Three cases studies of fate vs. free will in 'Lost'
So we've been looking primarily at fate versus free will this week on the "Lost" blog, and quite frankly, this topic won't even die even after the show ends next spring. It's one of the primary binaries in the show, alongside "light" and "dark", "science" and "faith," and of course, "tastes great" and "less filling."
As I've tried to demonstrate this week, how one applies an analysis of fate or free will to the actions of a character in the show bears a strong correlation to the personal outlook of the viewer. It's unfortunately not a matter of an either/or situation, in which one can confidently assess one of the two as being 100% correct. Let's look at seminal moments from some seminal characters to see what I mean.
Jin-Soo Kwon: At the end of Season 1, he tearfully declares, "I'm in this place because I'm being punished." In his viewpoint, his crashing on the Island derives from a moral judgment bestowed by the universe. If Jin knew about Desmond at this point, he would declare that Des' inability to press the button in time directly corresponded to Jin's treatment of Sun. However, in Season 5, he prevents Danielle Rousseau from entering The Temple in 1988.
Think about the insane domino effect that action has: she's not "infected," she kills her crew, gives birth to the girl that imbues Ben Linus with a modicum of decency, and then manages to change the outgoing recording on the Island from The Numbers to her distress signal. Was Jin's gesture towards Danielle dictated by fate, or simple human compassion? And what does it say about the success of Faraday's plan that Ajira 316 heard The Numbers broadcasting when crash-landing on the Hydra Island?
Michael Dawson: Unable to care for his son during his formative years, Michael finds himself reunited with Walt after his mother Susan's mysterious death. Forced to make up for lost time on the Island, the two bond, only to see that bond ripped apart by The Others' kidnapping. Forced into releasing Ben, Michael makes the conscious decision to kill Ana Lucia, which in turn leads to his accidental shooting of Libby. This frees Ben, and ultimately sends Michael and Walt off the Island. But off the Island, Michael tells Walt of his atrocities, which leads Walt to live with his grandmother.
In the ensuing grief, Michael tries to commit suicide, but finds himself unable to actually kill himself. Tom Friendly insists that it's because The Island isn't done with him, prompting Michael to board the Kahana and ensure that the boat never reaches the Island. However, in Michael's final moments, Cabin Christian appears to Michael just before the ship explodes. Since we have strong evidence that Cabin Christian isn't exactly one of the good guys, what does that say about Tom Friendly's interpretation of Michael's survival skills off the Island? And if The Man in Black could prevent Michael's death long enough to make sure The Oceanic 6 got off the Island, is that fate's hand staying Michael's execution, or a Loki-esque god's invisible hand pulling the strings?
Jack Shephard: For one hundred days, Jack fought tooth and nail to get the survivors of Oceanic 815 off the Island. Even in the face of increasing evidence that the "help" offshore wasn't as noble as they seemed, Jack pressed on. Even in the face of Locke's pleas, he pressed on. Even when his appendix burst mere days from his escape, he pressed on. Once back in the real world, he slowly realized that instead of fulfilling his purpose on the Island, he might have run away from it.
Much like Michael, Jack found himself curiously unable to commit suicide, thanks to a conveniently timed car crash on the bridge from which he planned to jump. Bearded, boozed, and bamboozled, he turned from a man of science into a man of inertia and finally into a man of faith as he attempted to get the band back together and return to the Island. While initially unsure of his purpose in 1977 Dharmaville, he finds hope in Daniel Faraday's plan to detonate a hydrogen bomb over the Swan site and erase the last three years of misery, torment, and pain for the survivors. Did the same force that saved Michael's life off-Island also save Jack's? Was Jack's decision to fulfill Faraday's mission the ultimate act of self-determination, or merely the result of a man so broken down by fighting his fate that annihilation seemed like a happy alternative to his existence?
Obviously, you could apply this type of analysis to every major character on the show. None of these examples even touch upon their lives BEFORE arriving on the Island in September 2004, and clearly are wildly incomplete portraits of these individuals. I merely tried to show that it's difficult to obtain a consensus on "fate" or "free will" to the major milestones in these characters' lives. You know that old saying: you say "potato," I say "frozen donkey wheel."
To me, it's not enough to simply state, "These characters have a destiny." That's all well and good, until you ask the following question: "Why?" That is to say, why do these characters have to do...well, whatever it is they are supposed to do? Who or what gains from those actions? Why couldn't another member of the human race perform that specific task? In short: Why these people, and why these actions?
