Island of Souls..and Sacrifice

[D-Roc]

"Boone..Boone made it fall, sacrifice the island demanded"

This now famous line still haunts me to this day - it's not so much the quote itself, but it's the way Locke utters those words..especially when he defeatedly 'confessed' to events in the "?" (2.20) episode. The look of guilt and regret on his face was tinged only with the look of digust. Disgust that he had been, yet again, roped in by the forces of destiny, greatness and by the unquantifiable drive to follow his dreams..

"Tell me John, haven't you ever followed a dream?"

However, what if Boone WAS a "sacrifice that the island demanded"?

Bear with me, I 'may' have some evidence:

One of my other theories states that the island needs the memories/souls/subconscious of dead people in order to affect the living via "dreams".

We can see that each of these dead people have indeed played a very real part in 'shaping' or 're-shaping' the paths of the ones closest to them..each of them via a manifestation, vision or dream:

The deceased Christian > Jack



The deceaced Yemi > Eko





Yemi has twice appeared to Eko. The first occasion was the morning after Ana-Lucia/Libby had been killed - he wanted Eko to help Locke to find the question mark..the same question mark where Boone had originally died. Eko's next Yemi-visitation was in "The Cost of Living", where Yemi appeared to him before and after numerous other 'apparitions' from his guilt ridden past had manifested. Note how Yemi appears 'dusty' when he confronts Eko towards the end of the episode - I think this is related to his body being missing from the burnt Beachcraft were Eko put him to rest - did the island physically remove Yemi's body? Is the island only able to physically replicate the identity of a dead person? Is this why Jacob has difficulty sustaining a physical presence?


The deceased Ana-Lucia > Eko


The thugs that he killed > Eko






The deceased Emily Linus > Young Ben




The deceased Boone > Locke


The 'possibly' deceased Walt > Locke

I believe that in order for the island to inhabit the subconscious of those living on the island (people like Locke, Ben, Jack etc) it must first gain access to the subconscious of the deceased. Think of it as a broadband connection via a subconscious connection/relay.

Therefore, it could be argued that the island did demand/require Boone's death in order to gain another soul with which to embody and cause an affect.

The nature of that effect? Well, it can be seen both in the rebuilding of Locke's committment to the island - in particular the mudhut 'visitation' of 'island Boone', which delivered a crucial message to Locke - "you gotta clean up your mess, John". This eventually led Locke to save Eko..who ended up being another island casualty not long afterwards. Could Eko have been another 'sacrifice'? Perhaps not in the same mould as Boone's death, because I believe that Eko had a 'chance' to save himself, but failed to choose the right option (apologise) in the eyes of Smokey/the Island.

In short, I believe that the island could..'could' need the souls/subconscious of dead people in order to (re)shape the game, as it were. It seems clear that the island has an agenda. This agenda could be to survive..to feed..to evolve, or a number of other possibilities.

In order for the island to coerce it's 'players' into the right paths it must be able to communicate with them in a way that they will understand..in a human way. Therefore it needs to become a 'character' in itself..it has to take on human characteristics and embody human emotions and traits. In order to do this it has to become the people who are connected to the players (those on the island) - this is where I believe the visions, dreams and manifestations come in. The island (or Smokey) is not only studying and learning from these people, but it is taking the guise of the dead in order to motivate them into performing specific acts at specific moments in time.

I think that there is a pattern emerging with these manifestations and visions - each of these visitations are not only from the 'dead' (Smokey cannot emody the living) but they are linked to the respective islanders by GUILT. Each one of the islanders who have had visions/manifestations feel GUILTY for the deaths of the manifestations/visions. Ben was made to feel guilty about killing his mother, Jack feels at fault for Christians death, Locke feels to blame for Boone's death..and so on.

So it could be argued that the island is able to use the twin motivator of an individuals 'guilt' and the subconscious of the dead and the living in order to achieve these manifestations. Is this why Ben is such an advocate on "letting go" of his father/Dharma? Because that way, if he has no baggage, the island cannot use his subconscious memory of them to invade his conscious and manipulate him? It would certainly make sense.

The one slight anomally is Walt - it is not yet clear whether he is dead or alive. If he is dead then that would explain why he (or Smokey in the guise of Walt) was able to appear before Locke moments before he blew his brains out. If he is alive, then it could be explained by the fact that Walt is special and the island is either able to partially access his powers, or that it is simply Walt himself astral projecting.

[lost-lover]

Nice theory. If the island is needing to feed on the dead it must have got a feast after Ben killed off the original Dharma folks. Have we been shown why he did this yet? It could provide some more insight, so far we only have his vision of his mother when he was a young boy to show for his reasons.

