The Covert Narrator

Who is telling the story of Lost? Examples of narration within the text of our small opera abound, and as with any type of narration, a certain amount of unreliability may be anticipated. Don't worry, this isn't another re-hashing of the "unreliable narrator" threads of yesteryear, though such ideas certainly play a role in this exegesis. Rather, the attempt is made to identify the covert narrator(s), the mysterious "man behind the curtain" who is pulling out all the stops to help us or hinder us (the covert narratees) in our quest for understanding the great mystery that is Lost.

Before delving into covert narration, it may help to review some examples of "overt" narration depicted on Lost.

* Claire tells Charlie about Malkin (Raised By Another)

In Raised By Another, we get an early example of overt narration by one of our characters to another of our characters. Towards the end, when Charlie has run back to Claire after asking Ethan to go fetch Jack, we get the following exchange:

Claire: I'm not supposed to be here.
Charlie: I think we all feel like that a little bit.
Claire: I know, it's just... someone promised me it would be different.
Charlie: Well, he was wrong.
Claire: Yeah. He was wrong.

We then get a flashback of Claire at Malkin's, as he explains his plan for her to fly to Los Angeles. When we return to the Island action, it's apparent that this FB in particular was a story that Claire just told Charlie:

Charlie: A psychic?
Claire: I know it's embarrassing. And now after everything... he was just full of it.

* Sun tells Jin about his fertility (The Whole Truth)

Another example comes in Season 2, at the end of The Whole Truth.

Sun: I'm pregnant, Jin. (Jin is elated and hugs Sun)
Sun: Jin, listen to me.
Jin: What is it?
Sun: There's something... there's something I need to tell you.

We cut to a flashback, where the fertility doctor tells Sun (covertly) that it wasn't her that couldn't have children but Jin. The doctor explains that he was afraid to tell a man who worked for Mr. Paik about such a fate. When we cut back to the Island action, again it's apparent that this particular FB has been narrated to Jin by Sun:

Jin: Why didn't you tell me?
Sun: How could I?
Jin: If I'm... If I can't... How can there be a baby?

Other examples of overt narration include Desmond's telling Locke about when he heard him banging on the hatch, Rose implying to Locke that she knew he was in a wheelchair, Juliet telling the story of Ethan's infiltration into the camp, and most noticeably Michael's story to Sayid and Desmond in Meet Kevin Johnson.

In any of these cases, we have narrators who may be unreliable, who are telling stories which are not entirely faithful to the actual events which transpired. The events the storytellers tell are faithfully depicted to us, but this does not mean that they are necessarily true. Regardless, when the characters themselves are engaged in narration, we are clued into this by the context of the action - we actually see the characters engaged in narrational activity.

Covert Narration

However, much of the time, a FlashBack or FlashForward does not occur within the context of overt narration.

* Kate's instant flashback in the rain (Tabula Rasa)
* Hurley's instant flashforward hugging Claire (TBOTE)
* Claire's multiple flashes and twinning (Maternity Leave)
* Desmond's multiple flashes and "aware" FB (FBYE)
* Jack's flash of the Morgue while sitting alone at a campfire (White Rabbit)

So, the "flashes", while used in particular instances of overt narration, are not in every case instances of narration by the characters themselves. Certainly not overt narration.

Furthermore, we have on-Island events to consider. Every episode features a great deal of story taking place on the Island. We see characters by themselves (Jack in the opening of Pilot, Sawyer running through the trees in Confidence Man, Sayid alone in Danielle's dugout in Solitary, etc.) and characters obviously interacting with each other, but no indication that they are narrating events to anyone outside the story - i.e., us - nor to anyone inside the story.

We might say they are telling themselves stories, and the use of limited POV in every shot suggests that the story is exclusively comprised of what the characters themselves know, but this does not mean they are aware of this process themselves, anymore than a typical viewer is aware of his or her own acts of self-narration.

Evidence of Covert Narration

The opening sequence of Pilot gives us a clue that Jack is not narrating a story, because it explicitly includes elements that Jack himself is not consciously aware of. He rushes out from the jungle and onto the beach, and looks to his right. The camera shot slowly rotates to the left, and as Jack disappears from view we look out over the ocean, suggesting a shift from an exterior point of view to an interior one. This is further heightened by barely audible screams that emerge from the left channel, but then we are really taken off guard. Jack comes back into view, but he's still looking up the beach. This was not an "interior pov shot" after all, which is further confirmed by the fact that Jack does not appear to have registered the screams... and even more disorienting, his position relative to the camera has changed. Now he hears the screams, and rushes off down the beach to the airplane wreckage.

What are we to make of this? Whoever is narrating the story has access to sights and sounds available to Jack, but at the subconscious level. As it turns out, it's not just Jack's "information" that's available to this covert narrator, but anyone who is on the Island. Uncannily, other types of information become available to the characters, through mysterious Island processes - namely, dreams and visions. What the characters know and experience becomes the foundation for the building blocks of the story.

