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There are several recurring thematic motifs on Lost, which generally have no direct impact on the story itself. These repeated elements and references expand the show's literary and philosophical subtext.

Black and white

Many episodes of the show have included scenes that focus on the contrast between black and white objects. The first prominent appearance in the show's pilot episode — Locke explains backgammon to Walt by holding up one black and one white piece, saying, "Two players, two sides — one is light, one is dark."

Other occurrences include an unexplained pouch containing one white stone and one black stone on a pair of mummified corpses and an ominous image of Locke in Claire's nightmare about her unborn child, with one eyeball black and the other white. Critics have speculated that this theme perhaps reflects the divisions within the show's characters.

Familial dysfunction

Most of the major characters have dysfunctional parents, particularly fathers, who are either absent, reluctant, or destructive. "Father issues are a big part of the show thematically," says Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse. Most notably, Locke is the victim of betrayal by both his natural parents, first discussed in "Deus Ex Machina". He is repeatedly rebuffed in attempts to re-connect with his father, and on the Island, arranges to have him killed. Jack's broken relationship with his alcoholic surgeon father, Christian, is the impetus for him to travel to Australia, at the behest of his mother, where he discovers his father has died. Sawyer's mother has an extra-marital affair with a con-man; after finding out, his father kills her and then commits suicide. Kate murders the abusive man she discovered to be her biological father after believing previously that he was her step-father. She is forced into a life on the run after her mother reveals her crime to the police.

Literature

Episodes often mention or incorporate literary works, or use the name of a literary work as an episode title -- a point of interest to fans who try to connect them to Lost's mythology. While certain books are read by characters, others are referenced in dialogue, and some have just been glimpsed.

Sawyer is frequently shown reading, initially books he finds in the plane wreckage, a habit which brings his hyperopia to his attention. In "Confidence Man" he spends time with Watership Down, an account of a group of rabbits trying to find a new warren. In "Numbers," Sawyer starts A Wrinkle in Time, a children's fantasy novel about a group of adolescents seeking a lost father via planet/dimension hopping, which contains Christian undertones about a universal battle between darkness and light.

The Third Policeman is seen when Desmond is packing before fleeing the underground bunker in "Orientation." Craig Wright, who co-wrote the episode, told the Chicago Tribune that, "Whoever goes out and buys the book will have a lot more ammunition in their back pocket as they theorize about the show. They will have a lot more to speculate about — and, no small thing, they will have read a really great book."

In "One of Them," a man who initially claims to be "Henry Gale" is captured and imprisoned by the survivors. Series writer Damon Lindelof has said that the character's name alludes to Dorothy's uncle from The Wizard of Oz. The episode "The Man Behind the Curtain" is named for the wizard from the book and in the episode Locke makes numerous allusions to the book.

Philosophy

By admission of the show's writing staff, some characters on Lost reference famous philosophers through their names and connection to each other. The clearest example, John Locke, is named after a social contract philosopher who dealt with the relationship between nature and civilization.

The character Locke shares his name with English philosopher John Locke, who believed that in a natural state, all men had equal rights to punish transgressors; to ensure fair judgment for all, governments were formed to better administer the laws. As an empiricist he contended that humans are born with a "blank slate", a tabula rasa, without any innate knowledge and their identity is therefore a product of their decisions and choices in life. Locke believed that the state should be guided by a natural law.

End of the world

The end of the world or apocalypse is referenced numerous times throughout the series. In Man of Science, Man of Faith Locke descends into the hatch, where he finds Desmond and is warned that he must push the button or the world will end. It is also revealed in the Sri Lanka Video of The Lost Experience that the DHARMA Initiative's goal is to alter the parameters of the Valenzetti Equation to prevent the end of humanity, even at the cost of a high number of innocent lives.

When Desmond has his first "time-jump" in Flashes Before Your Eyes, he meets Ms. Hawking in the antique store and attempts to buy Penny's ring. He is warned that he must not propose or else he will cause the end of the world.

Lost writers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have acknowledged influences from Stephen King's novel The Stand and Alan Moore's graphic novel Watchmen. Those stories have overt apocalyptic themes in them.

See also

• Mythology of Lost