Like every other “Lost” fan, I enjoy theorizing with my fellow addicts, and a recent conversation proved intriguing enough to blog. This season, I’ve been watching weekly with a group of friends and dissecting different possible interpretations afterward. The following is the theory I heard, which I think is quite original, if not necessarily accurate. (Note: I am not sure if “Lost” message boards have already proposed it–so it might be old news to some fans, even if it was new to me):
One of the most disappointing aspects (or exciting, depending on your tastes, I suppose) of Jack, Kate, and Sawyer’s “vacation” among The Others has been the discovery that The Others seem to have a connection to the mainland. For many “Lost” viewers, this has disspelled the possibility that The Island might be some sort of Purgatory.
But what if that’s not entirely true, and we can’t totally dismiss the idea of The Island as Purgatory? What made me re-visit the idea is a theory about when and why people die on The Island. A friend believes that a character dies whenever his or her central life conflict is resolved–a theory sparked by the very upsetting and unexpected death of Mr. Eko last week (upsetting because so many of us loved him). So here goes: “Lost” deaths so far and the possible reasons:
Boone dies once he resolves his love for sister Shannon–getting past it.
Shannon dies last season, when she moves past her utter self-centeredness by opening up to Sayid, and learning what it means to truly love another person selflessly.
Libby dies after opening up to Hurley and allowing herself the possibility of a new relationship, finally moving past the loss of her husband (whose boat, we found out last season, Libby gave to Desmond–though no one has figured this out yet on The Island).
Ana Lucia dies after she learns not to always go it alone and open up to working together with and accepting the help of others.
Mr. Eko dies after he resolves the enormous guilt he’s carried regarding his brother–he does not need to apologize for his “sins,” but realizes did the best he could with what life threw in his way.
If the above is true, then The Island may indeed be serving as a kind of waiting ground between this life and the next. Of course, all of the above characters die violent and unwanted deaths–none of them go willingly to the grave.
But then, this is just a theory. I’d love to know any thoughts from Idol Chatter readers about whether or not this idea holds up!
posted November 10, 2006 at 4:26 pm
I completely agree with the theory – it does seem coincidental that the ones who resolve their “sins” are the ones whose lives are taken away by The Island. Now, I’m worried that if everyone resolves their “sins,” there will be no one left alive!
posted July 12, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I totally agree with this. I also think that the whole thing is by penelope’s dad, because in the third season the season finale, we saw penelope on the computer right before Charlie died:( So if penelope can access the island, her family(father) must have something to do with it!
posted November 30, 2007 at 8:47 pm
This is a very sensible theory, but I wouldn’t necessarily agree with its depth. It’s logical, isn’t it, that a show where the writers aim to kill characters off, would choose to get rid of the characters that appear to have run their course and don’t have anywhere left to go within the narrative of the series, instead of keeping characters they don’t need or killing characters that still have stories to tell? (Or that they were arrested for drunk driving.)
I mean, this isn’t necessarily true, since Sawyer and Michael are still alive after (respectively) ridding himself of the man who ruined his life and building a healthy relationship with his son, which might mean that their central life conflicts have been resolved, but they might still have a role to play in important future storylines.
Then again, what would have been Charlie’s central life conflict? Kicking his drug habit? Renewing his faith? Maybe he just needed to finally become the adult he would have been before he became famous, and coming to terms with his impending death was what actually caused him to die.
posted December 25, 2007 at 7:43 am
this has been my theory ever since boone died
posted January 5, 2008 at 11:46 am
A fascinating theory, if somewhat flawed. What to make of the couple that is buried alive? No resolution there. Were their deaths just gratutious? And if the island is some kind of purgatory, what role does The Others play?
A more interesting question may be what is good and evil? Are The Others really evil or just trying to protect their island from invaders? All the Oceanic survivors (and some of The Others, the ones we know about) are deeply flawed, but we have embraced many, if not all, of them, and their flaws, even those who have committed murder. I think the moral landscape of this show is totally fascinating.
Finally whatever happened to the older married couple (names escape me at the moment) who were reunited in the second season. They have totally disappeared with no explanation. While I love the show, I find this a major flaw and am disappointed that some explanation wasn’t presented.
posted January 22, 2008 at 7:36 am
although maybe they dont actually die on this island, maybe when they recite their “sins” they actually go back to their own reality and back home?? maybe i’m wrong but hey’ this is lost isn’t anything possible?????