Social Power Dynamics in William Golding's The Lord of the Flies

This study investigates social power dynamics in William Golding‟s The Lord of the Flies by examining how leadership is constructed, questioned, and transformed through a sociological literary approach. By applying Max Weber‟s theory of authority, this research analyzes how individuals navigate group dynamics in situations where formal structures have collapsed. This study employs a qualitative method to focus on how rational, charismatic, and coercive types of power emerge and shift as the group struggles to establish order in an isolated environment. The findings reveal a gradual breakdown of rational authority as fear, survival instincts, and emotional impulses begin to dominate. Symbols such as tools of communication, sources of hope, and ritualistic objects become central to understanding how influence is maintained or lost. The study also highlights that the absence of shared norms creates space for dominance rooted in fear and instinct rather than reason and cooperation. Ultimately, the research emphasizes that leadership is not merely about holding a position, but about how power is perceived, accepted, and exercised within a group. When social structures collapse, the human drive for control and security can reshape power into forms that no longer reflect collective interest. Literature, in this case, serves as a mirror of the real tensions between order and chaos, between structure and human instinct.