From The Dawn of Our Species: The Castaways’ Lack of Curiosity
On several occasions, the castaways have squandered opportunities to examine the island’s mysteries. This tendency began in the first season when Charlie killed Ethan before he could be questioned. Because the second season has featured more interaction with the Others, the castaways have increasingly displayed a surprising lack of curiosity when interacting with the island’s residents. While this characteristic may be a narrative device designed to delay revealing the show’s secrets, there have been several clues that the lack of curiosity is actually an important element of the plot.
In episode 2x3, Desmond announced he was leaving after the hatch computer was damaged but Jack didn’t bother to ask him where he was going. His whereabouts have remained a mystery ever since. In episode 2x11, Jack, Sawyer, and Locke asked Mr. Friendly no questions about the Other’s identity, save for Jack’s illogical accusation that the Others were an insignificant group of two or three people. In episode 2x15, Rousseau explained that she killed her team because they had the sickness but neither Kate nor Claire (who believed her child might have the same illness) thought to ask for any details about it. Rousseau, Desmond, and Ethan have all mentioned the sickness to the castaways, yet no one has ever pressed for any particulars.
Curiosity, when it has been exhibited, has not been rewarded. Jack and Michael both questioned the validity of the Orientation video but Jack didn’t pursue the matter in the same way that Michael did. No one but Michael has ever been curious about the computer’s hardware or the hatch’s blast doors and only Michael has ever received instructions on the hatch computer to go somewhere in the jungle. The Others have taken great pains, including wearing costumes and abandoning their facilities, to hide their identities from the castaways. “Walt’s” messages to Michael, which distracted him from further curiosity about the hatch’s purpose, indicate that the Others do not like the castaways to snoop.
When Mr. Friendly was chiding John, Jack, and Sawyer for, of all things, being too nosy, he quoted an Alvar Hanso statement that originally appeared on The Hanso Foundation website. “From the dawn of our species, Man has been blessed with curiosity.” Curiosity is the basis of The Hanso Foundation’s mission statement. Since the emblem of The Dharma Initiative, a Hanso subsidiary, adorns every manmade object on the island, it seems strange that the LOST writers should make the characters so disinterested in their surroundings. The castaways’ ennui stands in dramatic contrast to the mysterious circumstances created by people whose very motto celebrates curiosity.
At the end of episode 2x16, Jack brought Henry Gale out of the gun locker for breakfast. Henry immediately began asking questions about his surroundings. “What’s the computer for?” “Where did the cereal come from?” “How old is it?” Jack, annoyed with Henry’s questioning, snapped at him but Henry then chided him for not knowing or being curious about anything in the Hatch. His story of sending Anna Lucia into a trap could be perceived as being a dramatic warning about the risks of becoming too lax with the situation. His comments reveal a disdain for the castaway’s complacency, a feeling that may be shared by the Others (if Henry is in fact affiliated with them).
When Claire was being held by the Others, she was drugged into a mindless state. She agreed with everything that Ethan said and even agreed to surrender her baby to him when he inexplicably offered her a choice in the matter. She was so unquestionably devoted to the Others that she even resisted attempts at getting rescued. Although Claire’s lack of curiosity was almost lethargic, the other castaways have shown similar tendencies, albeit to varying degrees. Claire’s experience proves that the Others have a way of stifling a person’s curiosity. They could be similarly affecting everyone on the island. There may be something in the Dharma food or in the island’s water that causes people to become indifferent towards the bizarre. It may be a symptom of the sickness. Whatever is causing the lack of curiosity, it seems likely that it is an important aspect of the plot and that it is not simply the writers’ method of extending a popular show to reap the extra advertising dollars.
In episode 2x3, Desmond announced he was leaving after the hatch computer was damaged but Jack didn’t bother to ask him where he was going. His whereabouts have remained a mystery ever since. In episode 2x11, Jack, Sawyer, and Locke asked Mr. Friendly no questions about the Other’s identity, save for Jack’s illogical accusation that the Others were an insignificant group of two or three people. In episode 2x15, Rousseau explained that she killed her team because they had the sickness but neither Kate nor Claire (who believed her child might have the same illness) thought to ask for any details about it. Rousseau, Desmond, and Ethan have all mentioned the sickness to the castaways, yet no one has ever pressed for any particulars.
Curiosity, when it has been exhibited, has not been rewarded. Jack and Michael both questioned the validity of the Orientation video but Jack didn’t pursue the matter in the same way that Michael did. No one but Michael has ever been curious about the computer’s hardware or the hatch’s blast doors and only Michael has ever received instructions on the hatch computer to go somewhere in the jungle. The Others have taken great pains, including wearing costumes and abandoning their facilities, to hide their identities from the castaways. “Walt’s” messages to Michael, which distracted him from further curiosity about the hatch’s purpose, indicate that the Others do not like the castaways to snoop.
When Mr. Friendly was chiding John, Jack, and Sawyer for, of all things, being too nosy, he quoted an Alvar Hanso statement that originally appeared on The Hanso Foundation website. “From the dawn of our species, Man has been blessed with curiosity.” Curiosity is the basis of The Hanso Foundation’s mission statement. Since the emblem of The Dharma Initiative, a Hanso subsidiary, adorns every manmade object on the island, it seems strange that the LOST writers should make the characters so disinterested in their surroundings. The castaways’ ennui stands in dramatic contrast to the mysterious circumstances created by people whose very motto celebrates curiosity.
At the end of episode 2x16, Jack brought Henry Gale out of the gun locker for breakfast. Henry immediately began asking questions about his surroundings. “What’s the computer for?” “Where did the cereal come from?” “How old is it?” Jack, annoyed with Henry’s questioning, snapped at him but Henry then chided him for not knowing or being curious about anything in the Hatch. His story of sending Anna Lucia into a trap could be perceived as being a dramatic warning about the risks of becoming too lax with the situation. His comments reveal a disdain for the castaway’s complacency, a feeling that may be shared by the Others (if Henry is in fact affiliated with them).
When Claire was being held by the Others, she was drugged into a mindless state. She agreed with everything that Ethan said and even agreed to surrender her baby to him when he inexplicably offered her a choice in the matter. She was so unquestionably devoted to the Others that she even resisted attempts at getting rescued. Although Claire’s lack of curiosity was almost lethargic, the other castaways have shown similar tendencies, albeit to varying degrees. Claire’s experience proves that the Others have a way of stifling a person’s curiosity. They could be similarly affecting everyone on the island. There may be something in the Dharma food or in the island’s water that causes people to become indifferent towards the bizarre. It may be a symptom of the sickness. Whatever is causing the lack of curiosity, it seems likely that it is an important aspect of the plot and that it is not simply the writers’ method of extending a popular show to reap the extra advertising dollars.
posted by Chris at 12:31 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for a great new blog!
This lack of curiosty bothers me, too, especially in regards to the guns. No one seems at all concerned about where Sawyer has hidden them. At the end of THE LONG CON, I was convinced that Locke was just going to march right into the jungle (or that he had followed either Charlie or Sawyer to their late night meeting) and grab the guns right back. THEN, in THE WHOLE TRUTH, Ana notices that Charlie has a gun, but never says "Hey, I thought Sawyer hid the guns," or anything like that. I sincerely hope this is addressed soon.
what a great new blog! well written and very thought out. thanks a lot!
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