The items Richard showed Locke
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By law558
- The items Richard showed Locke
- Created: May 9, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 3.2: The Glass Ballerina
- Status: Current
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richard asks locke what items are his already. this could have several meanings 1-it’s a physiological test to see if locke is the type of person richard would want to recruit. 2-its got something to do with time travel or timeloops 3-its a test to see if locke is connected with the island.
I think it’s somewhere between 1 and 3. the glass jar of sand (well, I’m assuming that’s what it is) is the first item locke picks. I think the sand is from the island. So either locke already has a strong bond with the island, or literally the island is his. So locke may end up being the long term leader or protector of the island (perhaps replacing jacob at some point).
Next the compass. This could be physiological, to see if locke is a explorer at heart. Something that would be a good trait, if you’re going to be treking through jungles in the future. (before i go on, i’m going to hang myself with 2 comments on the compass. 1 probably reading way too much into it, but it looks like the compass is pointing in a 325 degree bearing. and 2, watch it closely . I swear the compass changes. when richard puts it down its a compass with a lid. You can see what looks like a hinge at the bottom of it. But when john picks it up its got no lid. The only thing i can think of to explain this, is its somehow the same as when the picture frames change for miles. Someone go an get the noose now lol).
Next was the book on laws. Richard looked really excited about this one, but i can’t think of any special reason for it, just that he’d probably want his people to be well educated.
the magazine is probably just a connection to the island, since it reads ‘hidden land’ on the cover.
The knife has me a bit confused. If its physiological, then fair enough you wouldn’t want someone with a violent nature, but the others are hardly innocent. Plus i thought while watching this that the knife symbolised that john was a hunter, which has been a recuring theme with him. And I wouldn’t have thought richard would be disapointed that john was a hunter.
hope this works.
I think the items Richard showed Locke were a paralel to the way the Dalai Lama is discovered each incarnation. Everytime a new Dalai Lama is found, he must identify items which belonged to his last incarnation. This scene was strikingly familiar to that process.
I think that Richard was seeing if Locke was a “vessel” for the “island buddha,” if you will. The compass looked like something straight out of a Sotheby’s auction of Black Rock items. Maybe it belonged to the last island buddha.
i think the items had more to do with where or what stage John was at in his “journey” or evolution. i think Richard used those items to see if Locke was “ready” to assume his role and/or place in the Island’s mythology. and i think that by choosing the knife, Locke showed that he was still too angry and impulsive, still too caught up in trying to be someone or something he was not, rather than ready to accept his true destiny.
Lw, You make some valid observations. When Locke has a discussion with his high school teacher he tells the teacher, that he is not interested in science. He states that he likes hunting, fishing, etc., much better.
IMO, the knife was the wrong choice. I believe the book of laws would have been the correct choice, in addition to the sand and the compass.
Nice work! +1
Wow! Do you have the comic book Lateralus, or did you find a picture? Those look like cities in a parallel existence to me.
Sorry about the typo in your name, Law.
I thought the bottle of “sand” was actually ash. I have a souvenier of Mount Saint Helens ash and the bottle looks the same. I could be wrong but that was my first impression when watching the show.
Richard asks what items Locke had with him. The dual realities. What object would Locke have at that time on the island. A knife, a compass, and sand. The young Locke confirmed his connection (or predefined path) to the island. That is important and upsetting to Richard because he now has confirmation of what will be coming.
Good points! I agree that the psychological test was to see where Lockes heart was. The scene at the school with the science teacher reinforced the idea that Locke still percieved himself as something other than what he was called to be. The comic book even though it shows a dreamlike place, to me was symbolic of see the world through the eyes of a child. When Locke chose the sand and the compass Richard was thrilled and to me would be the items that would have landed him on the next sub to the island (Richards special school).
I thought it was ash too… Maybe it doesn’t matter…
I know I’ve said this in a few comments on different threads already but it seemed like Richard was threatened by what he found out about John. I think he found that John has a different role to play then what Richard was hoping for and it scared him.
highbrow- it doesn’t really matter if it was ash. It could be volcanic ash from the extinct volcano on the island, so it’s still a connection to the island.
I don’t think richard was scared, cause he keeps tryin to recruit locke. when he was a teenager, and in season 3 he helps him with deal with his father. I think he was disappointed john was ready
That’s what I said… it doesn’t matter if it’s ash or sand or whatever… it’s from the island.
I thought it was ash from around the cabin.
I posted a theory about the knife, I’d like to know what you all think…
http://www.lost-theories.com/theories/2008/may/10/why-richard-was-upset-when-loc/
If it was ash from around the cabin… geez, I don’t know where to begin on that one… Locke is smokie? lol