Who has access to this information, how is this information "stored", and who is putting together this mosaic? The covert narrator, who at once strains to keep his or her voice undetected, and yet who continues to feed us clues about the great Island mystery. And believe you me, we are being fed clues.

More evidence for covert narration comes from the disparity between certain "clues" and the lack of registration of these clues on the part of the characters. They've been coming fast and furious for years. We get a privileged view of Emily Locke's driver's license in Deus Ex Machina, which depicts contradictory information. Likewise the charts depicting the return of cancer to Juliet's sister Rachel. The "Magnetic Resonance Imagining" sign in Born To Run. Over time, these small flashes - splices, even - begin to add up. They demonstrate a "narrative voice" which is trying to tell us something without revealing itself.

Covert Intentions

Why? Why would the narrator of our small opera strive to remain covert? Typically in cinema, it's an attempt to minimize if not eliminate a narrational voice in the first place, to the give the spectator the sense of "being in the moment," observing the events depicted from optimal or interesting points of view, to let "the events speak for themselves." But in Lost, it's possible if not likely that every "convention" in storytelling has its roots in the "storyverse" of the Island. I believe such is the case with Lost's covert narrator.

So, to ask the question again, why is the narration of Lost covert? This may tie in to the question of "who" the covert narrator is as well. Of all the "characters" we've seen in Lost so far, who seems to have access to the private and even subconscious thoughts of our characters? Who has been striving to remain hidden? And who seems to be asking for help? Our covert narrators are a combination of The Island herself, and Jacob in his chair. The Island is the "media" of the narration, recording the events as they transpire, and rewriting over previous events as new choices are made in subseqent iterations, maintaining if not imposing a linearity on our story. Whether this is because the Island does not want to expose its own circularity, or because it "believes" that such circularity is beyond our ken has yet to be ascertained.

On the other hand, we have Jacob, who exposes the thoughts of our characters, all the while giving them the opportunity to change their pasts. Jacob might be the "editor" of our little play, inserting clues that hopefully are not recognized by the Island herself. While the Island desires to remain hidden (it's in the Island's own self-interests not to be colonized and exploited) Jacob is stuck in his chair, desperate for freedom. The cry for help Locke hears was not just for him, but a breach of the 4th wall itself - it's a cry to us to help finish the story, release Jacob from his prison, and set the Island free.

Great post, jane! I especially like the use of the word "ken." How do you think the shots that are apparently from Vincent's POV tie in?

On the other hand, we have Jacob, who exposes the thoughts of our characters, all the while giving them the opportunity to change their pasts. Jacob might be the "editor" of our little play, inserting clues that hopefully are not recognized by the Island herself. While the Island desires to remain hidden (it's in the Island's own self-interests not to be colonized and exploited) Jacob is stuck in his chair, desperate for freedom. The cry for help Locke hears was not just for him, but a breach of the 4th wall itself - it's a cry to us to help finish the story, release Jacob from his prison, and set the Island free.


Very nice. I'm in full support of Jacob playing the 'covert narrator'.

Jacob's abilities and effect on the people on the Island were the main focus for seasons 3 & 4 and when we didn't learn anything at all about who Jacob is, it became clear to me that Jacob is the central character that everyone is reacting to. His presence on the Island may not cause all of the Islands' properties but it certainly makes it a much more interesting place. Dharma, the Others and the Black Rock etc, were all drawn to the Island to help Jacob. They stayed because they were amazed as to what they found.

Jacob does need help, not just to save himself but the earth as a whole.

Jacob is imprisoned in the Island and must be freed before 108 days is up. Think of his prison just as the bear cages were to Sawyer. He can see and communicate through the bars, sustain himself with a couple of button pushes and yet can't leave. Sawyer had a bomb "in" him in the cage, perhaps the same might be true of Jacob, just a lot bigger.

Very nice. I'm in full support of Jacob playing the 'covert narrator'.

Jacob's abilities and effect on the people on the Island were the main focus for seasons 3 & 4 and when we didn't learn anything at all about who Jacob is, it became clear to me that Jacob is the central character that everyone is reacting to. His presence on the Island may not cause all of the Islands' properties but it certainly makes it a much more interesting place. Dharma, the Others and the Black Rock etc, were all drawn to the Island to help Jacob. They stayed because they were amazed as to what they found.

When Ben looks straight at the camera at the end of Season 4, he addresses Jacob.

100%
Great post, jane! I especially like the use of the word "ken." How do you think the shots that are apparently from Vincent's POV tie in?

They suggest that Vincent has consciousness. Which, as all dog lovers know, is absolutely true!

Nice post, jane_eire!

When Ben looks straight at the camera at the end of Season 4, he addresses Jacob.

My thought exactly when read through the first post. It also implies that Ben understands Jacob's island omniscience better than anyone.

