is not merely determined by position, but by how power is perceived, accepted, and exercised within a social group.