Here are a bunch of thoughts that I've should have mentioned ages ago. It's a real hodge-podge, but should help tidy-up a few loose ends.
The Freighter Folk and Fate
I've had a possible breakthrough regarding the roles of the Fantastic Four Freighter Folk: Daniel Faraday, Charlotte S. Lewis, Miles Straume, and Frank Lapidus. Until now, I've been unclear as to who or what they each represent (although for a time I wondered of Faraday represented France, and Charlotte represented Great Britain). I'm still not 100% clear, but I think I'm a bit clearer now than I was before.
Each of the four seems to represent a particular attitude toward the idea of fate, the idea of whether or not we can change the world around us. The following list is sketchy, but should give you a sense of my present thoughts on the four Freighter Folk.
DANIEL FARADAY
Represents: Fatalism
Attitude: "I wish I could change things, but I can't."
Evidence: Consider Daniel's view that things can't be changed, and his reluctance to chart his own path rather than follow his mother's wishes.
MILES STRAUME
Represents: Cynicism
Attitude: "I can't change things -- life sucks."
Evidence: Consider Miles's view that things can't be changed, his lack of proactive behaviour (he can't even take enough action to kill a boar -- he has to find one that's already dead!), his morbid talent (he can listen to the dead, but not interact with them), and his sarcastic comments toward anyone trying to make a difference in the world.
CHARLOTTE LEWIS
Represents: Nostalgia
Attitude: "I wish I could change things back to how they used to be."
Evidence: Consider Charlotte's lifelong quest to return to the island (her original home) and her regression to childhood in her final moments.
FRANK LAPIDUS
Represents: Apathy
Attitude: "Things change, things don't change -- whatever, Dude."
Evidence: Consider Frank's chilled-out, go-with-the-flow vibe in Season Four, and his apathetic response when asked if he's on board with the plan to lie about the rescue ("Whatever you guys decide, I'll just roll with"). Also, compare Frank to his apathetic lookalike, Jeff Bridges's Dude from The Big Lebowski (you can almost hear Sam Elliott's voice saying of the bearded, Hawaiian-shirted Frank, "The Dude abides" . . .)
For contrast, compare the four Freighter Folk with their unofficial fifth member, Desmond Hume.
DESMOND HUME
Represents: Skepticism and Self-Determination
Attitude: "Maybe it's true that I can't change things, but I'll try anyway and find out for myself."
Evidence: Desmond's refusal to follow the rules of the military and the monastery, his determination to keep saving Charlie, and his "uniquely and miraculously special" ability to change the course of destiny (at least according to Faraday).
Like I said, all that stuff's just a sketch right now. I think I may be onto something, though, and I'll be exploring this idea more over the next few weeks.
Locke and Colin Powell
Recently, a few readers have challenged the idea that Locke represents Secretary of State Powell. Specifically, some suggested that the Locke/Powell connection is flawed because Locke's clout increased after his life ended, but Powell's clout decreased after his life ended (Powell's political life, that is, which ended when he resigned from the Bush Administration in 2005).
Well, I'm not convinced that Powell's clout did decrease after he resigned. In fact, I'd argue that his ideas actually gained popularity after his resignation, as people came to realize that Powell's message of moderation had been correct all along.
Don't agree? Then check out this interview from TheDailyBeast.com, in which Richard Haass -- the former director of policy planning for Secretary of State Colin Powell under George W. Bush -- answers the question of why Powell didn't resign sooner.
QUESTION: Why do you think Colin Powell didn’t resign, and if he had, would it have made a difference ?
HAASS: Powell is an optimist. He thought that over time things would swing his way. Ironically, they did, but it was after he had left. I think as a military man he had a real sense of responsibility, of loyalty. He also had a powerfully developed sense of public service and a belief in what he could do. Not in the arrogant sense but in the optimistic sense. Had he resigned, I'm not sure it would have turned things around. My hunch is that if Powell had resigned, he would have resigned quietly. That's his style, it’s in the man's DNA.