I also makes me think of Locke saying to Jack about the Orientation film "We're going to have to watch that again." It would be particularly ironic if either Jack or Locke turn out to be Jacob.

When Lost ends, it's the story-telling innovations, not the answers, that will be fondly remembered.
100%
Another thought. How does Jacob access the flash-forwards? Theories?

Another thought. How does Jacob access the flash-forwards? Theories?

The answer was contained in the room 23 brainwashing video: "Only fools are enslaved by time and space." I suspect that Jacob is like Mrs. Hawking, and to a much lesser degree Desmond, in that his consciousness is not tethered to a single "now". I think that Jacob may be different in that he isn't able to "corporalize" into a physical body, perhaps trapped by the strange temporal properties of Craphole Island. . . hence the "help me" comment.

Great post, jane!

I'm curious as to why you refer to the Island as a female. Do you suppose there has to be some sort of balance with Jacob as the "male" in the "relationship," or have you seen other clues to point in this direction?

It will be interesting to rewatch early episodes with this new revelation...

It would be particularly ironic if either Jack or Locke turn out to be Jacob.

Well, you know one of them won't be!

Locke has them in his head (http://www.lostpedia.com/images/3/37/Lockeyeblackwhite.jpg), Jack has them in his hands (http://www.lostpedia.com/images/b/bb/Aande_stones.jpg).

Jack has the casting vote, Bentham is present, but not voting.

Another thought. How does Jacob access the flash-forwards? Theories?

The answer was contained in the room 23 brainwashing video: "Only fools are enslaved by time and space." I suspect that Jacob is like Mrs. Hawking, and to a much lesser degree Desmond, in that his consciousness is not tethered to a single "now".

If one is fully present in "Minkowski space," where all of time is present at once as a 4th dimension of space, then all of time is accessible. People lives might look like strings, in fact, which comes around nicely in the tapestry of the Moirae.

However, Lost is a mosaic, not a tapestry. The difference between a digital versus an analog experience. There's some wonderful mosaic art in Mecca, black rockers take note.


I'm curious as to why you refer to the Island as a female. Do you suppose there has to be some sort of balance with Jacob as the "male" in the "relationship," or have you seen other clues to point in this direction?

The Island as a metaphor for Island Earth, which is usually conceived as female, the Great Goddess who gives birth to life quickened by her consort the Sun... I like the balance of polarities, and the... entailments of fertility. Besides, we need more female characters in Lost. And, of all the human characters I associate with the Island, Ms. Hawking comes closest as far as I can tell.

Jack has the casting vote, Bentham is present, but not voting.

Christian: Don't choose, Jack, don't decide. You don't want to be a hero. You don't want to try and save everyone because when you fail... you just don't have what it takes.

If you had those stones, Richard, do you know what you could do if you were on the Island?

Christian: Don't choose, Jack, don't decide. You don't want to be a hero. You don't want to try and save everyone because when you fail... you just don't have what it takes.

If you had those stones, Richard, do you know what you could do if you were on the Island?

I could chose to leave, I could chose to leave because despite what my Father said, or maybe even because of that, I do have what it takes to decide.

:smile:

On the other hand, we have Jacob, who exposes the thoughts of our characters, all the while giving them the opportunity to change their pasts. Jacob might be the "editor" of our little play, inserting clues that hopefully are not recognized by the Island herself. While the Island desires to remain hidden (it's in the Island's own self-interests not to be colonized and exploited) Jacob is stuck in his chair, desperate for freedom. The cry for help Locke hears was not just for him, but a breach of the 4th wall itself - it's a cry to us to help finish the story, release Jacob from his prison, and set the Island free.

So the two sides of the game that are frequently referred to could be the tension between Jacob and the island, between being lost to the outside world (white) and being found (black).

They suggest that Vincent has consciousness. Which, as all dog lovers know, is absolutely true!

Of course, as an animal lover I know he does ;) I just don't recall at the moment ever seeing any shots from any character's POV (at least knowlingly) aside from wildlife. There have been shots close to the POV of a character, but not completely from the POV as far as I remember.

Of course, as an animal lover I know he does ;) I just don't recall at the moment ever seeing any shots from any character's POV (at least knowlingly) aside from wildlife. There have been shots close to the POV of a character, but not completely from the POV as far as I remember.

Internal POV of Vincent comes up in the Missing Piece: So It Begins.

You're right, though, I'm having a hard time remembering many Internal POV shots from the other characters. There are the shots from binoculars, for instance, though not purely iPOV since two overlapping circles are shown, rather than a single one as we "actually" experience when we look through binoculars. The view of Jack getting water in the caves at the end of HOTRS looks like it's from Hurley's POV. Charlie's vision of Saint Clare on the beach in Fire+Water might qualify. And, like you say, certain shots of the trees above as a character wakes up on the jungle floor. Maybe Smoky's approach of Eko in 23rd Psalm? How about Claire's bloody hands (http://gallery.lost-media.com/albums/ep-caps/season1/1x10-raised/normal_raised040.jpg) in the opening scene of Raised By Another?

