Rebirth
From Lostpedia
- For reincarnation and immortality, see Resurrection
According to the Season 1 DVD bonus featurette "Lost: On Location (Season 1)", director/producer Jack Bender says that Lost is "All about redemption and rebirth."
There are a number of elements in the plot to support this as an important theme of Lost, as well.
Contents |
Character examples
Jack
Jack can be looked at as a prominent example of rebirth on the Island in terms of:
- Control over his life
- Father issues
- Social relationships
Before he was on the Island he had perfect control over every decision made in his life. When his control began to fall apart, his relatioship with his father and his wife became strained. When he crashed on the Island, he became the de facto leader of the fuselage survivors, and regained control of his life, aside from the loud fact he was stranded on an Island. After escaping the Island, he began seeing his late father, his relationship with Kate completely deterioated, and his control began to sleep, which gives a fine example of how the Island cured Jack emotionally.
Desmond
Desmond could be seen as the more significant of the changes that occured on the Island. At first he was a man with very little faith in life and was in constant doubt regarding his relationships and the way that he was living his life. After he got on the Island his life suddenly had a purpose, which at first he shared with Kelvin but on the day of the plane crash, desmond had to take the fate of the world entirely to himself. He, later on, gets unusual powers over Time, being, as Faraday tells Desmond that he is uniquely special, because "the rules" don't apply to him and implying that Desmond is the only one who can change things.
Kate
After becoming a wanted fugitive, she spent her life running and constantly avoiding contact whenever possible. However, on the Island, she has become a key figure of her group, and has managed to in part let go of her emotions over Tom Brennan and secrecy about who she really is. It is through this that Kate was both freed and reborn on the Island.
Locke
John Locke perhaps shows a more literal example of a "second chance" on the Island, after having spent four years in a wheelchair prior to the crash of Flight 815. Arriving on the Island, Locke discovered his paralysis to be completely gone, and so began his second chance on the Island of being able to walk again. Locke quickly adapted to living on the Island, believing himself to have a greater fate there. His devote belief in destiny has led him to also join the Others, who presented him with his father. With his death arguably marks the point where Locke has completely let go of his previous life off the Island.
Shannon
Shannon is the strongest example of rebirth on the island. Initially, she acted with selfish motivations, and refused to involve herself with the main group. However, as events passed, Shannon became more caring about her fellow survivors, and when she saw Walt appear before her, she chased after him into the depths of the jungle, ultimately leading to her death. Part of Shannon's rebirth came from having someone, mainly Sayid, believe in her for the first time in her life. Her stepmother had refused to finance her ambition to take up an internship, saying she could not be trusted and could not achieve anything without sponging off others. Having someone see her as worth something as her own individual seemed to have an impact on Shannon, and indeed moments later it seemed to allow Sayid to also see Walt in the jungle for himself.
Sun
Sun has also arguably been metaphorically reborn on the Island. Before the crash, she was stuck in a marriage she partly wished to escape, even though she still deeply loved her husband, and so could not bring herself to leave him. After the plane crashed, Sun was initially kept back by Jin, who refused to allow her to get involved with the other survivors, and on a number of occasions told her to cover-up her clothing despite the heat. Indeed, Sun's jealousy was seen in "Pilot, Part 2" when Kate stripped off to bathe herself in the water was obvious. However, Sun later managed to overcome her issues and settled things with Jin, and was able to dress how she wished, cooling off by the water in "...In Translation". In a bitter twist of irony, Sun's initial motivation to leave her husband was fulfilled as she returned from The Island without Jin - albeit her feelings about her husband had dramatically changed since the day of the crash.
Walt
Even at a tender age, Walt was constantly moving around with his mother all over the world. When he arrived on the Island, he decided that he did not want to move anymore, and that he liked the Island. His time there showed that Walt had found some harmony, being with his father finally on a place where they could both stay. Indeed, Walt burned down the raft to ensure he did not have to leave. However, he had a change of heart after realizing how much Michael wished to go, and helped his father build a second raft. After being captured by the Others and then rescued, Walt left the Island hugging his father, showing his progression since the initial plane crash where they hardly knew each other and often argued. In a fit or irony, it was not until after the two left the Island that the issues were dredged up again.
Ben
Ben had a troubled childhood growing up without a mother, and a father who hated him. However, in unknown circumstances, Ben joined the Hostiles and played a part in the Purge, gassing his father. Ben then became leader of the Others, and the man that knows more about the DHARMA Initiative more than anyone on the Island. Ben's redemption came after he moved the Island to make it safe from Charles Widmore's plans. Ben is currently seeking a way back to the Island by trying to assemble the Oceanic Six to bring them back to the Island.
Quotes
"The Next Life"
There are several times when versions of "See you in the next life" are said on Lost by:
See Regularly spoken phrases for verbatim quotes.
Starting over
- Ray Mullen to Kate: "I get it, you know. Everyone deserves a fresh start." ("Tabula Rasa")
- Jack to Kate: "We should all be able to start over." ("Tabula Rasa")
- Locke to Shannon: "Everyone gets a new life on this island, Shannon. Maybe it's time you start yours." ("Hearts and Minds")
General rebirth symbolism and references
- Every single one of the characters has a chance to now redeem themselves on the island after a troubled past; this appears to be the meaning of the title, "Tabula Rasa" (which means blank slate).
- Desmond woke up naked in the woods after the Discharge which could symbolize a rebirth. ("Further Instructions")
The Lost Experience
- On the Hanso Foundation website from September 26, it is written, "the work of the Hanso Foundation has always been intended to bring rebirth to a dying land and a dying people."