"An optimist." "He thought that over time things would swing his way." "He had a real sense of responsibility, of loyalty." Sounds a lot like Locke, don't you think? And did you catch that bit about when things finally did swing Powell's way? It happened "after he had left." Just as things started swinging Locke's way after he left (his life).
So, based on quotes like the above, I'm going to stubbornly stick with the notion that Locke represents Colin Powell (in addition to representing the political theories espoused by philosopher John Locke). But that doesn't mean you should stop challenging my character ideas -- your comments help to show the strength of the strong theories, and the weaknesses of the weak ones. (And for all I know, the Locke/Powell theory is indeed one of the weak ones.)
Hurley, Homeland Security, and the US Government
I've been a bit confused by Hurley this season. Hurley definitely seems to represent Homeland Security, what with his vast size, huge funding, desire to keep his loved ones safe, willingness to distribute emergency supplies, wastefulness with those supplies, Patriot-Act-like use of the passenger manifest, Homeland-Security-like name (the letters H-U-R-L-E-Y are all found in the words "Homeland Security), and, of course, those threat-level-coloured T-shirts. But if Hurley is Homeland Security, then why is he so unwilling to lie about the crash? Why, if he represents a department as politicized as Homeland Security, is he so unwilling to play along with these political games? Is there a flaw in my theory that Hurley represents Homeland Security?
Well, after careful thought, I've finally realized where I went wrong. Hurley actually represents two things, one more politicized than the other. On the one hand, he represents the highly-politicized Department of Homeland Security. On the other hand, he represents the apolitical entity that Homeland Security is part of -- the bureaucracy of the US Government's Executive Branch.
So, when he's not representing Homeland Security, Hurley is representing the sometimes helpful, sometimes ineffective bureaucracy of the US Government (of which Homeland Security, the third largest Executive Branch Department, is a large part). This bureaucracy takes orders from the president, just as Hurley takes orders from Jack. However, being apolitical, it only follows orders related to matters of governance, not those related to politics, which is why Hurley won't play along with Jack's politician-style lies. The civil service is ultimately not a political entity but a rule-following bureaucracy, and as such doesn't (or at least shouldn't) involve itself in partisan political games, just as Hurley isn't a game-player but a rule follower, and is reluctant to get caught up in Jack's games of deception.
So, the theory has now been modified: Hurley symbolizes both the Department of Homeland Security and the bureaucracy of the US Government's Executive Branch (of which Homeland Security is a part).
I don't know about you, but that new theory about big-ole-Hurley made me feel a whole lot better. (Oops -- did I just inadvertently endorse "Big Government"?)
Security, Mechanics, and Janitors
Here's something I've been meaning to mention for a while: After the castaways "surge" back to the island, they take up jobs that reflect their real-world counterparts' jobs after the 2006 Troop Surge. So, Sawyer becomes head of security because, during the Surge, the Republican Party (and especially its soon-to-be-leader, John McCain) wanted to be seen as the party of national security. Kate becomes a mechanic because, during the Surge, Congress was largely in charge of nuts-and-bolts legislative issues. Juliet also gets into mechanics, but her close connection with Sawyer gives her contact with security issues, too -- which makes her like her real-world counterpart, Conservatives, who were involved in nuts-and-bolts issues but were also closely connected to the Republican Party's national security platform. Hurley joins the cooking staff, taking care of the mundane but essential chores of providing daily sustenance, all in the manner of his real-life counterpart, the bureaucracy of the US Government. And the once proud Jack becomes a humble janitor, tasked with cleaning-up messes -- just like President Bush, who, from the Surge to the end of his second term, spent most of his time trying to clean-up the many messes he'd made (in places like the Middle East).
Surgeons, Research Scientists, and Dentists
Speaking of jobs, here's something else I've been wanting to mention: On Lost, different types of doctors represent different types of political figures.