Great post Jane.

We are being shown bits and pieces brought together from a single source (Jacob/The Eye of the camera). We have seen that the black smoke can infiltrate the memory of a person and that some people seem to be not themselves at times. I wonder how Jacob takes advantage of these times.

Ben speaking directly to Jacob reinforces the idea that Jacob is the eye of the panopticon...perhaps omnipresent. He can infiltrate dreams- perhaps dead bodies too- and yet he can't directly communicate for some reason. Is it because he can't stay around in one place for very long a la Billy Pilgrim/Desmond?

There certainly is a connection here to the dead Dharma bodies (left in an open grave shaped like an eye- one OPEN eye) and time traveling consciousnesses and the new Marvin Candle/Pierre Chang video "Dharma is Dead." How does Chang get this news from the future and who was the video made for?

Internal POV of Vincent comes up in the Missing Piece: So It Begins.

You're right, though, I'm having a hard time remembering many Internal POV shots from the other characters. There are the shots from binoculars, for instance, though not purely iPOV since two overlapping circles are shown, rather than a single one as we "actually" experience when we look through binoculars. The view of Jack getting water in the caves at the end of HOTRS looks like it's from Hurley's POV. Charlie's vision of Saint Clare on the beach in Fire+Water might qualify. And, like you say, certain shots of the trees above as a character wakes up on the jungle floor. Maybe Smoky's approach of Eko in 23rd Psalm? How about Claire's bloody hands (http://gallery.lost-media.com/albums/ep-caps/season1/1x10-raised/normal_raised040.jpg) in the opening scene of Raised By Another?

Yep, I'm convinced we've seen several shots from Smokey's view, as well as Vincent's. Most others you mention are within visions which may be controlled by smokey, which may in turn be controlled by Jacob. Now that you mention the shots of trees above as a character waking up on the jungle floor, I realize I'd forgotten that. With the endless possibilities of Lost, though, I guess it could be argued that you see that as Smokey concedes control back to the character waking up (as smokey potentially took over the character's POV to position them there).

This is something I'll have to keep an eye on more.

Excellent post!

We are being shown bits and pieces brought together from a single source (Jacob/The Eye of the camera). We have seen that the black smoke can infiltrate the memory of a person and that some people seem to be not themselves at times. I wonder how Jacob takes advantage of these times.

Most others you mention are within visions which may be controlled by smokey, which may in turn be controlled by Jacob. Now that you mention the shots of trees above as a character waking up on the jungle floor, I realize I'd forgotten that.

I had been of the opinion that the visions were creations of the characters, a product of their imaginations made manifest by the Island and shown to us via Jacob. The appearance of Christian to people who don't him changes that. Or at least, changes the status of Christian. Christian was someone who'd been to the Island in a previous iteration, and somehow, he was "saved". So he has the opportunity, albeit in a limited capacity, to influence events in later iterations.

Charlie's vision in Fire+Water, out of all them, had some rather unique qualities to it. I think that that was very much a product of his imagination (remember the Baptism of Christ painting from his childhood) and that he was having that vision because he'd drowned trying to save Aaron in a previous iteration. Recorded by the Island, it became available to him in the next iteration, when he did know how to swim.

People who "aren't themselves" are snapshots into earlier iterations, methinks. Like, when Kate doesn't have freckles, she's much more immature and self-centered. Freckled Kate is a "later" iteration of herself, and then she's much more invested in her relationships with the other Losties.

I had been of the opinion that the visions were creations of the characters, a product of their imaginations made manifest by the Island and shown to us via Jacob. The appearance of Christian to people who don't him changes that. Or at least, changes the status of Christian. Christian was someone who'd been to the Island in a previous iteration, and somehow, he was "saved". So he has the opportunity, albeit in a limited capacity, to influence events in later iterations.

Charlie's vision in Fire+Water, out of all them, had some rather unique qualities to it. I think that that was very much a product of his imagination (remember the Baptism of Christ painting from his childhood) and that he was having that vision because he'd drowned trying to save Aaron in a previous iteration. Recorded by the Island, it became available to him in the next iteration, when he did know how to swim.



It seems that Jacob is making the decision on when a character is "done" as in "You can go now Michael?" Is that character then released from the cycle through his/her death? Have they finally played their role exactly as it was set up and finally that piece of the puzzle is fixed or course corrected?

I think it's interesting that whatever knowledge Chang has of the future, it compels him to ask that Dharma be "reconstituted," and he believes the knowldege proves the importance of the Dharma goals.

It seems that Jacob is making the decision on when a character is "done" as in "You can go now Michael?" Is that character then released from the cycle through his/her death? Have they finally played their role exactly as it was set up and finally that piece of the puzzle is fixed or course corrected?