I'll look at some of the "why"s starting later this week, because that is really what Season 6 will be all about. We've spent five years getting deeper and deeper into the mysteries of the show. In delivering the answers to these riddles, hopefully the show will start peeling away the reasons these particular people were chosen to participate in Jacob's latest round of what he calls "progress." Your homework? Start brushing up on something called "the observer effect." You'll see why soon enough.
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Do you include the things the man in black and Jacob did as fate?
Assuming, for instance, the car crash distracting Jack was caused by either of them; were they simply staging a friendly intervention with their powers, or does the fact that they have mysterious powers make their decisions fate?
I'm constantly drawn back to the dialog between the Man in Black and Jacob.
In this discussion the MIB talks about something repeating itself with the same ending. This is Fate, or at least Destiny. Jacob on the other hand talks about progress. A refinement that leads to perfection- perhaps this is where Free Will comes into play.
And yet...
It is the MIB who is searching for a loophole, something which can shatter the pattern and allow him to kill Jacob. At the same time, it would seem that Jacob is setting about to close that loophole, setting the ones he touches on some sort of path (a path toward their fate? his own?)
It's an amazing paradox to me.
There is more to be mined of course and the biggest question is whether or not the Man in Black is really the dark, evil character, and Jacob the antithesis, or vice versa.
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Thanks kyler003! Great insight.
I think the Jack thing is more cut and dry than the others. Since "whatever happened, happened" - at least in the original timeline, Jack had always traveled back to 1977. Since 1977 had already happened, 2007 Jack couldn't die.
Then again, you could argue that Jack and Co. going to 1977 was never supposed to happen at all (as Faraday tells them in The Variable), making it more of a "free will" situation. One thing we do know, however, is that clearly Cabin Christian wanted them to all go back to 1977. So from that, I'd say it was all part of TMiB's plan.
We still need to answer the "what are these people suppose to do" before we ask the "why"
I personally think though that it was faith and destiny that these people are on the island. Which is what Locke has believed since season 1.
I just think people should look back at the first five seasons, I just finishing watching the Variable lost 100th episode last night and once again saw faith (or what could be argued as faith) play a major role in Daniel Faraday's death.
Desmund is possible the strongest arguement i have for team faith. Desmund was given the abilities to see flashes of his past and other people's future, particularly charlie. Even when Desmund stopped charile's death something or someone (faith) kept on finding new ways to kill charlie, therefore making it pointless to interfere with whatever faith or god has planned for you to do.
Why was Desmund given the ability to see only charlie's death? I think that it was because faith was putting it in Desmunds hands to make sure charlie lives until he is able to travel to the looking glass and turn off their machine that is stopping messages from being transmitted off the island.
Eloise also plays a major part in this by being the women who tells Desmund he can't change his past and that he must go to the island in flashes before your eyes and telling her son he must also go back in the variable and killing him.
eloise whole role was to make sure things go the way they were suppose to go from the beginning. She knew that he son was going to travel back in time and that she would have to kill him.
If Locke were to never travel off the island he would have never stopped the island's deadly time traveling. Therefore the oceanic six would have never returned to the island and the people left on the island would have never stop time traveling and landed in 1977. Then the hydrogen bomb would have never went off and the drilling at the Swan would have destroyed everything, possible killing everyone including miles and his mom and charlette and eloise and the unborn daniel faraday, ben, widmore, and etc.
I love the discussion on fate vs. free will, but when it comes to being a viewer I really want to see the characters future choices make a difference. Jack and Co. tried to alter their future. But did they? If they did (which I doubt) then which future did we see in last seasons finale? Could there now be two futures? So many questions here and I don't like where it takes the story.
Better (for me anyway) that the choices made DID NOT change the future - they were made entirely by free will AND were part of a greater plan (FATE AND FREEWILL COMBINED). This is a much better story because now the questions become the following:
- What plan?
- Is it a good or evil plan?
- What purpose do these characters now hold in the outcome of this plan and which side are they on?
The choices they make now are the ones we want to see. These choices SHOULD bring the climax to the series. Bring it on writers - end LOST right!
I just hope when its all over that we don't find out that Jacob and the MIB were just playing a game of backgammon or something like that, and using all those people as their pawns. Kind of like the end of Men In Black when we find out that our universe is just some game piece for another world.
the writer's of Lost are going to end THEIR story the way they want to tell it. There is no right way. I thank god every time I read a comment section TPTB have integrity. The biggest problem with Fans not accepting the possibility of an ALT, parallel universe or tangent universe is lack of imagination on the fan's part. I see an Alternate Universe as the perfect vehicle to answer the excellent question that Ryan raised and that is WHY? Why do these people have a destiny? Why these people?
"Bearded, boozed, and bamboozled"...great line. Great post. Thank you.