Research scientists (like fertility-specialist Juliet and physicist Faraday) represent political theorists and political orientations. And like political theorists, Lost's research-based doctors have lots of influence but don't become the community's topmost decision-makers.
Surgeons (like Jack and his father) represent politicians who are willing to get into the actual flesh-and-blood aspects of leadership. They are the people willing to take action, to make life-or-death decisions, to authorize dangerous "operations", to get their hands dirty in an effort to make a difference. So far, Lost has used surgeons to represent US Presidents, such as George W. Bush (Jack) and his father George H.W. Bush (Christian).
Dentists (like Bernard) seem to represent political figures who use their mouths to make a difference. In this sense, these "oral surgeons" probably symbolize diplomats. Just as dentist Bernard is a whiz at improvising ways of communicating with the outside world (like when he made the SOS sign, and when he suggested using the sat-phone to send morse code to the freighter), diplomats use their wits to devise clever ways of negotiating with other nations.
Keep an eye out and you'll see these distinctions being made over and over again on the show. Typically, the research scientists (like Juliet and Faraday) are sought out for advice, but the "real doctors" are sought out when big decisions must be made and urgent action taken.
For example, listen to Juliet in Episode 5.11, "Whatever Happened, Happened," as she tries to treat young Ben Linus's gunshot wound:
JULIET: Someone needs to get in there who can find the damage that bullet did and fix it. He needs a real surgeon.
And listen to Desmond in Episode 5.03, "Jughead," as he brings someone to deliver Penny's baby:
DESMOND: It's okay, Pen. We've got a doctor.
And check out Miles mocking the doctoral abilities of research-scientist Faraday, in this exchange from Episode 5.02, "The Lie":
SAWYER: [To Faraday] Welcome back, Doctor Wizard.
MILES: I think it's Mister Wizard.
You can really see the research-scientist versus surgeon dynamic at work in the final moments of last week's episode, "The Variable." Faraday has a big, consequential plan: He wants to use a hydrogen bomb to destroy the energy at the Swan site. But, being a researcher, he never manages to put his plan into action (because he gets himself killed). So now who's going to have to turn this researcher's theories into flesh-and-blood reality? Why, a surgeon, of course -- Dr. Jack Shephard.
Drilling for oil
My mate Dave (who, unlike Hurley's mate Dave, doesn't seem imaginary) keeps telling me that all this stuff about "drilling into the ground and discovering a powerful but dangerous source of energy" is code for oil, and oil's role in international politics. I'm starting to think he's onto something. For example, take a look at the tower holding up Jughead (on the right). Is it just me, or does that look like one of those old-timey oilwells? We'll have to re-visit this oil/energy connection over the next few weeks, once we see how the season finale's energy-related "incident" plays out.
Alpert and Cheney
This week's episode, "Follow the Leader," reportedly centres on the enigmatic Richard Alpert. The executive producers once called Alpert "the Dick Cheney of the island" (in the DVD extra "The World of the Others") -- so tonight will find me scrutinizing Alpert's every move for signs of Cheney-isms. I have a feeling they'll be lots to work with, because Alpert and Cheney have quite a lot in common, including their powerful but shadowy positions in their communities; their calmness in times of crisis; their ties to the corporate world; their links with Halliburton ("Alpert" sounds a lot like "Halliburton"); their first names (they're both called "Richard"); and their seemingly permanent presences. Speaking of Alpert and Cheney's apparent ever-presence, check out this recent interview with investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, in which he discusses Cheney's continuing Washington influence. In particular, take note of the following quote:
HERSH: He's easy to make a caricature, but he’s much more formidable than people think. Got a rap clap memory. Understands bureaucracy much better, he’s been around forever, has had every job.
"He's been around forever." Sound familiar? That line's a lot like something Juliet said in Episode 5.03, "Jughead":
JULIET: Richard's always been here.
So, is Alpert really "the Dick Cheney of the island"? Hopefully, we'll find out tonight.
Until tomorrow, take care!
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