I'm not sure that's Jacob's decision, but I wouldn't rule it out, either.

Let's go back to the character of Michael. Yes, we know the actor portraying him reports disappointment at how it all turned out, suggesting a sort of breach, some "fanboy bloodlust against the traitor" being reflected back to the audience, but I'm not so sure.

First, I do think that Michael was torn up inside about the action he took to rescue his son. We can debate high and low as to whether he acted "morally" or not, whether he was "right" or "wrong", but the fact remains that he killed Ana Lucia and Libby. And I think Michael is the sort of person empathic enough to feel guilty for those deaths, even though he may also feel entirely justified in going to those lengths for his boy.

In such ambiguous territory, Michael would authentically feel the need to redeem himself. That's his primary motivation for getting on that freighter, to go back and do something to help the people he left behind, even to the point of self-sacrifice. I'm not so sure the events portrayed in Meet Kevin Johnson speak the whole truth of what happened - more likely, they portray the truth of the story he told to Sayid and Desmond - a story which I see prevaricating about "the time elapsed" and most likely about Walt (for Walt's protection, of course.) But, I do believe that Michael was genuinely hurting and genuinely seeking redemption.

At the end of TNPLH, Michael finally gets his opportunity. He cyclically freezes the bomb timer (a different sort of "frozen donkey wheel" and evocative of the Dr. Who episode The Armageddon Factor) which gives the people on the freighter the time they need to escape being blown up. But, given Michael's position in the bowels of the ship, he doesn't have any information as to the people he's helping. Christian's arrival, imparting the words, "You can go now," signals to Michael his redemption through self-sacrifice (which is why Christian is particularly apt to deliver the message.) Still, it's a bit strange, for that signal is more communicative to us than it may have been for Michael, given that Michael has no idea who he's talking to.

Now, was this arranged by Jacob, or was it arranged by Christian and the Others? Don't forget, Christian's arrival is preceded by The Whispers, which have also "announced" the arrival of the Others in LTDA, TNPLH, and Harper in The Other Woman. We still don't know what exactly the relationship is between Christian and Jacob, do we? We've seen Christian in the chair, and he's announced that he can "speak for Jacob," but that doesn't mean that that's actually the case.

I suspect that Christian was tapped to deliver the message by Jacob, but not that it was Jacob's decision that Michael's role was finished. Rather, it looks more like a recognition that Michael had fulfilled his need for redemption, and that his time was up given the "physics" of the situation, namely, the imminent ignition of the explosives.

You do your literary 'Uncle Joseph' proud, Janie. What a thought inspiring thread! Are you by any chance a Bennington alum?

You do your literary 'Uncle Joseph' proud, Janie. What a thought inspiring thread! Are you by any chance a Bennington alum?

No. I'm from the University of Michigan. ;)

Christian's arrival, imparting the words, "You can go now," signals to Michael his redemption through self-sacrifice (which is why Christian is particularly apt to deliver the message.) Still, it's a bit strange, for that signal is more communicative to us than it may have been for Michael, given that Michael has no idea who he's talking to.

I'm starting to the think that, away from the island, Michael himself was responsible for his failed suicide attempts. I'm assuming that Jacob has strong physical, as well as mental, control over the environs of the island, even as far out as the freighter, otherwise how could he influence Keamy's gun. But I'm not convinced he is truly able to control physical objects in the outside world. He may instead need to rely on on some sort of mental control: mind-control, post-hynoptic suggestion, whatever.

What is more likely, that Jacob (or Christian, or the island) has the power to prevent death away from island, or that he can mentally influence an individual previously on the island to sabotage his own suicide attempts? Michael may have subconsciously steered his car into a more survivable impact. He may have "seen" that the gun was loaded and remembered loading it, when in fact it was not loaded.

Following this line of thought, on the freighter, Christian may have needed to tell Michael "You can go now" to break this mental control and allow him to die. I seems unlikely that he could have survived the explosion, but given the recoveries that we've seen with Mikhail, Locke, Naomi, Ben, etc, anything's possible. Even if death was inevitable, releasing the control may have allowed Michael peace of mind or redemption right before the end. Since death seems to be different on the island than in the outside world, this release may have been necessary for Michael to attain the after-life or suspended life we've seen from other deceased Losties.

Alternatively and back on the Convert Narrator subject, another possibility just occured to me. Every on-screen death up to Michael's has been witnessed by someone who we suspect is alive and who survives the event. Maybe there is some limit to Jacob's omniscience that requires him to have a someone witness a death in order for it to be "recorded", and subsequently show to the viewer. No living individual would have survived the freighter explosion, so Christian could have been standing in for this witness.

I'm starting to the think that, away from the island, Michael himself was responsible for his failed suicide attempts.

