LOST Rewind: White Rabbit

[CrimsonRabbit]

Welcome to the LOST Rewind for Episode 1x05, "White Rabbit".

*The events of this episode track very closely with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. (Steps also provided by Jane_Eris here and adapted for this episode):

Call To Adventure
- Jack sees his father.

Reluctance
- Jack doesn't want to tell anyone what to do now that the water has run out

First Threshold
- Jack follows Christian into the jungle and nearly falls off a cliff

Aid/Mentorship
- Locke saves him and then counsels him (more below)

Trials
- Jack questions what he sees but continues following Christian through the forrest

Innermost Cave
- the Caves

Boon
- The Water

Ordeal
- Finding the empty coffin

Return
- He returns to the beach, tells everyone about the water and the caves and fully accepts his leadership role.

Such a close following of the structure was clearly intentional. Perhaps it was TPTB's unsubtle way of stamping Jack "The Hero". What's interesting here is TPTB linking two very different narrative structures together. I've talked with a friend of mine who's received a master's in children's literature and she tells me Alice in Wonderland is considered the complete opposite of the Hero's Journey, it's a "Girl's Adventure" which follows it's own nonsense logic. I've only (just) read Through the Looking Glass and completely agree.

*How is Boone's notion of being a hero different that Jack's? Why does Boone so desperately want to be the hero himself?

*Who is Joanna? Rhetorical question: Did she resolve her issues as so many other characters who later die on the Island did?

*What would have happened if Jack had found Christian's body? Would he have accepted his leadership role? How does not finding Christian's body lead him to accepting leadership of the Losties?

*Was Christian the monster? What evidence is there for and against it?

*Two odd lines that have always stuck out at me: Sayid saying, "She understands me!" when told to stop yelling at Sun and Sawyer saying, "I made this birthday wish four years ago," to kate while she's on top of him.

*Locke tells Jack, "A leader can't lead until he knows where he's going." Discuss this in the context of what Jack's tatoos mean, "He walks among us, but he is not one of us." Can one lead and be a part of the group he or she leads at the same time? Or must a leader always be separated on some level from those he or she leads? How is that demonstrated within this episode?

*Upon first viewing one gets the impression that Christian is so hard on Jack because he's a hard man or just a hard drunk. But notice: Christian starts warning Jack to not be a leader because "When you fail..." and then doesn't complete the thought. Now think back on Jack's flashforward: Was Jack falling apart because he couldn't handle failure what Christian was trying to warn him about?

[LostIslandBaby]

Jack sees his dead dad on the island. Very much like Ben seeing his dead mother on the island. We thought it was very odd; it turns out that this is a normal occurrence on the island.

[BeLu]

In Christian's speech to young Jack, he seems to equate making choices/decisions with being a hero:
"I had a boy on my table today. I don't know, maybe a year younger than you. He had a bad heart. It got real hairy, real fast. Everybody's looking at your old man to make decisions. And I was able to make those decisions because at the end of the day, after the boy died, I was able to wash my hands and come home to dinner. You know, watch a little Carol Burnett, laugh till my sides hurt. And how can I do that, hmm? And even when I fail, how do I do that, Jack? Because I have what it takes. Don't choose, Jack, don't decide. You don't want to be a hero, you don't try and save everyone because when you fail. . . you just don't have what it takes. "

Granted, heros have to make often very tough decisions and choices... but is that what a hero is, someone who makes a decision? or is it the type of decision, to "try and save everyone"? Jack certainly is always trying to do that - none so clearly as in TTLG, by which point he is making decisions left and right. And of course Charlie is the real hero of that episode and he's acting primarily for Claire and Aaron, not "everyone" (not to discount Hurley and his amazing work in the mystery machine!). Does Christian see himself as a hero? In his mind, is a hero someone who is detatched emotionally, who can wash their hands and laugh at a tv show?

[irish lost fan]

Originally Posted by CrimsonRabbit

*How is Boone's notion of being a hero different that Jack's? Why does Boone so desperately want to be the hero himself?

