Themes
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Father Issues / Family Dysfunction
Locke is betrayed by his mother, and finally found his father after years of seeking a father-figure. Anthony Cooper gains his trust and becomes the ideal dad, but only uses him for his kidney and then abandons him. He later becomes obsessed with him, but Anthony wants nothing to do with him, until he decides to ruin his life again by using him for insurance fraud.
Jack always has had issues with his father, Christian Shepherd; despite this, he follows in his footsteps to be a surgeon. Aside from numerous ideological differences, Christian is also an alcoholic who causes the death of a patient after he operates drunk. Jack refuses to lie for him, resulting in Christian losing his medical license for malpractice, and running away from his family. In Australia, Christian meets Sawyer, and tells him his life story, and that he is actually proud of his son, but just too weak to call him to reconcile. He dies shortly thereafter of a heart attack. When Jack goes to Australia to find him, he is too late, and never gets a chance to have closure with his father. He later sees an image of his father on the island, leading him on like a white rabbit.
Kate believed growing up that his father was Sam Austen, but he left their family after he found out her mother had an affair. Wayne, the man she had an affair with (and who continues as his mother's lover) is to abusive to both of them, and later found to be likely Kate's biological father. She murders him by blowing up the house, and is on the run afterwards. The one man who she came to trust as a father figure is an Australian farmer who ends up turning her in for $23,000.
Sawyer is born James Ford, and only takes on the name Sawyer after his father kills Sawyer's mother and then himself in a murder-suicide (Sawyer is the name of the man who wooed and swindled his mother and ruined their lives). He in turn may be the out-of-the-picture father to Clementine Phillips.
Walt did not grow up with his biological father, Michael, and never got a chance to know him despite efforts to do so. He spent his childhood moving around with his mother and stepfather Brian, who feared him because he was "different." After his mother dies, Walt is placed back in Michael's charge. Walt deals poorly with Michael's strictness and inflexibility, and he responds by disrespecting him and rebelling. On the island, they slowly begin to bond, but just as they are building a relationship, Walt is kidnapped.
Shannon's father died in a car accident when she was 18. With her stepmother abandoning her afterwards, she was essentially orphaned at that age, leading to her habits of surviving by using older men for money and protection.
Jin was always ashamed of his fisherman father, and his background from a small fishing village. He moved to Seoul to climb his way up the ladder from these meager beginnings, and tells everyone that his father is dead. After he is corrupted by Mr. Paik, he wants to repent to Sun, and goes back to the village where he grew up to find his father, who gives him sage advice to put his wife first. On the island, Jin ironically finds that he is an expert fisherman, just like his father.
Sun's father is Mr. Paik, the powerful mafia leader who is behind the scenes ruining her life, through his corruption of Jin.
Ana-Lucia, like Jack, goes into "the family business." She becomes a police officer, like her mother, Captain Cortez (also her boss). She refuses to listen to her mother, and ends up vengefully shooting the man who shot her.
Penelope defies her father and goes after Desmond, despite all odds.
Item Last Updated: April 21, 2006, 09:14:35 PM by Pandora