Someone else - I think it was MikeNY or EricGunn - brought into the discussion an article about "quantum suicide." The article described how a suicide attempt based on a quantum-level probability would always fail, due to some sort of "observer" problem. I don't quite understand it myself, but it goes along with another of my notions that quantum physics is being played out before our eyes metaphorically through the characters. Michael can't commit suicide because he's a part of a quantum system. If any improbable avenue exists for the single observer to keep observing, the observer lives.


Alternatively and back on the Convert Narrator subject, another possibility just occured to me. Every on-screen death up to Michael's has been witnessed by someone who we suspect is alive and who survives the event. Maybe there is some limit to Jacob's omniscience that requires him to have a someone witness a death in order for it to be "recorded", and subsequently show to the viewer. No living individual would have survived the freighter explosion, so Christian could have been standing in for this witness.Yes! Oh, this is wonderful, Enchanter! "Live together, die alone." If you die alone, without a witness, then the possibility exists to avert the death in the first place. Witnesses are part of the "security system" of the Island. Without a witness, one's Island state is undetermined, unverified, and hence open to all kinds of other "improbabilities." Very nice. This is probably why The Whispers make sure sure they go unobserved.

Jacob isn't omniscient. He only has access to the observations that have been made on the Island. That is why every shot on the Island is representative of someone's point-of-view. Jacob, through the Island, can only know what other consciousnesses know.

Fer cryin' out loud, my reply got lost in cyberspace...that darn Smokey......:mad:

Anyways Jane, I had some ideas to toss around, but you'll have to wait another day.
Was nice reading you again Jane!

Eric

I'm not sure I like this notion Locke has of killing Jacob, given he's one of our narrators.

Love this thread and concepts of the narrator, which I personally believe is the Island itself, within certain limitations.

First, it appears the Island, as both entity and sentient character in its own story, is limited in communicating with humans, who in turn may be perceived as exploiting, studying, appreciating or destroying it. Needing intermediaries as defense mechanisms [Smokey]; interlocutors and agents [Richard; Ben] and feedback [gossip systems], please be kind as I skate out onto the very thin ice.

1. Less has been said of native atavism in lore than has been mentioned about Egyptian connections, so how about the whisperers being spirits of Island dead oohing and aahing about stimuli missed; observations not made; behavior[s] at odds with ambience and stimuli [or prudent motivation].

2. Tree spirits, grass spirits have been conjured in human societies globally since Man discovered the benefits of cultivation and agriculture. Spirit gods have been created accordingly.

3. On July 16, 1940, a particular faavorite all-time singing group of mine, The Ink Spots, cut their first version of the song provided in the attachment, Whispering Grass. It's an oldie, but a goodie and a fond recollection of my childhood.

Bottom line: I see the Island, assisted by Smoky & the Whisperers as our collective narrator. Jacob I see as a trapped and restrained creature, human, ghost, holographic projection or hypnotic hallucination, one restrained because either the Island is evil and he "it" is presented as a saviour; or, the Island behaves in it own best interests, consistent with what we would deem natural impulse; and Jacob is a potentially destructive element.

Anyhow, here's the song ... hoping the link takes:

http://new.music.yahoo.com/ink-spots/tracks/whispering-grass--206868734

Once upon a time, I said I wanted to expose the man behind the curtain.

The primary skill employed by wisdom is keeping silence.

Once upon a time, I said I wanted to expose the man behind the curtain.

The primary skill employed by wisdom is keeping silence.

In all sincerity, Jane, this observation of yours totally escapes me. I am hard-pressed to figure whether you are flexible in your views on Jacob or chastising me for a link beneath the intellectual level anticipated in the thread.

Not being defensive, here; but my late Dad used to say,"A good silence is better than a bad speech." I've borrowed that on occasion myself.

Have I somehow violated that credo that I respect so much?

In any event, I've spent an hour or more this evening trying to connect dots and establish some hard evidence for bringing holographics & holograms into the realms of Lost's otherwordly beings. I thin I just hit a gold mine, at list a significant vein.

Trying to find advanced education centers for holographic studies. I first came upon Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, a proximate place for our Island. Then Rush University seemed that I was getting colder, with the GE Research Center in Nukayuna, NY warm again, in terms of Eloise Hawking and her swinging pendulum.

Then, POW! The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor! [A brief thumbnail sketch follows]:

In 1946, UM purchases Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, MI to conduct aeronatical research and is assigned to the School of Engineering, founded in 1920. In 1946, the first area of focus is the comprehensive study of V-2 rocketry, so devastating for Hitler in WW II. Through the '50s breakthroughs are made in simulation, computer science, and advanced physics. In 1958 advanced studies in electro-magnetic wave theory and plasmas leads to advanced work into lasers and image projection. By 1961, a conflict between the University and one Professor Siegel, prompts the professor into forming Conductron, a private sector enterprise focusing on holography.

Between 1965-1970, Conductron Holographic Laboratories produced 1,000 holograms for clients like Hoffman LaRoche, General Motors, and creative artists like Richard Wilt and Bruce Nauman. Conductron had also produced over half a million holographic images for the [I]World Book Encyclopedia.

