preview

The Lost Character Analysis

Good Essays

The television series Lost portrays constant struggles for power as the survivors of a plane crash must now survive upon an Island with no hope of rescue. The survivors must learn to live and work together. The work of Thomas Hobbes and Georg Hegel both help to explain the effects of social power and why it is held by some and not others. Hobbes (1651) helps to explain the social contract that was created to keep the peace among the survivors while Hegel (1977) explains the lord and bondsman relationship between the two leading characters. Individually Hobbes and Hegel describe the power relations of the Lost characters well but when used in combination they illuminate the relationships more efficiently. This allows for the differences and similarities between the two theorists to become clear, showing that one alone cannot explain all aspects of a situation.
The television series Lost details the lives of the survivors of Oceanic Airways flight 815 which crashes into an unknown Island. The survivors come to terms with the fact that it is unlikely they will be rescued and begin to make a ‘life’ on the Island, while also trying to find a way off. Jack Shephard, John Locke and James Ford, better known as Sawyer are three strong characters that hold either individual or collective power. These being Jack Shephard, John Locke and James Ford better known as Sawyer. All three of these men shift the power between themselves throughout the series but it ultimately falls upon Jack to

Get Access