Photos
Video
RSS
Twitter'Light vs. Dark' on 'Lost': The White Light
A few weeks back, I teased the "Light vs. Dark" series, in which I proposed to look back at key moments in the history of "Lost" to explore deeper meanings. Specifically, we'll be looking at moments that once seem produced by the "Island" and looking to see if either Jacob or the Man in Black manufactured those instances.
In the months leading up to Season 6, I'll be periodically looking at these moments in the show's history, moving through the episodes chronologically as they air. What I'm particularly interested in exploring in this series is which entity behind the scenes pulled the strings in these important scenes, and what they hoped to accomplish by doing so. I'll make a case for both Jacob and The Man in Black for each instance, and let you have the final word.
If you need to remember the specific criteria for these "Light vs. Dark" moments, or want to see the Season 1 list, go here. If not, on with the first one!
The Episode: "Walkabout"
The Scene: John Locke sees something in the wilderness, something that makes him stare in awe and wonder. He first describes it to Jack Shephard as "the eye of the Island," and later described it as a "beautiful white light" to Eko in "Further Instructions."
The Case for Jacob: This moment represents Jacob revealing himself in a fundamental way. Due to the unique nature of this encounter, Locke's healed legs are the second part of Jacob's healing process, with the first immediately after Locke's fall from Cooper's apartment. In this scenario, Locke was at one time important to the Island, but led astray by the Man in Black.
The Case for The Man in Black: What better way to start the mind tricks on John Locke than to fool Locke with a heavenly light, bolstering his new-found healed self? His nemesis might have cured Locke's legs, but The Man in Black chooses to start working on Locke's other wounded body part: his fragile, easily manipulated brain.
The Zap2it Opinion: John Locke might have died a patsy, but had the potential to live to be ruler. Rather than look at his character as one continual schmuck, perpetually duped and eternally insignificant, I choose to think his central role in The Man in Black's plan demonstrated just how much he could have aided Jacob. As such, I look at this moment as Jacob's Burning Bush, a message and a symbol of Locke's importance that led The Man in Black to introduce an obstacle to lead John astray: The Hatch.
But that's just my opinion, fans. What's yours?
Ryan invites you to join the hundreds already in Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group. He also encourages you to subscribe to the Zap2It's Guide to Lost Twitter feed.
Post a comment
Zap2it Twitter Talk 
I believe anything early revelations to Locke on the island were from Jacob. The man in black doesn't want people on the island at all, so I think he needs some sort of time to get a feel for them before using their weaknesses against them. It's Jacob who reaches them off the island and I think this early in Locke's habitation on the island, Jacob is the one speaking to him because he's the one most familiar with Locke
I thought we ruled out Smokey as part of this Light vs. Dark series? Because if I recall, Locke saw Smokey as the white light as it was bearing down upon him.
But I also believe that the light itself was the product of either Jacob or the Man in Black, so in this one instance, we kind of have to accept all elements in play.
Personally though, I agree with Ryan. Locke was at one time very important to Jacob; if he wasn't, why else would Jacob bring him back/save his life after his fall? But Jacob didn't hide his interest in Locke very well, and in this eternal game, the Man in Black was always watching, searching for his adversary's weakness. That weakness, once exposed, led him to literally become Jacob's favorite player, the ultimate insult & triumph (or so the MiB thought).
Locke had many glimpses of Jacob's power and of his true purpose, but unfortunantly, he kept following false paths and was far too zealous to look more closely at what was going on around him; he was a man of too little science, too much faith.
mmmmmm...sweet mushy brains...
Other Sean, I'm thinking along similar lines, but from the opposite direction. Seems to me that John Locke was MiB's tool from the beginning - Jacob not only saw this, but saw the potential for a possibly decisive countermove. Under this scenario, Jacob healed Locke after the fall not to bring him back later (like Jack and the others), but to keep him alive for MiB's plan. Jacob's comment to Locke after the fall ("I'm sorry this happened to you") refers not to the fall itself, but to John's role in the whole light v. dark battle. (or,I'm wrong again!)
Tying this back to the white light, do you think that the same side (either Jacob or MiB) was responsible for the later Smokey attack when it tried to drag John down the hole?
this is a tough one. i want to believe that locke was indeed in some way special but the narrative itself has shown he wasn't. what better way for the MiB to trick locke than to appear as a beautiful white light
jeff m: i understand your idea about the MiB needing time to get to know the players but don't you think this game started with the black rock being lured to the island? locke has been in play since before his birth, wouldn't you say?
other sean: "he was a man of too little science, too much faith" well put!
other sean:
I believe during one interview I read, Terry O'Quinn expressly declared that "Someone is using John Locke to their end" I think that someone is MIB, otherwise Terry might have made that a plural, meaning two or more "someones" were using John Locke.
poor, poor Locke. he's been used and abused. i WANT to think that Jacob has had more influence than TMiB, but i just can't. i think that the "dream Locke" (i think it was Walt's dream, correct me if i'm wrong), in which he had one white eye and one black one sums it up: equal influence by Jacob and TMiB over him. so while he got a HUGE bonus from The Island/Jacob in regaining the use of his legs, he was equally screwed by TMiB.
make sense? sorta?
mri, that was Claire's dream your thinking of.
Jacob gave Jack an Apollo candy bar which has been on the Swan since the Dharma Initiative left. There are some theories that Richard Alpert is actually RA, so maybe John was allowed to live so that he could turn Jack into a man of faith and then take Richard Alpert's place. If so, then Locke's decision to veer off the man of faith role has led to the importance of Desmond as the rule breaker which might have proven to Eloise that the time loop was of Jacob's design which as we have found out is actually of the MiB design as it created a loop hole through the time loop that made Richard believe Locke was leader material. I think that Jacob, a being that strongly believes in free will, would not have minded any of the Leaders had they not committed cardinal sins. Eloise put her son's fate to be more important than the island's. Charles Windmore chose to break the rules by fathering an outsiders child and chose became paranoid by the importance of Benjamin. Benjamin Linus chose nostalgia over the nature of the island as realized by Locke and became paranoid by the importance of Locke. Locke lost faith in the island when he unleashed the pocket of energy due to the Pearl station. The thing that keeps bothering me is how Eloise knew she needed to keep Desmond in line with his destiny. I think that this prove that we were already in the time loop which means that the MiB might have already known all he needed to know about Locke since the minute that the island healed him. There's been talk all this time about Light v. Dark but having seen the depiction in the temple of a shadow being versus an Egyptian god, possibly Anubis, I think that the real battle of the Final season will be Light v. Heavy as the Egyptians once believed that humans entered "paradised" only if their heart or soul was lighter than a feather, light-hearted, and they would be denied entrance if their soul was heavier than a feather.
agree with mri on the white/black stone eyes meaning equal influence. And MIB might have had positive influences in order to keep Locke around for the ultimate game plan of killing Jacob. I'm voting MIB and smokey/white light in order to make Locke think that the voice inside his head was good and not evil.