Questions Walkabout raised about Locke

[roar822]

Even though Walkabout revealed his backstory to me Locke is still the most enigmatic character on the island. I keep wondering:

What was wrong with his legs and why did crashing on the island heal his paralysis?

We know now that he's not a 'bad guy', but just how mentally stable is he? (He went hunting by himself for a wild boar, one of the most vicious animals on Earth, with nothing but a knife. Yeah, he won, but that was a little nuts.)

Did he see the giant creature? The look on his face as it approached him indicates he did, but if that's the case why isn't he talking about it? For that matter, if he did; why is he still alive?

[wharf rat]

How do we know he is not a bad guy? We don't know the whole story yet. Maybe he "did something" in his military or undercover job that was not so good? And I don't think he saw the 'monster' , just the trees move... I know I would have that shocked look if the trees in front of me moved like that! :eek

[roar822]

I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Based on his flashback I don't think we have any reason to think Locke is any more a bad guy then any of the other characters. In other words, he may or may not be a 'good' person, but based on his flashbacks I didn't get the feeling that he was a bad guy in the sense of being part of a conspiracy responsible for or knowing more then anyone else about the island and what is going on there. Of course, I could be wrong. Not knowing for sure is one of the things that makes this show so much fun.

[railwaymadness]

I can't believe that Locke is a bad guy. Something about the orange peel smile just screams "socially inept guy trying really hard to do the right thing" to me. Admittedly, we don't know it, wharf rat, but it just doesn't feel right to me.

Then again, I'm not sure we'll be dealing with any real "bad guys". I recently saw Adam Baldwin and Nathan Fillion discussing their villain roles. They said that the key to those characters is to remember that they believe they are the heroes. Nobody thinks he's evil. To go to extremes, even Hitler probably thought he was doing the right thing. He was criminal and insane, but he really thought he was going to make the world a better place.

Locke is somewhat unhinged (a phone-sex girl? that's not really in touch with reality) in regular society. But it seems like on the island he's more in touch than anyone else. The boar may have been questionable judgement, but what does he really have to lose? He's already gotten more than he thought would ever be possible when he got on that plane -- he's gotten to walk and to go into the wild. He's gotten to prove to himself and others that he is worthwhile. But a man without fear is a dangerous man indeed.

Ooooh. I like him more all the time!

As for the giant creature, sadly I'm at a loss. Current whacked-out theory is that he's been possessed by the spirit of the beast!!!one!11!

[seraphism]

I'd have to say judging more on my knowledge of writing than any clues given by characters that locke is still my main pick for a possible bad guy. We were supposed to think it at the start, they made him the obvous choice but then they make him a cripple and suddenly none of us can believe he's bad? i don't know could almost be a device just to throw us off the trail you know.

[Lost One]

I dont think Locke is really a 'Bad Guy'. I thought the way they led up to fact that he may be a bad guy just reflective of the person he is. He wants others to believe he is a man of mystery, and the set up for his character showed that.

[Lothiriel of Rohan]

Hmmm....I don't think Locke wants people to believe he is a "man of mystery" but rather a knowledgeable and experienced survivalist who can help them get through this ordeal of having crashed on an island. He wants to be a contributing member of society respected for his knowledge, ability and courage. He wants to help people through their personal and interpersonal problems whether it is Michael's estranged relationship with his Walt, Jack's confrontation with his past and his father's death, and later Charlie's problem with drugs.

By killiing the boar he gained respect and admiration for his courage and ability to help the others eat/survive. He will do more along these lines I suspect as the adventure continues. :D :D

[Brian]

Bumping to show that some folks had Lockes character nailed from the very beginning!

Sorry for the runaway bumping of old threads, it's just nice to know that there were those here months before me who thought just as I did/do now going on a year later!

Check out the dates on the threads I've bumped! Most didn't survive the EZ-Hack but some, such as this one, did.

[Dallard]

Leut.... Good eye!

[Brian]

I try RX300! :lol I try.

Locke isn't a bad guy at all and it was refreshing to read some of the voices from the past!

[LostInWilderness]

Locke is not bad at all. But he's extremely vulnerable, and obviously dangerous, whether he wants to be or not.

[Brian]

I couldn't agree more, LIW!

[sgtdraino]

Locke is definitely enigmatic, and I think the writers have tried hard to keep him that way. I think they want viewers to have at least some doubts about Locke, to maintain the possiblility that he MIGHT be bad, deranged, whatever, because it makes the character more interesting. And ultimately writers can do whatever they want. They could decide tomorrow to suddenly make him evil. I hope they don't, though!

Based on all the evidence that we've seen to date, I think the worst thing that can possibly be said about Locke, is that he may be "deluded." By this, I mean that Locke has absolute faith in the island. However, I'm not sure that "the island's" motivations are necessarily good. It's always possible the island could be pulling a "Cooper," and is simply tricking Locke into doing what it wants.

But as for Locke's own personal motivations, I think he said it best himself, in "Adrift:"

"I'm doing what's best for all of us."