Boone has always wanted to help people we've seen that throughout his whole time on lost. He tried to help Rose, he went on trek's etc. Even in flashbacks he wanted to help Shannon out by giving her money towards new york and a few years later when she was in "trouble" in australia he came and tried to help her again. Its just who he is in my opinion.
Jack has his own problems that get in the way of him wanting to be a leader. I think Jack's dad was always hard on him like "you can never be a good surgeon" he wouldn't have said it in those words but you know what i mean. His dad constantly putting him down like that would effect him and when he's being treated as a leader he finds it weird because while as a doctor his father always treated him as a subordinate.

Originally Posted by CrimsonRabbit

*Two odd lines that have always stuck out at me: Sayid saying, "She understands me!" when told to stop yelling at Sun

This could be Sayid's good judgement of character. He knew Ben & Mikhail were one of them, he knew Locke lied to him etc. Then again Sayid's rage could be getting in his way like the time his rage blinded him from the truth when he tortured Sawyer over Shannon's inhaler's.

[Hufflepuff]

The way Christian treats Jack causing a huge inferiority complex keeps annoying me no matter how often I watch it. I always wondered why the surgeon seemed to be that disappointed with his son because there doesn´t seem to be an obvious reason for that. Isn´t Jack exactly the kind of son every father could be proud of?
Being very fond of supernatural as well as conspiracy theories I thought Christian might be deeply involved in DHARMA or whoever is the might behind. Perhaps he had some kind of genetic engineering or such on his child and expected extraordinary abilities? I am convinced that Jack has supernatural abilities, suspected this since the pilot but was convinced after the poker game. Christian couldn´t find out about this because he never took the time to play with his son.
In the light of the flashforward I begin to see Christian a little differently. If (what is very likely) Jack´s desolate condition is a reaction of failure then his father might have known him better than it seems and was trying to protect his son. Jack can´t stand failing to save everybody though he has grown a lot on the island. His decision to let Libby go instead of fighting a lost battle like he did on Boone showed a character development.

[jane_eire]

whispers

[Kate731]

Originally Posted by BeLu

Everybody's looking at your old man to make decisions. And I was able to make those decisions because at the end of the day, after the boy died, I was able to wash my hands and come home to dinner. You know, watch a little Carol Burnett, laugh till my sides hurt. And how can I do that, hmm? And even when I fail, how do I do that, Jack? Because I have what it takes. Don't choose, Jack, don't decide. You don't want to be a hero, you don't try and save everyone because when you fail. . . you just don't have what it takes. "

This has always been an interesting conversation, and really highlights the differences between Christian and Jack. Christian is, in a sense, right about Jack here. According to Christian's definition of "having what it takes" Jack just doesn't cut it. Jack could not do what Christian did, and "wash his hands of it" and forget about it. He becomes involved. Too involved sometimes, and so he is often tortured by the mistakes he makes, even when an objective viewer would say he had done his best (eg. Joanna.) He cannot let himself off the hook.

In this conversation I see Christian's "having what it takes" as NOT being a hero. Not trying to save everyone, but just doing your job without becoming involved in the consequences. This is what it takes to be in a leadership role and keep your sanity. Jack cannot operate this way, as he IS a heroic type.

Originally Posted by CrimsonRabbit

How is Boone's notion of being a hero different that Jack's? Why does Boone so desperately want to be the hero himself?

I don't know how their notions of heroics are different, but the fact is that Boone is not (at least at this point in s1) a natural hero or leader. He buckles under pressure whereas Jack excels under pressure. As an example, compare their actions in the Pilot. Jack jumps into action, keeping a level head, taking command. Boone ends up running all over trying to find a pen that Jack sarcastically asked for- he needs to do something, anything to feel like hes helping, even if he doesn't realize how useless it is.

[Sam G]

White Rabbit is where we see the reversed big dipper????

[jane_eire]

whispers

[Punky]

Originally Posted by jane_eris

White Rabbit makes a nice homage to Hamlet. Check out the scene where Jack pulls the doll out of the water, a drowned Ophelia, who was mad with grief for her own father's death. Jack, like Hamlet, has been haunted by the ghost of his father, and struggles with what is being asked of him. He becomes mad, crazy with rage, when he finds the coffin empty. Not unlike Ophelia, hmm?

Jane - another great post! Love the doll/Ophelia parallel. That was such an eerie scene. I always wondered if there was some significance to the doll in the water -- an homage to Hamlet is pretty cool!