Your Voice: Island Destiny
Submitted by Chris
I have always thought that the island’s powers extended only throughout the island, but in "Meet Kevin Johnson" we found out that’s not true. The island won’t let Jack or Michael kill themselves, even though they’re off the island, until their destinies have been fulfilled. But is stopping them from killing themselves the extent of the island’s power on the mainland? I think not.
Since season one, Locke has stated that the 815ers were brought to the island for a reason, and that it was their destiny to be there. What that destiny is and how it relates to the island still remains to be seen, but how long has the island been messing with our heroes’ destinies?
Let’s start with Kate. In “What Kate Did,” we see her going mad after seeing a horse from her past. We find out that the horse caused the marshal to crash his car and allowed Kate to escape. I always assumed that the island was showing our cast these visions by pulling out strong memories from their pasts, but what if these visions are a confirmation of the island’s destiny tampering? Could the island have sent the horse to intervene in Kate’s life, setting up the string of events to get her on flight 815 to LA?
Is Locke’s destiny fulfilled yet? It might have been if he still had a kidney where Ben had shot him. Is this more evidence of destiny tampering by the island? Anthony Cooper had a major connection to Sawyer as well. Without him, Sawyer wouldn’t have lost his parents, nor would he have gone to Australia in the hopes of killing the "real" Sawyer.
Christian Shepard was the catalyst for several of the characters to end up on the doomed flight: Jack had to transport his dead body home, Ana-Lucia went with him to Australia in the first place, he had a drink with Sawyer, and Claire was his secret love child.
There are more connections between our heroes than I have room to write. We have to ask ourselves if these connections are just isolated random events, or if the island has been messing with our characters’ destinies and building up to something big. I don’t know, but I can’t wait for the ride.
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"Your Voice" is a new TTS series in which Tail Section fans submit their articles, theories or reviews to be published on The Tail Section for all their fellow fans to read. Have you spent far too much time pondering the origins of the DHARMA Initiative? Have you alienated your co-workers by rambling about Daniel Faraday’s wacky time anomaly experiment? If so, we want to hear from you. Send your own Lost theories, reviews, or general thoughts to Editor(at)TheTailSection.com. Please keep all submissions between 300 and 1,000 words. We will read through all submissions and contact you if we publish your entry. You will also receive byline credit on our site.
Yes.
It’s all a rich tapestry. I like the theory of the island influencing the outside world, adding a measure of predestination to the mythology.
Comment by Bocaj — April 3, 2008 @ 10:44 am
But is it “the island” that is deciding this stuff? Or someone associated with the island? I know with all the crazy island mythology its weird but I don’t believe the island “thinks” enough to get everyone it wants there. I think there is someone else controlling this and right now no one knows who it is so “the island” is the only explanation.
Comment by AnotherOther — April 3, 2008 @ 11:43 am
This makes me think of three words: Temporal Reverse Engineering.
The fifth book in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series deals with a new version of the Guide called the Guide 2.0. Rather than being a computerized book, the Guide 2.0 is a being that is omniscient through all of time because it possesses no “filters” that prevent it from seeing all things that ever happened, or ever could happen.
Because the new Guide can see all possible futures, it can act on what it sees at any point in time, even in the past, to influence events. It would be like if you could see every possible event that could happen to you today and then make some decisions last year to influence it all.
Having read this book, I’ve long suspected that someone like Ben, Widmore, Jacob, or the island itself is capable of just such manipulations. Or perhaps more than one of them is doing it. I also suspect that all of the cross-overs we’ve seen in flashbacks since Season One are not just fun devices to amuse devoted watchers, but something that the overall concept of the show will end up explaining.
Comment by Ed Holden — April 3, 2008 @ 11:58 am
I agree with a lot of these points. Especially about the island’s influence on stuff. But I do too believe that its not just the island. I’m thinking that the island does have immense power, but it only stays on island until someone powerful enough to tap into it comes along and is able to use that power to manifest things on island and also off island.
So far I’m pretty sure only Jacob and Walt have the ability as of now, but Locke is making his way there. I guess his first conjuration would be his father. Hence that’s another reason why Anthony Cooper could have been part of Locke’s ritual sacrificing he had to perform. Other than becoming free from his daddy issues.
It also makes sense why the Other’s first priority was to obtain Walt, even though I believe Walt was way too powerful for them to handle. Or maybe even for Jacob to handle. Though since the damage was done, Walt was on the island long enough to root himself in the island’s power and can manifest stuff and or visions of himself whever he may be.
Comment by Signus924 — April 3, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
I believe the black smoke represents something from the losties past.
