LOST Books – Everything That Rises Must Converge

In anticipation of tonight’s final premiere (oh it hurts to write that!) we relaunched the Lost Book Club on Ravelry ((I’m a Mod!!)){meaning moderator}.
We chose the short story by Flannery O’Connor (not a nice name for a lady don’t you think?) that Jacob is seen reading as Locke falls from the window behind him. 
If any of you are interested you can read the story online.

Sidenote: I may be the only person thoroughly disappointed in the long-awaited Jacob reveal. I mean, look at him: He’s a chimp! Ok. A chimp that can read but… I always pictured Jacob as a impressive, omniscient figure and this guy is impossible for me to take seriously (so far!) which could be Drowning Mona’s fault…

On to the reveiw. This is a very short story but wow! does it pack a lot in. There are a number of overlapping theme/storyline parallels with our Losties, Others etc.

The protagonist is an embittered man, who believes his life is without a future, that things have been decided for him and that he has fared badly through no fault of his own. He holds his mother responsible for his current situation and for what he sees as his lack of opportunity.

He lashes out at his mother because he is unhappy with his life and believes himself powerless to change – both himself and his environment.

This ties in so well with the running theme of Fate/Destiny vs. Choice. How much control do we have over our lives? How much is predetermined? Who’s fault is it if we are unhappy? Like Sawyer, Jack, Kate, and Ben this man punishes others to avoid true introspection. (I don’t include Locke here because he was unable to punish his father or his mother – passively I guess you could say he punished what’s-her-name but…mostly it was himself he was hurting)

The concept of OTHER is shared by this man and his mother. It is where they place their mistrust, their fear and insecurity of themselves and whether or not they belong. This desire to fence people out, especially those closest to the heart, is closely linked to their need to feel superior (Ben! ok, Jack too) and therefore necessary — and of course, wronged.

This This defense mechanism has played out multiple times in the series. The Others. The Hostiles. The Tailies. The Freighter Folk. The rivalry between Ben and Widmore. The rivalry between Locke and Ben. Locke and Jack. The triangle between Kate, Jack and Sawyer. Oooh baby. This list of black vs. white could go on!

In the story the man wants to take definite action “in reparation for his mother’s sins”. Jack certainly goes to extremes helping others, uselessly trying to impress his worthiness to the Father that is no longer there. Locke’s desperate search for meaning in his life in response to his father treating him as a non-person. Sawyer’s determination to do people over first – to not be the victim that his parents ultimately became. Kate killing her father because he was “in her”.

 

I found the closest match in personalities/situation to Ben in this protagonist. The man says, of his mother “there was an evil urge in him to break her spirit”. Goodness, how many people does Ben do that to, or try to? Gee, how many people has he met?

There is an interchange between the mother and another mother on the bus that left me shaking my head. I have encountered this reasoning elsewhere (most recently within the madness of Courtney Love’s “no daughter of mine” rant online) and it baffles me. The mothers are discussing the hooligans who have been committing petty theft in the neighbourhood. The stranger says that she told her son if he ever did something like that…and our mother replies “training tells.” Um yes. You raised them so…what you are saying is if they are good it’s the training and if they are bad it’s the training. But if they are bad and you disown them – wth? Isn’t it your training that caused the problem?

This interchange with the threat to disavow your own child reminded me of the dynamic between Kate and Diane. Kate believes she was freeing her mother and Diane’s response is to turn her over to the authorities. (ok – this is strictly a response to a fictional situation – I am not advocating the acceptance of murder! so don’t flame me in comments please!)

Back to our man. In repsonse to overhearing this conversation he retreats to his mind, “the only place he felt free from the general idiocy of his fellows.” Whoo! Judge much? Again this reminded me so much of Ben – his words to his father before he released the canister were: I had to put up with you. Ben’s entire demeanour oozes derision of almost everyone he speaks to.

From within his mind he says ‘he could see her (mother) with absolute clarity’. Really? It is this deluded sureness that leads to our crisis and this is the same on the show. Over and over again characters behave in ways that are unexpected by their enemy: ‘He changed the rules.’ ‘You aren’t supposed to leave.’ Juliet siding with Jack. Alex with Karl. And these led to crises of their own.

The protagonist says of life, it “gave him a certain satisfaction to see injustice in daily operation. It confirmed his view…” This sounds a lot like Locke seeking out rejection, moving purposefully towards it – with his father, with whats-her-name, with Ben. Ben certainly seems to find satisfaction in injustice, albeit while insisting on his own skewed perception of how to mete out justice! And while much yet is to be revealed – it makes me think of Jacob too. Who is he to decide? Why do his choices seem to cause so much suffering? Does it help support him in his debate with…the other Island guy. ( I cannot remember names at all today!) Or is it the other way around? Is the other Island guy finding satisfaction in the struggles of others as he tries to prove Jacob wrong?

The end of that thought was ‘it confirmed his view that there was no one worth knowing’. Ben? I certainly think so. He cuts off even the people that he ‘loves’ and I still think that he was the one confining Jacob to the cabin with the ring of ash…but nevermind that.

When things start to fall apart the man lashes out at his mother and defends his actions this way: ‘he could leave her wondering. No reason for her to think she could depend on him.’ This sounds like Ben – not being honest with people. Sawyer pushing people away. This childish, punitive approach to relationships echoes throughout LOST.

The protagonist intentionally goads his mother and then thinks to himself “now persecute us. go ahead and drive me out.” This is entirely Sawyer of Seasons 1 & most of 2. Ben absolutely does this. Locke has a persecution complex of massive proportion!

When he sees the effect of his words on his mother he feels a twinge of regret that ‘only lasted a second before principle rescued him. Justice entitled him to laugh.’ Does it? This twisted perception of morality colours the interactions of our Losties. But the laughing when inflicting pain, laughing because you are morally superior and therefore entitled sounds like Ben. Though again, since we see Jacob reading this story — is this about his relationship with other Island guy? It certainly could be.

His final words to his mother are ‘you aren’t who you think you are’. It is this realization that her own son is an Other, coupled with her recognizing herself in the Other she encountered that is her undoing. And also his.

When his mother crumples to the ground he is filled with grief and a sudden realization of what he has done and her true worth to him. Like Ben saying that Alex ‘is nothing’ to him and his immediate and visceral response to her murder, our man gathers his mother in his arms calling her ‘darling’ and ‘sweetheart’.

The story ends with the man walking after a disappearing bus – a goal that is eluding him – so that he can avoid the ‘tide of darkness. Postponing entry to a world of guilt and sorrow.’ Wow. Ben’s whole trip to revenge, to save the Island has become reparation for Alex’ death — and isn’t someone on the Island using him to that end? Is it again all about other Island guy and Jacob? I think so…but we have a few more months to learn!

 

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