[lost-lover]

One more to add to the vison list. Shannon and Sayid also saw Walt on the island right before Shannon was killed by Ana.

[Kiowa Warrior]

It is nice to think that Boone's death wasn't just a terrible accident and that it did serve a greater purpose, and I think that regardless of whether he really was a sacrifice that was needed - that his death was part of a design - or that it wasn't, it still helped Locke during his time on the island. Not only to get further involved with it, like the sweat lodge vision, but also to remind him that the Island isn't a perfect paradise and can be dangerous and cruel.

It is a nice theory Roco, and if it is true then the Island does come out as being quite harsh in that it needs dead people to feed on/work off of!

[lost-lover]

If the island does need to 'feed' on the dead, then maybe the people who are having visions like personal assassins or protectors for it. I don't think Locke meant to kill Boone, or Ana meant to kill Shannon, and I can't see how those to were considered dangers to the island, but Locke's involvement in Naomi's death is a different story. He killed her to protect the secrecy of the island. Sorry if this doesn't make sense I don't think I've phrased my point too well.

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by lost-lover

Nice theory. If the island is needing to feed on the dead it must have got a feast after Ben killed off the original Dharma folks. Have we been shown why he did this yet? It could provide some more insight, so far we only have his vision of his mother when he was a young boy to show for his reasons.

Thanks LL,
Yes, that's a very interesting point! In the compass of this theory, I wonder whether the Dharma Purge fueled the island and increased it's power/ability to inhabit people via dreams and visions? Although it's also interesting to consider whether Ben or anyone else has had visions of any of the purged people? I also wonder whether it was the island who told Ben/Alpert to carry out the purge? I have long assumed that it was Jacob, but considering they could still be seperate entities, perhaps the Dharma Purge was also a "sacrifice the island demanded"?

Originally Posted by lost-lover

One more to add to the vison list. Shannon and Sayid also saw Walt on the island right before Shannon was killed by Ana.

Ah yes good shout. Personally I would think that vision of Walt was actually 'Walt' astral projecting, however I haven't got definitive proof, except for the possible evidence in that he seemed far more 'human' than the 'lifeless' Walt we saw save John in 3.23.

Originally Posted by Kiowa Warrior

It is nice to think that Boone's death wasn't just a terrible accident and that it did serve a greater purpose, and I think that regardless of whether he really was a sacrifice that was needed - that his death was part of a design - or that it wasn't, it still helped Locke during his time on the island. Not only to get further involved with it, like the sweat lodge vision, but also to remind him that the Island isn't a perfect paradise and can be dangerous and cruel.

Yes I agree - Boone's death does seem to be part of a grand design..an imperfect and often cruel one, but a 'design' nonetheless. Wasn't it Eko who said that people are saved in different ways? There's also the saying that 'God works in mysterious ways' - this could also be true of the 'God-like' island.

As you said, Boone's death eventually helped Locke.of course this is still within the island's framework, so who's to say whether this 'help' is altruistic of something detrimental, but his death certainly served a purpose in relation to Locke..and perhaps the bigger picture. It makes me wonder about destiny and if we are ever truly in control of it..or is it all a futile dance..are we enslaved by time and space??

It is a nice theory Roco, and if it is true then the Island does come out as being quite harsh in that it needs dead people to feed on/work off of!

Thanks Ki,
It's not a hardcore theory, but it's something I hope to keep and eye on and perhaps build upon over the course of the next few seasons.

Indeed, it makes you wonder just how much of a 'character' the island could become in seasons to come!

[Lupinbell]

Originally Posted by KoR-evo

In short, I believe that the island could..'could' need the souls/subconscious of dead people in order to shape the game, as it were..or perhaps the island needs dead people in order to survive..to feed?

A scary thought. What if tall, dark and smokey is it's "mouth" so to speak. It finds and reaps the souls of the people the Island wants. The ones who are "at peace" and have forgiven themselves, Boone and Eko spring to mind.

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by Lupinbell

A scary thought. What if tall, dark and smokey is it's "mouth" so to speak. It finds and reaps the souls of the people the Island wants. The ones who are "at peace" and have forgiven themselves, Boone and Eko spring to mind.

Indeed, well the Smoke Monster does seem to be a security system of sorts and as well as feeding (killing) it also appears to 'judge' - so your 'mouth' metaphor is pretty astute

[D-Roc]

Top post updated with more padding and imagery.

[D-Roc]

The finale Mobisode in the "Missing Pieces" series has opened up a plethora of possibilities regarding this theory.

Significantly we see the supposedly dead Christian Shepherd interacting with Vincent and asking him to wake up his son, Jack - who has "work to do".

