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14 May Lost and Everything that Rises Must Converge ABC's show, Lost's season finale aired last night and I've been thinking about the mysteries and symbolism of the show since. Being a literature major, the scene where Jacob is reading the book by Flannery O'Connor, Everything that Rises Must Converge, caught my attention and I did a bit of research. I found this analysis of the book by Sarah Madsen Hardy especially helpful. According to Hardy, “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” reveals that the title of the
story refers to the philosophy of an obscure Jesuit theologian, Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin. Teilhard offers a Catholic version of the science
of evolution, theorizing that lower life forms evolved toward greater
diversity and complexity, rising to the level of man, who exists at the
midpoint between animal life and God. At this point, evolution
continues — yet only on a spiritual level. Throughout the seasons we have seen the struggles between individual characters, (John vs. Jack, Ben Vs. John, James Vs. Jack, etc.) as well as groups poised against eachother, (Lost team Vs. the Others, Others Vs. The Dharma people, etc.) and now we see Jacob Vs. the Unnamed. It is hard to judge which ones are the good guys, as each side shows flaws, and goodness alike. The recurring theme of struggle seems to resonate with a recurring quote that characters seem to agree on as well: "Live together, die alone." So it comes to mind that in order for evolution or progress to take place, opposing sides need to converge, for human beings to truly evolve they need to bring together the animal and spiritual side, and for dark and light to intertwine. Instead of diversifying biologically, humanity takes a path of convergence — that is, a path toward intersection or union — rising toward the unification of spirit in God. Referring to the Christian concept of revelation, Teilhard posits that at the end of time human spirit will have at last risen to the ultimate point of convergence, where all people are as one in Christ.... It is helpful to remember that Teilhard conceives of humankind as the midpoint between the ultimate unity offered by God and the chaotic savagery of animal life. So how do I think the show will end? That depends on the worldview of the writers of the show. If they have an affirmative vision of the universe, then we will see things end happily for all involved where the struggling sides learn to live happily together. If the creators of the show are realists though and their vision of the world is based on what we see today, then dark and light will battle eachother destroying everything and ultimately eachother. I, for one, can't wait for season 6. I love this show. TrackbacksWeblogs that reference this entry
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