Man of Faith or a Techie?

[Miss Austen]

I keep thinking why Richard was cross with Locke for choosing the knife as one of his possessions. To choose a knife is all about survival isn't it? A knife can be used to kill for food or to protect yourself from harm so it's a survival weapon.

Strange thing is that when the computer in the Swan station was put out of action, a knife was no use to Locke and they needed Sayid (a techie of sorts) to fix it. Locke was Lost and shouted out: "What am I supposed to do?"

Sayid came to the rescue and Locke was amazed that Sayid didn't ask questions about the broken computer or the countdown.

So you have Jack who hears the explanation of the countdown/computer and dismisses it, Locke totally buys it and with Sayid the why and wherefore wasn't a burning question, he was totally practical and just concentrated on fixing the computer.

There's a message here somewhere!

[D-Roc]

Interesting.

I would say that it's almost as if Locke has been tested on every field..every belief system..be it science (the button/hatch), faith (commitment to the island, the loses his suffered, such as Boone), survival (being reborn as 'island Locke' after the hatch implosion..etc etc. It's no wonder Locke describes himself as an 'everyman'. One wonders whether he has gained this rounded persona due to the amount of times he's been reborn..or the amount of times the people before him have been reborn..

Which brings me on to Alpert and the knife - I think he was upset because someone (The island) told him that he was a "hunter"..whereas perhaps being the hunter didn't work (i.e. he ends up dead at the end of S4)..so perhaps Alpert wants this version of Locke (we have no idea of knowing 'which' loop or incarnation of Locke this was in the Cabin Fever flashback) to consult the rule book more (book of laws)..afterall, it was the changing of the rules, which undid Ben's stint on the island..or certainly hastened it.

[Miss Austen]

The Book of Laws contained the missing sections of film from the film at the Swan station. I've just watched that episode in Season 2 and it is Eko who shows Locke the Book of Laws with the missing sections of film hidden in a compartment in the middle of the book.

The missing sections of film seemed to emphasise that the computer should not be used for anything else other than inputting the code and then you get Michael using the computer to supposedly communicate with Walt. So straightaway Michael breaks the rules and it leads to his ruin doesn't it? Michael eventually finds Walt and that leads to him killing Ana Lucia and Libby - he is a ruined man after that. It seems you really aren't meant to mess with the Book of Laws!

Although Eko found the Book of Laws we presume it wasn't his originally. Who did own the Book of Laws? This might be important!