Hurley, A Modern-Day Job

Poor Hurley.

Ever since this loveable "Lost" survivor won the lottery, he has suffered continuously: First, his grandpa Tito died. Second, the first house Hurley bought his mother burned down. Third, his best friend ran off with his girlfriend. Fourth, while visiting his accountant he sees a man commit suicide by jumping off the building. Fifth, a huge meteor destroys his employer's restaurant, Mr. Cluck's, and kills Tricia Tanaka, a puff-piece reporter. Sixth, his plane crashes and strands him and other survivors on a remote, possibly unchartered island run amok by polar bears, smoke monsters, and Others. Seventh, his potential love interest, Libby, is shot and killed. Oh, and plenty of other deaths, kidnappings, uncertainties, and pain have surrounded him on the island as well.

Are the lottery numbers really cursed? Or are the bizarre and tragic events a string of coincidences?

Hurley's life, it seems, echoes the life of Job. Like his modern-day "Lost" counterpart, Job was a devout and rich Jewish man who was plagued by a quick series of tragedies that made him poor: All his livestock were destroyed, all his servants and sons and daughters were killed, and he was afflicted with a horrible disease that caused boils to erupt on his skin. Yet, far from being punishment, Job's tragedies were tests designed to examine his integrity, purity, and devotion to God. Satan and God "collaborated" to see if Job would still remain faithful and hopeful at the lowest points in his life while surrounded by friends who tried to tempt him into cursing and denouncing God.

Even though Hurley's own personal religious beliefs are unclear, he grew up surrounded by his own mother's devotion to Jesus. Everyone around Hurley doubted his fears that the numbers were bringing bad luck--his father reminded him to "make your own luck." And, even when everyone on the island doubted he would be able to revive the "hippie van" that he discovered in the woods, Hurley didn't give up. "We can all use a little hope," Hurley says to Sawyer.

Hurley prays for help, desperate to hold on to the last pieces of hope because to revive the car would be to break the curse surrounding him. He proposes a "victory or death" plan to Charlie, convincing him to defy death by going on a last-ditch effort to jump-start the car while sliding down a dangerous gulley.

In the end, Hurley succeeds in starting the car; his faith in hope itself saves his own sanity and Charlie's life (at least temporarily). As for Job, his unwavering faith saved him, and God doubled and restored his riches. For now, even though Hurley's faith in hope and in a greater good are restored, his success is still tenuous. Whether his success will reverse again or whether Charlie will eventually die are still trials saved for another "Lost" episode.