Wednesday, May 16, 2007,10:55 PM
Pop Culture Interlude 2
Resisting the temptation to dig into the spoilers for next week's finale, I settled for LOST fan commentary. I came across this in discussion on how all the characters have "daddy-issues". I so knew there was a deeper reason as to why I watch LOST :) -

Fan commentary -
But back to Daddy-bashing, and to build upon what the producers said: When I consider the father themes of Lost, I find myself linking to Postmodern writer Donald Barthelme, whose ''flash fiction'' short stories ''The Balloon'' and ''The Game'' (about two guys trapped in a hatch) have some intriguing Lost resonances and whose essay ''Not-Knowing'' has a lot to say about Lost's aesthetic and worldview. But the book that has Lost written all over it is Barthelme's The Dead Father, a surreal novel about a group of people literally dragging the massive body of a monstrous and monolithic ''dead father'' across the country to its final resting place. The dead father in The Dead Father is symbolic of so many things that shape and form us — bad parents, corrupt institutions, f---ed up philosophies. I believe Lost shares those same thematic concerns. The show is an allegory about a new millennia yearning for a new hope but still haunted by the despair of the era past; about a culture burdened by the crushing weight of our dead fathers and forefathers. We want the clean slate of John Locke, but dammit if the awful chalk scribbles of our stupid teachers can't be erased. Lost, then, isn't about burying the past, but finding the grace to live with it.

Lest you think I'm just talking out of my butt again, there are others among us who agree with me. Or maybe they just like talking out of their butts, too. Take this theory from a reader who didn't sign his/her name:

''By interpreting Lost through its themes I think the inevitable path of the show becomes clear. In my opinion there are only two important themes: 1. Science vs. Religion (or Reason vs Faith); and 2. The Failure of the Father Figure. This second theme ties into the first. The micro-universe of The Island is a mirror for the conflicts of the larger world. All God's children are lost, doomed by their conflicts and their deadly technologies. At the heart of this conflict sits Jacob, the alleged leader of the Others. But rather than a spiritual Superman we find Jacob to be an old, flickering half-man, half-spirit, seemingly drained and in need of John Locke's help. Jacob can be understood on two levels: literally, he is the patriarch of the Others; and metaphorically he is the weakened, exploited Father of a corrupted society. His estranged partner is the Mother, Science, who is represented in the show by all the dying mothers on The Island. The only way to save them, to heal Jacob, and solve the Valenzetti Equation [aka ''The Numbers,'' a mathematical formula developed by The Hanso Foundation that predicts the end of the world] is to reconcile the two worldviews of science and religion.''

Which as with most fan speculation most likely has nothing to do with what will actually eventually be revealed, but its fun nonetheless.

Anyway... props to Blake and Jordin. They've been in my top 5 all along...

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posted by Julie at 10:55 PM ¤ Permalink ¤


2 Comments:


  • At 5/17/2007 07:14:00 AM, Blogger gerbmom

    so, whats with the women in the flooded hatch? Weird. We all assumed Charlie would drown - if he indeed dies.
    Did you notice Alex questioning her paternity? Hmmm.
    Looking Glass Hatch made me laugh, since last week I commented on the white rabbit and Alice...LOL
    As for idol - I was sad to see Melinda go, but I think Jordin's gonna take it......

     
  • At 5/17/2007 09:04:00 AM, Blogger Julie

    My question is - is Naomi connected to the women in the Looking Glass Station? And if they are really going with Alice in Wonderland themes (its come up many times now) will they have something about time running backwards as well?

     
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