The Island is Special
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By FoxMulder
- The Island is Special
- Created: Dec 26, 2006
- Last updated: May 27, 2007
- After episode: 3.6: I Do
- Status: Current
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I’d love to know exactly what this island is and how it came about as it is so central to the mythology of Lost.
My theory is that the island has somehow (probably through the Dharma experiments) become sentient and that it can manifest itself in visions and even physically as black smoke.
The basic idea behind this is that of thought creation, ie. we create what we think. This idea is also linked to the underlying principle of The Unified Field theory of Quantum Mechanics and interestingly metaphysical concepts such as the Collective Unconsious or Universal Consciousness (think Jung’s synchronicity). Interestingly Quantum Physics is revealing more theories about how connected everything is in the Universe. Maybe the creators of Lost are tapping into these ideas for their show?
So add this to the already suggested ideas of Carl Jung’s Synchronicity theory and the principles of I-Ching, meld that with behavioural psychology elements, such as the Skinner Box, and you start to see a coherent picture emerge.
These people were meant to be on flight 815 (notice 8 - 15), as Locke said the island brought them there and they all seem to be connected in some manner. It appears to be mere coincidence but this is synchronicity (possibly quantum entanglement?). Everyone is there for a reason, everyone has unresolved issues. It appears the island provides, as Locke said, a fresh start and an opportunity to learn and grow into better people. Wow the world could really use a place like this hey.
People saw things, dreamt things, experienced things that were pertinent to them. The island appears to record a persons thoughts and feelings and then replays them to hopefully bring about a positive change. When the inner turmoil is resolved there is no more purpose for them to be there and they are removed from the equation. Think Boone, Shannon, Michael, Walt.
The black smoke is very interesting isn’t it. It appears to react to the people it meets according to what it finds inside the person. Locke is innately good and so he saw a bright light. Eko would kill if it served his purpose (where Locke would not - think the cop he could have shot but didn’t) and so he did not see a bright light but probably something dark. But the island is forgiving, it gave him a chance to repent, but he failed to take it and he was punished accordingly. It was not Yemi Eko was talking to but the island. It was not Boone Locke saw but the island.
In this sense the island is a thought generator. It created Dave for Hurley, the boar for Sawyer, the horse for Kate. Hurley had a choice. Jump off the cliff or believe he was worthy of love. Sawyer had a choice. Kill the boar or let it live. In each case they chose well and went on with life. But Eko chose poorly, possibly if he had repented and confessed his misdeeds of violence then the island/black smoke would have let him live.
If this is correct then something must happen with Charlie as he killed Ethan in essentially cold blood. And also with Michael. Sure he rediscovered his love for his son but he killed to get what he wanted, so surely there has to be some sort of balancing of the scales there. On that point I think the concept of yin-yang balance and karmic justice runs strong through Lost. The island is like Santa, it knows if you’ve been naughty or nice and it will sort you out in the end.
On review I had this thought; maybe that’s why Desmond could not escape the island as he had not “made up” for killing Kelvin. I believe the island must have protected Desmond or even brought him back to life (with precognitive powers) for a purpose yet to be revealed.
It’s interesting that the island heals and protects some and not others. If the island is not self-aware then it may be under the control of the true leader of Dharma - Jacob maybe? The black smoke also appears to have some kind of mechanical component (eg. it makes strange noises), so it too could also be under the control of someone. Maybe this someone is trying to bring balance to the force so to speak and is in some way trying to create a better world.
It would appear from watching the Sri-Lanka Video that over population is a concern of the Hanso Foundation and that they may be trying to create a vaccine to eliminate 30% of the worlds population. This is probably what the vaccine is for. Could they also have been trying to find a way to sterilize people for the purposes of population control? Maybe this is why Dr. Juliet is there as a fertility doctor and why the children are so important. But I digress.
In the end I think that some of the survivors will remain on the island as part of The Others, some will not survive and the rest will escape changed people. Will those who escape go on to change the world, probably not, but the island will still be there undetected and unchanged. I wonder if the writers will eliminate The Others altogether as they go about things in such a violent way, surely they need to be pulled into line.
Anyway thanks for reading, would love to hear your thoughts and comments.
Bring on the remainder of Season 3! - I can’t wait.
I’m always a sucker for detailed and thought-out theories like this, even if I’m not 100% in agreement. An intelligent computer brought to life with experiments, maybe. Or psychics, maybe, since we don’t know all the brain is capable of. Or dead people floating around the island, maybe, since no one knows for sure about what comes after death. I’m not so sure about an intelligent island though. (I have to draw the line somewhere). That minor detail aside, I think your theory is good, and it made a lot of sense. You have a lot packed in here, food for thought.
Unfortunately, when I think, I come up with questions. So here goes:
Sawyer spared the boar. But what about the tree frog he killed just for living? Charlie, couldn’t he have already been tested? All that coincidental heroin, he finally broke free of it. Or is it not just one test, but a series of on-going tests for all? Then again, that could apply to everyone in the real world.
I’m probably going to have more questions, this is interesting, so don’t take offense.
In my opnion that’s pretty much what is going on at the Island. I belive that can be some diferences between what the autors are going to tell at the end, but up to now, it is what came close to my mind as well. Congratulations.
I think the same way, couldn’t say better. I also belive that is pretty much what the authors are going to show us at the end. Congratulations.
Its quite clear at this point that the monster is an entity that can read the thoughts of the life on the island and manifest these thoughts into real experiences.
This HAS to be directly related to either the island itself, the experiement, or the virus/incident.
What if the virus was the monster. A creature that got inside your head and manipulated you to do its bidding by using your past conflicts. It could read your mind and use that to figure out wether you are a good person or not and based on your reaction to its stimulus it determines wether you should live or die.
Is the monster out to get everyone? Is it controlled by an unknown person with their own agenda. It seems to kill people and trick people into being killed for a reason.
Perhaps the Others are so wary of the 815ers because they understand this level of control the monster has over people who are subjected to it. They must ensure that any of the new people that come to their community are free of the monster’s will.
Notice how the monster does not mess withany of the Others. They must survive without being subjected to it. They wear dull and drab clothing on the main island because this confuses the monster into thinking that they are subject to its will.
sorry but telling me the island is special aint gonna work foxy:<4815162342