The book cited above refers to Ann Arbor as Holography Capital of the World.

[Jacob? Christian? Mrs. Linus? Charlie?]

In all sincerity, Jane, this observation of yours totally escapes me. I am hard-pressed to figure whether you are flexible in your views on Jacob or chastising me for a link beneath the intellectual level anticipated in the thread.

Not being defensive, here; but my late Dad used to say,"A good silence is better than a bad speech." I've borrowed that on occasion myself.

Have I somehow violated that credo that I respect so much?

Goodness gracious, nanwynnfan, I'm not chastising you! I was chastising myself, on a case of "beware what you wish for."


In any event, I've spent an hour or more this evening trying to connect dots and establish some hard evidence for bringing holographics & holograms into the realms of Lost's otherwordly beings. I thin I just hit a gold mine, at list a significant vein...

POW! The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor!...

...Ann Arbor as Holography Capital of the World.

[Jacob? Christian? Mrs. Linus? Charlie?]

Oh yes, definitely a significant vein. The thing about holograms that fascinates me is how the information for the whole picture is encoded everywhere within the hologram. If you have a hologram of an Island, for example, and you broke off a corner of the picture, your newly broken off piece will also have the entire picture of the Island encoded on it, though it would be smaller. And you broke that piece in half, you'd have two even smaller Islands! And so on and so on.

The patterns at the macro scale are replicated at the micro scale, as well as the human scale. Just like Lost.

I never read spoiler or theories threadboards, but nanwynnfan told me about this one, so I gave it a gander, and I must say that I'm quite impressed with Jane's thesis here. Bravo!

As I was reading about the concept of the Island as being the covert narrator, I kept thinking back repeatedly to the very strange 'clip show' episode that was broadcast in Season One between 01x20 "Do No Harm" and 01x21 "The Greater Good". It is called "Lost: The Journey (http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Lost:_The_Journey)", and it is comprised entirely of a series of clips meant to bring new viewers up to date, but is done through a passive narration in which the narrator keeps asking the audience questions, like: "What would you do if you found yourself on a mysterious island after your plane crashed?", etc.

I've always been intrigued by this episode, because it was such a DIFFERENT way of bringing new viewers up to date. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything on tv like this before. And I've always wondered WHO exactly the narrator was supposed to be.

But while reading through Jane's theory, I kept thinking that "OF COURSE!" the narrator of "Lost: The Journey" must be the ISLAND! It's a prime example of the covert narrator! AND - it definitely fits the idea that the narrator must be someone or something that knows stuff going on that the characters themselves do not know or are not aware of.

So, I think this theory fits very well with explaining something that's been bugging me for a long time. Way to go, Jane!

Love it. And Go Blue Jane!


Since Locke's comments to Richard and Ben about killing Jacob - I felt as though Locke is not only capable of hearing Jacob, but now can communicate directly with the Island.

I am in the boat with those thinking of the Island as sentient, and as a narrator.

Hey Jane -- must have missed this thread originally. I really like the way you've put this all together.

Let me play devil's advocate for a moment. The conceit of an "omniscient narrator" is well-established in fiction. In film and tv, it's not uncommon for characters within a drama that is narrated this way to nevertheless be given their own flashbacks, from their own POV -- or even non-flashback episodes or scenes where a more limited POV is present for a time.

I'm trying to understand what distinguishes what we've seen on Lost from this, and suggests a covert narrator that is actually a character? Your example of showing the viewer information that the characters don't catch also seems fairly standard in tv and film, and not particularly at odds with an "omniscient narrator". And while you ascribe an "intent" to Jacob as narrator to provide us with such clues, isn't that just the intent of the producers/directors/writers?

Most of your examples are keyed into flashbacks -- are you saying Jacob may be covertly narrating the whole show, or just the flashbacks? You stated that

Jacob isn't omniscient. He only has access to the observations that have been made on the Island. That is why every shot on the Island is representative of someone's point-of-view. Jacob, through the Island, can only know what other consciousnesses know.

...which would tend to suggest that it's only the on-island scenes, and flashbacks (taken from a character's memory once they're on the island) -- the off-island scenes of the O6 thus could not have been narrated by Jacob, unless the narration is occurring sometime in the future (our present?), once the O6 returned to the island and could have their minds' tapped into again about those experiences. Which, by the way, would mean that Charles Widmore and/or Eloise Hawking have to come back to the island, since there was that scene with just the two of them.

I for one would love the idea of the show being narrated by someone who is powerful but not omniscient, but I think what we'd need to look for is evidence of the real limits of the narrator's omniscience, which would give us a better idea of who it is.

As an aside, how would this work for a creepy final scene of the series: Jacob (in his Christian form or otherwise) simply turns to the camera with no other characters on-screen, and says "Help me..."

I'm beginning to see that there are many men behind the curtain.

