The Monster and the “Visions” of Dead/Imaginary People
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By IOIIOOO
- The Monster and the “Visions” of Dead/Imaginary People
- Created: Jun 9, 2006
- Last updated: Mar 6, 2008
- After episode: 2.18: Dave
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
If the monster is some sort of “security system” and can see what’s in someone’s thoughts, then it seems reasonable, at least in so far as anything on LOST is reasonable, that it might take the appearance of something on a character’s mind.
— IOIIOOO
In the last podcast of the season, Damon and Carlton mention that it’s possible we’ve seen the monster this season at times we didn’t even know it. We know from the Eko episode that the smoke monster can likely somehow see thoughts, as it flashed within the monster images from Eko’s life. We also know that people on the island have seen people that shouldn’t be there - in Jack’s case his dead father and in Hurley’s case his imaginary friend. While it might be assumed that they were just imagining seeing things, both Kate and Sawyer saw and touched Kate’s horse.
If the monster is some sort of “security system” and can see what’s in someone’s thoughts, then it seems reasonable, at least in so far as anything on LOST is reasonable, that it might take the appearance of something on a character’s mind.
That’s why when Jack’s thoughts were heavily on his father, his father is how the monster appeared to him. When Hurley’s thoughts were heavily on food, the monster appeared to him as Dave - the imaginary character that always drove him to eat. And when Kate’s mind was on her past with her father, it appeared to her as the horse.
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurley | Hugo “Hurley” Reyes | 2.18, 2.4, 1.18, 4.1, 4.12 | 500 |
| Jack | Jack Shephard | 1.1, 1.5, 2.11, 1.11, 1.16, 1.20, 3.9, 3.22, 3.1, 4.10, 4.12, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1340 |
| Kate | Katherine “Kate” Austen | 3.6, 1.2, 1.3, 2.9, 1.12, 1.16, 1.22, 3.15, 4.4, 4.12 | 661 |
| Sawyer | James “Sawyer” Ford | 3.4, 2.3, 2.6, 2.13, 1.16, 3.10 | 418 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.18 | Dave | 4-5-2006 | Hurley | 118 |
| 2.9 | What Kate Did | 11-30-2005 | Kate | 90 |
| 1.5 | White Rabbit | 10-20-2004 | Jack | 124 |
As of tonight’s episode, where Eko sees his brother (who tells him that he’s not his brother) and then is killed by the smoke-monster, this theory appears to be proven.
It appears to be able to see the castaway thoughts. So I guess the bigger question is what is the smoke? Any idea there Jason?
I once read a book about a similar smoke monster type thing, and it basically was a reflection of your life, both the good and the bad. The reason people are afraid of it is because they don’t want to remember certain aspects of their life, or possibly they can’t because living through them again will be too much for them. That could explain why people keep seeing others from the past on the island, and why some people have died from the black monster.
I once read a book about a similar smoke monster type thing, and it basically was a reflection of your life, both the good and the bad. The reason people are afraid of it is because they don’t want to remember certain aspects of their life, or possibly they can’t because living through them again will be too much for them. That could explain why people keep seeing others from the past on the island, and why some people have died from the black monster.
Very possible indeed, especially since now we have so many more examples of this: people who hallucinate or see people who are but shouldn’t be there have all encountered the smoke beforehand.
Also, in the latest episode of Season 3 - The Brigg, Cooper seems to talk differently to Locke and Sawyer - the southern accent is much more prominent when talking to Sawyer — almost as if he’s picking up on how Sawyer will have imagined him…
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