Expert Power In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

755 Words4 Pages

Katie Wipperman
Ms. Garber
Hour 3
06 March 2023
Expert Power Possessing a form of expertise that others lack is crucial when put in a difficult situation. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the kids all display their own power of choice. The article “Power and leadership: An influence Process” explains the 5 main types of power people can obtain. The boys fought over control of the island and picked how to combat the problems. Some rose above the others and gained the leader position. Out of the 5 powers, the type of power that is most effective is expert power, having expertise makes someone powerful over others. People feel safe when in the hands of an expert, and are more likely to open up and gain trust. At the beginning of the Lord of the Flies, power is given to ralph. Throughout the book, it starts to be clear many kids disagree with that decision. By chapter 5 it becomes apparent Jack does not concur with ralph being the leader. He feels like ralph is not leading them in the …show more content…

Having this safety and trust from expert power can help you in a bad situation. Jack is able to get people to follow him by using harsh and painful punishments. This creates an untrustworthy and unhealthy environment for the island. When the group splits, Ralph talks to his group and explains “Only piggy could have the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire from the mountain.” (Golding, 185). Unlike all the other boys on the island Ralph is able to recognize having expertise about survival is handy, no matter who the information is coming from. When a leader is able to know what they're talking about rather than just guessing it creates no room for error or mistakes. This makes the whole group confident in their abilities and removes room for