BrothaJefe316
05-04-2008, 05:32 PM
With the appearance of a certain C.S. Lewis on the show this season, people have started to notice the parallels between LOST and the Narnia books.
Those parallels are there, to be sure, but what if we're missing the intended allusion here and the presence of a C.S. Lewis is meant to also draw our attention to one of Lewis' other works, The Great Divorce? This episode really made me think of it, with the talk of them being in Heaven, the appearance of Christian Shephard (another C.S.), and the possibility (which is starting to make more sense to me, although I'm not sold on it) that Claire is already dead.
The Great Divorce is a story about heaven and hell. Lewis explains in the preface to the book that he does not intend it as a work of Christian theology or eschatology, rather an allegory about life. The main thrust of the narrative points to the notion that whether one is destined for heaven or hell, they've already been there all along, throughout their life on earth, on the physical plane. Heaven and hell aren't a future thing but here and now. In that sense, heaven and hell are really the same place - what makes it either heaven or hell for each individual is how that individual chooses to live and respond to life.
I am not a fan of the theory that they are *literally* in some form of afterlife, be it heaven, hell, purgatory, or whatever. I think Hurley is in fact delusional in this episode (at least regarding the idea that they're dead and in heaven).
But throughout the series (and my examples are by no means exhaustive - there are likely many more) especially lately, notice how some have compared their surroundings - either on- or off-Island - to heaven or hell - Cooper in the brig of the Black Rock, Hurley in this past episode, Sawyer doesn't call the Island heaven in Eggtown, but he definitely gives a utopian picture of life on the Island - they have power, water, food, etc. etc.... all of their needs are met, which is quite a heavenly state of living.
And so perhaps the repeated references to heaven and hell and whatnot are not meant to be literal inferences to some sort of "they're all dead, in heaven, in purgatory, or wherever" theory, but perhaps they're a shout out to an excellent piece of writing - lesser known than Narnia - by C.S. Lewis.
Those parallels are there, to be sure, but what if we're missing the intended allusion here and the presence of a C.S. Lewis is meant to also draw our attention to one of Lewis' other works, The Great Divorce? This episode really made me think of it, with the talk of them being in Heaven, the appearance of Christian Shephard (another C.S.), and the possibility (which is starting to make more sense to me, although I'm not sold on it) that Claire is already dead.
The Great Divorce is a story about heaven and hell. Lewis explains in the preface to the book that he does not intend it as a work of Christian theology or eschatology, rather an allegory about life. The main thrust of the narrative points to the notion that whether one is destined for heaven or hell, they've already been there all along, throughout their life on earth, on the physical plane. Heaven and hell aren't a future thing but here and now. In that sense, heaven and hell are really the same place - what makes it either heaven or hell for each individual is how that individual chooses to live and respond to life.
I am not a fan of the theory that they are *literally* in some form of afterlife, be it heaven, hell, purgatory, or whatever. I think Hurley is in fact delusional in this episode (at least regarding the idea that they're dead and in heaven).
But throughout the series (and my examples are by no means exhaustive - there are likely many more) especially lately, notice how some have compared their surroundings - either on- or off-Island - to heaven or hell - Cooper in the brig of the Black Rock, Hurley in this past episode, Sawyer doesn't call the Island heaven in Eggtown, but he definitely gives a utopian picture of life on the Island - they have power, water, food, etc. etc.... all of their needs are met, which is quite a heavenly state of living.
And so perhaps the repeated references to heaven and hell and whatnot are not meant to be literal inferences to some sort of "they're all dead, in heaven, in purgatory, or wherever" theory, but perhaps they're a shout out to an excellent piece of writing - lesser known than Narnia - by C.S. Lewis.