They all run away from the smoke, hence still running away from their
past. The only character not to run from the smoke was echo. He stood
face to face with the smoke (sort of speak). he later died. maybe it was
a moment of acceptance and repentance of his past misgivings that allowed
his destiny to be reconciled. this does not explain all the deaths on the
island but merely an observation. of course, let us not forget just because
we see them die does not necessarily mean their actually dead
Comment by pjpuma — April 3, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
I also believe that the island is being manipulated by someone. I think that the properties of the island are more based on random mutations rather than anything animated or intelligent at it’s center. I do not think the island runs on the Gaia principle. Someone or thing is controlling it for their own ends. I think that the interconnected backstories may have lead to the character’s fates being tied together on the plane, but I don’t think this connection is going to be a key piece in where the show is headed. I think most of what we have perceived as fate has appeared as such because we don’t know who is screwing around with these people. From this point forward The losties fates will only mean something in how they play a role in this larger island drama. Their personal dramas are becoming secondary to this act. Maybe Jack and Kate will ward off doomsday or something. Lets see…
Comment by BiggsDarklighter — April 4, 2008 @ 1:58 am
pjpuma, 4th episode, season 1, “walkabout”: locke did not run from the black smoke, yet stood his ground, he even came back and told jack, “i looked into the eye of the island….and what i saw was beautiful” but from that moment on he was the locke of present. so obviously mr eko had a different responce from the monster….so go figure
Comment by mike — April 4, 2008 @ 11:18 am
The black horse reference is interesting.
Let us suppose that Christian Shepherd originally is/was from the Island the same way Richard Alpert is from the Island.
If the Island can send for the sgort-term a horse to Australia just to make sure that the appearance will ultimately cause Kate to board a plane, the Island may have sent Christian Shepherd to the outside world on a very long term assignment. Long enough to cover all of the years of Jack’s life. Long enough for Christian to become Claire’s father.
Then if Christian Shepherd is an Islander like Alpert, he probably enjoyed the same protection against death as Jack and Michael did when they tried to commit suicide. And in this case he is not dead (the coffin was found to be empty) - he just returned to the Island where he appeared to Jack in Season I and to Hurley is Jacob’s cabin.
By the way, Christian Shepherd may be Jacob. Jacob would be appearing (incarnated) as Christian Shepherd when travelling outside the Island.
Comment by McMahon — April 4, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
when hurley looked in the cabin wasnt there Christian Shepherd and then other person in there wiv him. then hurley looked in and the EYE scarred hurley away ???
theories please people
Comment by JASON — April 6, 2008 @ 11:32 am
I find the comment on Kate’s horse interesting. So the horse is a manifestation of the island sent to make sure she eventually arrives on the island.
Then could the same be said for Sayid’s cat from Enter 77? If the woman hadnt saved the cat and learnt about forgiveness then her husband would have killed Sayid…
Comment by J — April 7, 2008 @ 4:26 am
Oh, and the cat also appears on the island….
Comment by J — April 7, 2008 @ 4:28 am
It’s all about the voices, yo! The voices we here in the whispers here and there is THE ISLAND. However they are explained (remote viewing, psychics, disembodied kasimir ((sp?)) effect or whateba) they will be what has been calling the shots all along.
I like the reference to Douglas Adams and the Guide 2.0; very fitting. hehe
Comment by Voice in my TV — April 7, 2008 @ 5:28 am
i had a theory about walt’s abilities.
if everything that happens on the island is made possible due to its properties. and i’m gonna go right ahead and assume that this doesn’t mean that there is some sort of healing aura on the island, just that the island’s confinement from the real world (while still having it’s own electromagnetic field, a “core” of sorts) affects physics in a way that is only measurable in a similar place with the same properties. however, the properties of the island are still definable within the context of the properties of the earth itself.
i’m thinking about when you’re a kid, and you’re riding a bike, and you have those steering wheels on the side. you bike around like that in a “safer” environment where biking is easier, to get a feel of what it’s supposed to feel like when you’re doing it right. then, when you know what it’s supposed to feel like, your brain does some sort of reverse engineering when you detach the steering wheels, and in the end, you know how to bicycle. you never actually challenged gravity the “hard” way, but you still know how to bicycle.
someone talked about walt making appearances while still in the real world, and this is where i tie things together. basically, i’m suggesting that maybe walt had his abilities all along (as proposed by the bird that flew into his window when he couldn’t get his mother’s attention), and that the island’s confinement and properties effectively worked as steering wheels for walt’s abilities. same goes for locke, ben or anyone else really, but soon as they master it, they can benefit from it while being off the island too, only maybe they can’t control their “ability” to the same degree as on-island.
Comment by Fredrik — April 8, 2008 @ 10:23 am
I believe the flash backs and flash forwards are not just a way of telling a story, but these people are actually running through moments in their lives much like Billy Pilgrim being unstuck in time in Slaughterhouse-Five.
Comment by Johnny Z — April 9, 2008 @ 8:17 am