You are three men of sin, whom Destiny,
That hath to instrument this lower world
And what is in't, the never-surfeited sea
Hath caused to belch up you; and on this island
Where man doth not inhabit; you 'mongst men
Being most unfit to live. I have made you mad;
And even with such-like valour men hang and drown
Their proper selves.
The Tempest. Act iii. Sc. 3
So far we've seen 3 flashbacks and it seems like the island
has given each of these people what they want most in life.
1. Kate
She wanted to be free - exonerated for what she'd done. Now that she's
on the island, not only is she free, but she's in a position of respect.
She can do things for the good of people and people trust her. This is
a total reversal of someone who is a fugitive from the law.
2. Locke
He wanted to be a useful part of society and be able to "fulfill
his destiny" by doing the walkabout where he had to survive on his
own. Now he's been given a chance to do just that and not only is resposible
for his own survival, but the survival of the whole group (food &
water at least). He's also gotten back use of his legs.
3. Jack
He wanted respect (I think this is a running theme ). He needed to know
that he "had it in him" to be a leader. Being on the island
has forced him to face his demons and break out of the poor self image
that his father forced on him.
I wonder if future flashbacks will continue this way?
kat
4. Hurley
He wants a BigMac. Island gives him fish. He settles.
Just kidding, kat. You're idea is a good one.
DriftWood
OH - fun post!!
hmmm - Hurley really is sweet, but I can see where he'd have been the
brunt of too many jokes over his lifetime cause of his weight - maybe
a slimmer trimmer him is all he wants?
Shannon and Sawyer - uh, a soul?? Yeeeeesh those two are rotten human
beings!
ARDragon
Well it does appear like most people all of them have stories about their
lives before they came to the island. There have been articles written
wherein the writers have said for the first season each episode will be
about one character and their first 40 days on the island.
This appears to me to be an island where the characters have to face their
personal demons and have the opportunity to rise above the occasion and
be what they could not be in the past. As you said Kat, Kate wanted to
be free and on the island she is and has won a position of respect and
leadership. Locke has regained his ability to walk and is useful to society
and the other survivors in a way he never could have expereinced before.
Jack faced the demon of his father who told him he was did not have it
in him and now has accepted the responsibility others want to foist on
him and become one of their primary leaders.
I wonder what it is the Korean couple will be able to do now on the island
and become what they could not before their arrival? Guess we will find
out next week. Any thoughts?
Lothiriel of Rohan
I don't really have any ideas about Jin, but I think Sun wants to not
be so isolated. She wants to communicate with and work with other people.
I think she was also isolated in her normal life and now that they're
stuck on an island with these other people, they'll eventually have to
be a part of the group.
kat
This is a great topic and something I have noticed too.
It seems even though they are stranded on this island and in a horrific
disaster, the Island has given everyone (so far) everything they have
deep down desired.
Almost like an Eden...
I'll be interested to watch this thread as the season develops.
purrkins
Well, what I have to say is a little far out, but what about the pilot?
Did he want to die? That's what the island gave him. Although, I think
your theory is excellent and probably headed in the right direction. I
have two to add(may be right or not) Claire: May have wanted to keep her
baby( IF SHE WAS A SURROGATE MOTHER) I don't really know. The other one
I have is for Micheal: May have wanted time to spend with his son, to
get to know him. After years of being gone, Walt's mothers death has brought
them together. What do ya'll think :) or :(
blissfullylost22
The people who didn't survive obviously didn't get what they want. I guess
I'm really only talking about the main characters.
I like your theory about Claire though! I guess we'll just have to wait
and see.
kat
They all want to be freed of their past.
SecretSquirrel911
and death'll free you from it...
purrkins
Aaaaah...but if the island is giving them what they want the most, then
wouldn't they be rescued? That seems to be what everyone (except for Locke,
but now that he's gotten to strut his stuff he can go home with "war
stories") is sitting around moping about...getting off the island.
draub
I don't really think that's what they want (or need?) most... I especially
noticed this in Walkabout where Kate offers to help Sayid and he says
something like "I see you're as determined to get off this island
as I am" and she doesn't answer. What is there for her off of the
island? Wanting off the island is a temporary thing. The things they've
gotten since they've been there are long term issues.
kat
One thing that they wanted was water,and that is were Jack's father has
lead Jack to a source of water.I think Dad was leading Jack from sea water
to a source of good drinking water.
Rooster
interesting. good thoughts.
as far as hurley, if its something as simple as his self image, i would
think it would be along the lines of...well, theyre stranded on an island,
looks arent really important anymore, you know? that makes more sense
to me than him losing a bunch of weight- i mean, even if he did, its not
like theres a dating scene hes going to improve in now...
thedeadpolarbear
But I think Kate does want off the island. In the outside world she is
a fugitive. On this island, she is a prisoner.
draub
Kate's only a prisoner if you think a small community is a prison. She
is free to act as she sees fit, to try and do anything within her capability.
Charlie probably wants to be free of the drugs and whatever drove him
to take them (otherwise why would he want to flush them?). Rock star?
Maybe he craves meaningful human interaction. He's been trying to use
fame as a short cut to get it -- something to make him stand out -- but
is finding it doesn't work that way.
railwaymadness
I'm with draub, as far as Kate is concerned. She's actively working to
leave the island, and she *is* more of a prisoner there than out of it.
Once the fact that her face was in a mug shot becomes widely known, she
could be facing any manner of ugly things - from shunning to abuse to
slavery. The number of people is small enough that Kate can't loose herself
in the crowd - particularly after Jack's speech in White Rabbit.
And I believe that what is known of her past ("there is/was a mugshot
of her" "she was the one in the handcuffs"), will leak
and spread. Who can predict how the bulk of the survivors will react?
Call me a pessimist, I think it would be unrealistic for this and other
things (like Sayid/Saeed/Syed having been in the Republican Guard, or
Charlie's addiction), not to become public knowledge.
In her shoes, I wouldn't wait to see if the survivors are more inherently
good or inherently 'evil' - she's trusted before and got burned (remember
Ray the farmer oh, so kind offer to drive her to town? and how he betrayed
her for money?).
azteclady
Very interesting thread.
If any of us were put in a situation like that, we would ALL have to do
some genuine soul searching. When you are faced with those kinds of conditions,
you really can't hide from yourself. There's nothing there to distract
one from one's inner demons...........no TV, radio, stereo, movies, sports,
restaurants, etc. So they all have a lot of time on their hands to look
themselves straight in the face. And in a situation like that, you either
adapt or you die. (mentally or physically) So they are each on a journey
of becoming more self-aware. Shows that deal with the human psyche really
are satisfying to me. And I get tremedous satisfaction from seeing people
transform themselves.
BJLK
IMHO, they are all getting what they need, not necessarily what they want.
drabauer
.......and afterall, don't we ALL NEED some self-actualization?
BJLK
I did continue in this episode. What Sun wanted/needed most was to escape
from her father. She couldn't do it herself (she decided not to flee),
but being on the island has freed her. To complete what she most wants/needs,
she needs Jin to change back to how he was when she first met him. This
is likely now that he's not under the influence of her father. I think
we'll see this whenever there's a Jin centered episode.
kat