He may not always be right, but I do believe that ever since the crash, Locke tries to do whatever he thinks is best for the Lostaways as a whole. Many of our mainstays he's tried to help individually:

Jack to take on a leadership role, in White Rabbit.
Charlie to kick drugs, in The Moth
Boone to let go of his sister obsession, in Hearts and Minds
Shannon to start a relationship with Sayid, in ...In Translation
Claire gets a birthday crib, in Numbers
Michael and Walt to bond, via finding Vincent, in Tabula Rasa
Sawyer to let go of his guilt, in Outlaws
Stops Jin from getting beaten by Michael, in ...In Translation
Sayid gets a compass, in Hearts and Minds

Some speculate that Locke does these things so people will be in his debt, and that he's building a group of followers in order to eventually take over from Jack. I don't see that at all. In fact, even though Locke does have some leadership qualities, he has shown no motivation to take on that role. He is pretty firm about doing his own thing regardless of what others say, but he rarely if ever gives orders to other people.

There are some other interesting things about the character: While Locke does have an air of danger about him, and Walt describes him as a "warrior," he hasn't actually demonstrated much of an inclination towards combat. We know he can hunt a boar like nobody's business, but can he fight? Good question, we've never seen him (unless you count those pictures of a Locke versus Ethan fight scene we never got to see). In fact, compared to many of the other main characters on the show, Locke is one of the least violent, but in his present and his past.

Locke also doesn't seem to be able to directly help his fellow Lostaways in crisis situations. He offers good advice, and helps track on occasion, but rarely renders direct aid. A few examples:

Failed to track Ethan, in All The Best Cowboys
Was not the one to capture/subdue Ethan, in Homecoming
Was not the one to subdue Desmond in Orientation

And in other situations, whenever the Lostaways are attacked or otherwise in trouble, Locke generally tends to be elsewhere. I'm not saying he avoids action on purpose, I just find it interesting that, while he definitely maintains an air of confidence under pressure, we still have not actually seen him "in battle," actually fighting.

[Brian]

Sgt Draino*,

Excellent analysis and I don't have any quips with it other than to say I agree! You appear to have been around long enough that I'll dispense with the normal welcoming pleasantries.

After reading your bio, I might suggest that you be on the lookout for 16L43. He's also a law enforcement officer and amazes me every time he posts. He's rather sporadic in posting due to his schedule, something I'm sure you'd appreciate.

If/when you find the time, I'd like to informally introduce you to some of his best posts in the I'd like to share...... (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm22.showMes sage?topicID=769.topic) thread.

Welcome aboard and sorry to everyone else for threadjacking! :)

[LostInWilderness]

No doubt Locke would lead the lemmings off the cliff it was "best for all." Locke did not have that same obsession before the hatch. I agree that Locke's basic personality is too do good, but his newfound obsession changed the execution (so to speak) of that drive to do good. He went from helpful Spirit Guide to dangerous evangelist after he encountered the hatch with no change in his drive to "do good."

[Brian]

LIW,

Agreed! Great response!

[sono di sf]

I believe that Locke was only temporarily confined to the wheelchair while recovering from the kidney surgery.
I think that he walks now on the island because he could always walk.

[Hodgepodge]

Sono di sf, let me welcome you to Lost-TV. I'm sure you're going to enjoy the community. Make sure to read the Welcome forum, it's easy to get lost. Now to your post.


I believe that Locke was only temporarily confined to the wheelchair while recovering from the kidney surgery.
I think that he walks now on the island because he could always walk.Well, according to the transcripts from Walkabout. Locke tells the tour agent. "My condition is not an issue. I've lived with it for 4 years. It's never kept me from doing anything." Also, from the episode Deus Ex Machina. When Boone wants to turn back because Locke is finding it harder to walk. "I was in a wheelchair. Paralyzed for 4 years. The plane -- our plane -- I was in that chair when we took off. But not after we crashed."

And again, :welcome:

[wordsmith321]

Just some thoughts from a newcomer to this site:

1.) Locke seems to be as little or as much of a "bad guy" as the other major characters. One of the primary themes explored in the show thus far has been the incredible duality in human nature: ex. Eko being both a vicious murderer and a pious priest, Ana-Lucia being almost pathologically violent yet worried about the weak and helpless; Jack being an effective leader yet something of a control freak; Kate a real sweetheart when she isn't blowing people up. I suspect we will find out that all the characters have some major skeletons in thier closets.
2.) No matter what the real cause of Locke's paralysis was, the rapidity of his healing indicates there was a supernormal element to it. Even if his paralysis was due to psychomatic issues there would have nonetheless been significant atrophy of the leg muscles during the years (4 by his own count I believe) he was in the wheelchair.
3.) I continue to wonder if the name "John Locke" indicates a similarity between the character and the Enlightenment philosopher of the same name. I am still exploring this possibility.
4.) O' Quinn's role in the 1990s Fox show "Millennium" seems to parallel that of Locke in many ways. As I recall he played a shadowy figure in that show, a member of a secret society which was both good and evil at the same time.

My own favorite theory about what is happening on the island was debunked in the article appearing on this day's front cover of USA Today (the producers have officially said they're not in Purgatory) so I am back to square one at this point. I still lean towards the belief that the passengers were each placed on the island in order to work through their own personal demons. Am I right? Only time will tell. In the meantime comments are welcome.

[LostInWilderness]

Welcome to the board wordsmith321. Please read the guidelines in the welcome forum and join in.

Be careful posting what TPTB say without a spoiler warning - a lot of things they say about the show are considered spoilers. You can find out more about that in the T&S guidelines.