Since Locke's comments to Richard and Ben about killing Jacob - I felt as though Locke is not only capable of hearing Jacob, but now can communicate directly with the Island.

I am in the boat with those thinking of the Island as sentient, and as a narrator.

And that might be why the Island needs Jacob. See, the Island has a very different embodiment than we do. Our brains are pretty much wired to understand the world in a particular way, especially with the experience of "linear time". Linear time is an entailment of how we experience moving through space. We also have notions of self and other, on account of there being more than one of us.

Well, there may be only one Island, even if she has two sides. And the Island doesn't understand time like we do, which is also an entailment of how it interacts with the rest of the Universe. So there's that. It's like a random-access memory bank, in a way, as it sees time.

So, how does the Island communicate with these pesky critters that crawl all over it? Smoky might be one way, a sort of auto-immune response, if you will. Jacob, that may be another attempt, either on Her part or on ours (or both) to create some kind of communion such that the Island's experience - herstory - can be translated into terms we might be capable of comprehending.

I wonder if the experience held in common is trauma.


I'm trying to understand what distinguishes what we've seen on Lost from this, and suggests a covert narrator that is actually a character? Your example of showing the viewer information that the characters don't catch also seems fairly standard in tv and film, and not particularly at odds with an "omniscient narrator". And while you ascribe an "intent" to Jacob as narrator to provide us with such clues, isn't that just the intent of the producers/directors/writers?

Jacob may be telling the story to our creative production staff, who then have to translate it onto the screen for us to grok.


Most of your examples are keyed into flashbacks -- are you saying Jacob may be covertly narrating the whole show, or just the flashbacks?...

...the on-island scenes, and flashbacks (taken from a character's memory once they're on the island) -- the off-island scenes of the O6 thus could not have been narrated by Jacob, unless the narration is occurring sometime in the future (our present?), once the O6 returned to the island and could have their minds' tapped into again about those experiences. Which, by the way, would mean that Charles Widmore and/or Eloise Hawking have to come back to the island, since there was that scene with just the two of them.

Well, as far as the Island is concerned, it doesn't matter "when" something occurs off-Island. Everything and anything off-Island can be connected by the whoosh, as can events on the Island as well. I wonder if Jacob makes those connections, a sort of director of the Island's orchestra? Or perhaps a sound engineer fiddling with feedback effects on the Island's recording equipment.

Anyways, if you've ever been to the Island, your whole life would be accessible to it, past and future. Since both Widmore and Eloise have been to the Island, they are already covered, so to speak.

The only scenes that have different narrators might be the challahs - the good challah, which happened at the end of season 2 when Penny gets the call, and the questionable challah, which was the beginning of season 4 as Hurley went on his Camaro rampage.

*sigh*

I suppose this theory might fall all apart upon closer scrutiny of Season 5. On the other hand, maybe this is a good thing. Because Jacob may be hindering the events through the very act of storytelling, an observer changing the observed. Perhaps a switch in narrators is in order.

If the narration is told from a future time, then other people could have related events to our ultimate narrator--or team of narrators. It could become like a game of telephone, really--your fat old uncle Charlie (Kinks reference) tells the story to someone, who tells the story to someone else, who knew fat old uncle Charlie, so that person can kind of put their own spin on the nature of events from what they knew of good ol' Charlie...and then maybe in telling the story, finds a hat like Uncle Charlie's and changes their voice to let the audience know what it was like to speak with Uncle Charlie...and even further removed, what if then the narrators' kids than tell this story to their kids...?

Perhaps a switch in narrators is in order.

Maybe our next primary narrator will be more reliable? Or at least give us a different point of view...we have so many narrators on LOST, that is difficult to say if there is "one" ultimate narrator. I wonder if thinking Jacob was the covert narrator was a mistake all along--that Jacob is just a key character that the Island grabbed as a possible "narrator." I mean, it seems most of our characters have some authorship over their own stories, whatever that is worth.

If the narration is told from a future time, then other people could have related events to our ultimate narrator--or team of narrators.

Well, we know they unearthed some of those moldy Dharma videos. That may be where they got the idea in the first place. I dunno, I kinda like the idea that the Island is sending them these images.


Maybe our next primary narrator will be more reliable? Or at least give us a different point of view...we have so many narrators on LOST, that is difficult to say if there is "one" ultimate narrator. I wonder if thinking Jacob was the covert narrator was a mistake all along--that Jacob is just a key character that the Island grabbed as a possible "narrator." I mean, it seems most of our characters have some authorship over their own stories, whatever that is worth.

Well, that authorship stems from the narrative conventions, I would think. And that makes me wonder if the conventions were established by the Island, or if they were established by Jacob. Both, maybe. Through Jacob the Island has come to learn of our linearity, which confuses her, I think, as she knows circles much better (why would an Island ever need to learn a line?)

The unreliability of our covert narration is a blessing, though. That's how we can come to understand the real workings of time.