I intepret this to signifiy that the dead are also able to operate seperatly from the island. Previously it wasn't clear as to whether the dead who return via visions and dreams were doing so via the island or their own 'spirits' so to speak. I believe that it was a combination of the two - the island uisng their connections to the living (e.g. Locke, Jack, Ben) to communicate with them, and the souls of those dead people being 'alive' enough to be able to help/guide/advise and even judge their loved ones. I also noted that the living (e.g. Eko, Jack, Locke, Ben) must have had a strong desire (be it subconscious or otherwise) to resolve some unfinished issues with those deceased - most clearly seen with the 'guilt' that Eko, Jack, Locke, Ben and Charlie all have in regards their deceased relatives.

The revelation that a 'deceased' Christian Shepherd interacted with Vincent and urged him to guide Jack, has presented another possibility - that the deceased are not necessarily 'at one' with the island. Yemi certainly seemed un-Yemi-like when he told Eko that he wasn't his brother, and subsequently murdered him (well, Smokey did that part).

So who is in charge of the manifestations - the living and their subconscious guilt...the island and it's 'magic box'..or the dead themselves and their connection to the 'living'?

One thing is pretty much for sure - the whispers are those of the dead. I posed this a year or so ago, now I'm pretty convinced.

[D-Roc]

Episodes 1-12 of Season 4 have further enhanced the idea that the island inhabits the dead in order to affect the living. We further have support to the notion that the islands manifestations of the dead and the actual spirits of the dead are perhaps seperate entities..each with their own agenda..or perhaps it boils down to perception and circumstance.

For exmaple, in the episode Something Nice Back Home Jack sees a very serious and haunting 'manifestation' of his dead father, Christian..he's wearing the same suit and sneakers he was in when Jack saw him on the island (White Rabbit). However, in the same epsode, Claire sees a much more jovial and 'friendly' version of Christian. He's dressed in what we might call 'other-gear' and is bouncing baby Aaron around in his arms.

Thus we have to reconcile these to disperate versions of Christian Shepherd. I think this thread is on the right track not only in terms of how the island uses the dead in order to affect the living, but also in terms of the notion that the spirits of the dead exist along side the 'manifested' version of them that the island is able to produce.

The island's version of the dead invaribly seems more serious and stern:


Whereas the possible spirits of the actual deceased, seems more true to the character before they died, nd generally more 'friendly':



Is this an example of two seperate entities battling to exert their will on the living? Or two extremes of the whole? And how/where do the whispers fit in? At this moment I would go out on a limb and say that the island is able to recreate 'versions' of the deceased via the subconscious of the living and that the dead are able to communicate with the living (via reanimation..or perhaps subconscious manifestation and via whispers.). I believe there is enough room in what we've seen for both notions to exist side by side.

As for Locke's dream of Horace (Cabin Fever) - it wasn't quite a sighting since Locke was dreaming. However, it still fits within the premise that the island can use it's cache of the dead (and their downloaded consciousness?) to direct and redirect the paths of the living. In this case, 'Horace' was used to help Locke find not 'Jacob's cabin'. I find it interesting how Horace seemed to be running on a 'loop'. Definetely an island (etc) manifestation and not the spirit of Horace..or if it was, it was a hybrid of the two entities.

Another interesting aspect regarding the usage of the deceased - Christian Shepherd acting as spokesman for Jacob. We already had a pre-curses for this when Hurley saw both Jacob and Christian in the season opener..but what does it all mean?

Personally, had Jacob not been present peeking through the window in The Beginning of the End then I would be even more suspicious about Christian and what he had done with Jacob - however, what Hurley saw (in the cabin - 4.01) could well have been a 'meeting' between the two. Perhaps Jacob summond the spirit of Christian, or perhaps he simply recreated a version of Christian because he thought his character would be the best way to approach the impending chain of events? It's difficult to tell at this stage, but it is worth noting that 'Christian' appears jovial and upbeat to everyone except his own son, Jack. Why does he haunt Jack, yet break bread with Locke? Is it partly to do with the preconception that Jack has of his father? Is the ability to 'let go' (or otherwise) partly responsible for how a person perceives the dead?

[D-Roc]

I missed out Hugo's 'Charlie visitation' from Beginning of The End:

Deceased Charlie > Hurley


Just like the others, 'Charlie's' visitation of Hurley certainly had an influence of re-shaping Hugo's willingness to return to the island

Hurely later tells a defiant Jack: "Never say never, man"

Does the island play it's metaphorical game of chess several moves ahead, thus allowing it to predict which pieces it will have to sacrifice to best-fit it's chances of survival/victory/whatever?

Being dead in Lost still leaves you in play..I guess the usefulness of those dead souls depends on who they were closest to. For instance, if you're a friend of Locke and you're now dead..then your value is going to be incredibly high..as we saw with 'Boone'.