[caption id="attachment_1290" align="aligncenter" width="407" caption="What Makes a Leader?"]
[/caption]Take The Lead
In the world of LOST, groups continually form and shatter, each with its own primary identification and simultaneously a distinct opposition. At different times, certain characters take the lead while others are relegated to roles as henchmen (or henchwomen…), lackeys, and flunkeys. A look at the different factions at different points in the show’s timeline reveals some underlying themes of power according to the LOST universe. Take a seat and open your mind to the first session of LOST Politics 101: It’s all about style.
The first clear leader to emerge from the flaming wreckage of Oceanic flight 815 is of course Dr. Fix-It, Jack Shepherd. The initial social power Jack earns is through his off-the-island profession as a medical doctor. Jack takes charge, even correcting Boone’s life-saving efforts on Rose, claiming her head was not properly tilted. Boone says, “Are you sure? That was exactly what I was doing. I’m a lifeguard, I’m licensed.” Jack quips, “Yeah, well you seriously need to think about giving that license back.” It’s moments like these that remind you that Jack is often about as charming as Simon Cowell boasting a skunk beret.
Personality, interestingly enough, does not seem to factor heavily into the social power of a group leader on LOST. Hurley and Charlie are oozing with personality and charm, but they never seem to emerge as leaders of any groups. The short bout of hooded emo Charlie during Season 3 was the closest the rocker ever really got to halting his status as the follower of orders.
Sawyer stands out as one character that demonstrates a great amount of personality (sometimes menacing, but increasingly charming), who eventually finds himself in a leadership role. When the survivors end up in Dharmaville in the 1970s, James a.k.a. Sawyer a.k.a. LaFleur becomes the head of security. He still answers to Horace as boss, but Sawyer is arguably the leader of the survivors, Miles, Jin, and Juliet, who of course had her own sort of power over the con man. When four of the Oceanic 6 flash back to the seventies from the present, they rely, sometimes reluctantly, on Sawyer’s three years of experience. Inevitably, Jack storms off to take power into his own hands, and eventually everyone sways to his opinion on detonating the bomb at the Swan site. The rest is mystery…
Thus, although Sawyer earned a brief stint as the guy in charge, Jack still rose to best him. Thus, personality again is not required. This leads me to believe that in the LOST universe a bureaucratic leadership style trumps a charismatic leadership style. Jack is clearly a leader that the survivors look to for guidance, but it often appears as if Jack almost demands to be followed. Locke generates an early fissure in the unity of the group of survivors, aptly dubbed Man of Science versus Man of Faith. Locke actively seeks followers, he is rarely uplifted to the role of leader (his relationship with the Others is a little complicated and messianic, so I will avoid looking at this for now). Locke sees himself as a protector of the Island, but in his life (not afterlife) he never really has the opportunity to be completely in charge, since the wily Ben persistently gets into Locke’s head and manipulates the believer. Ben is a master of pulling marionette strings to have others do his bidding as he spews lies left and right. Ben, too, demands leadership.
Style is a hugely important factor for determining leadership potential within the LOST world. Charisma is abandoned in favor of the person who is adept at giving orders and expecting leadership as almost a bureaucratic boss. In future posts, I intend to explore the politics of LOST more fully to examine other elements of power and factions, particularly the issue of guns and power. Next week I will reopen the theme of LOST and death as it pertains to Season 2, but I look forward to your thoughts as to what factors determine who has power and when within the LOST universe.
