In the last episode, The Man From Talahassee, Ben tells Locke that the submarine isn't actually a way off the island, but that it's important for the people that have been recruited to think that there's a way off the island if they need it. He's basically saying that given enough time, people won't want to leave the island and the fact that there's no way off it won't matter to them.
In the novel Lost Horizon, when the westerners first arrive in Shangri-La, they are assured that they will be able to leave within a couple of weeks when porters arrive. After a period of time it's revealed that not only do the porters come only once every couple of years, but when the porters finally arrive, they'll take no people with them. There never was a way out of Shangri-La in the first place. When asked why they were lied to, they are told that it was initially important just for their peace of mind to think there was a way out if they needed it. But sure enough, by the time this is pointed out to them, all of the westerners (except one) want to stay in Shangri-La anyways.
3 comments:
Good observation about the illusions of freedom in both Shangrila and Ben's world!
I recently read the book on your recommendatin on the TLC blog and enjoyed it very much. :-)
Thanks, and I'm glad you liked the book. Let me know if you see any similarities too.
Oh absolutely, everything that you have mentioned! I don't mind at all that TPTB have borrowed from various literature, mythos, etc., and the story of Shangrila has always been a compelling one.
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