SIMILARITIES BETWEEN “LOST” AND “LOST HORIZON"
THE FOLLOWING IS, IN PART, QUOTED FROM THE BLOG "LOST IN SHANGRI-LA
- Firstly, the title. Lost and Lost Horizon
- Non-Accidental plane crash in remote location (and compare the cover of the book to some of the shots in the season 3 opener!).
- Location is undetectable from outside world.
- Despite the extreme remoteness, all modern conveniences are available: electricity, running water, food, supplies, etc. are dropped off periodically.
- When Ben offers to Jack of a way home, the fact that these modern conveniences are available is offered as proof that there's a way off the island. This is the same reasoning given to the crash survivors in Shangri-La.
- Mysterious healing properties of the locale. Especially in the 1937 Frank Capra film version of Lost Horizon, Shangri-la has miraculous healing properties that cures the female character named, Gloria Stone of a terminal disease just like her counterpart Rose was cured of cancer on the Island. Furthermore, the character of Father Perrault describes amputating his badly injured leg, but later found out it would have healed on its own in Shangri-la, just as John Locke's paralysis did.
- Eastern Philosophies: Dharma, “Namaste”, and the I-Ching symbols that surround the Dharma logos are all related to eastern religion/philosophy, which is also what the lamasery of Shangri-La is founded upon.
- “Life extension project”, though not canon is mentioned in "The Lost Experience" and like Richard Alpert seemingly does not age, all residents of Shangri-La live much longer than the normal lifespan, some for 100’s of years.
- The first resident of Shangri-la that we meet in the novel is Chang. He shares his name, asian ancestry, usually calm controlled demeanor, and interest in Eastern philosophy (i.e. the Namaste greeting in the orientation films), with the character of Dr. Pierre Chang from the Dharma Orientation films on Lost. Again, it could just be a coincidence, but much like the names of the characters Rose and Bernard in both the Lost Horizon and Lost universe, it seems unlikely it was not intentional.
- The name of the main character in all incarnations of Lost Horizon is Conway. He is known as Hugh Conway in all the books and the 1956 Broadway play version entitled Shangri-la, Robert Conway in the Frank Capra 1937 film version, and Richard Conway in the 1973 film musical version. The latter being the most significant as far as names go. Richard Alpert is the name of a similar ageless character who is the constant defacto leader of the Others on the Island, when Ben Linus or Locke have not been. When ever we see Richard, he is the same age no matter what time period he is in. The same appears to be true of Conway in all the time periods the novels take place in. (See Part 3 of my complete theory)
- Redemption: One character in the book has a criminal past he'd like to leave behind, and feels like he has been given a second chance. So too do Kate and Sawyer and the rest of the castaways on the Island.
- Like Ben and Juliet knowing all about the survivors, the leaders of Shangri-La know everything about Hugh Conway's past.
- “One of the good ones.” Conway has been judged and chosen through mysterious means that he is a good person and belongs in Shangri-La,. The Others, the Smoke Monster, Jacob, and seemingly the Island itself appear to judge those worthy of the being there and even being leaders.
- Through war, disease, overpopulation, etc., mankind will extinguish itself (the valenzetti equation). The High Lama and Conway speak at length about the nature of man, and about how the dwellers of Shangri-La have discovered the true way to live. Due to mankind’s tendencies of war and destruction, the world’s civilizations will eventually collapse and destroy themselves. It is at this time when the occupants of Shangri-La will emerge with their peaceful ways, and “the meek shall inherit the earth.” The solution to all of mankind’s ill can be found in Shangri-La (the island). Alvar Hanso believes that by sending the DHARMA initiative to the island, they'll find the answers and will save mankind from self-destruction.
You might say that the main theme of the book is the question whether or not man can overcome his dark past, be redeemed, and to have enough faith to find renewal. The show flows along strongly similar themes.
Through these connections here’s some possible theories about the “Lost” storyline in connection to this book:
• Jack Shepard, leaves the island and as we've seen, just like Conway, he searches with every means necessary to go back, almost driving himself to physical and mental destruction.
• Somewhere in the past, I don't know say, 1954, conflict arises on the Island. Charles Widmore, who has shown signs of defiance as a young man, even to his leader Richard Alpert, develops evil intentions. Perhaps he desires power over the Island for himself, or he plans to profit from the "unlimited power source"on the Island, In the book, there is seemingly unlimited gold in Shangri-La that some who have come, have sought to plunder. Perhaps Widmore has a falling out with Alpert. Perhaps he was being groomed as the next leader and then Ben comes into the picture and there is a competition for leadership that eventually causes Widmore to leave the Island only to try endlessly to return and reclaim it for himself. He does say it is his Island. Refer to the scene where Ben confronts Widmore in his apartment.
• The Dharma scientists truly believed they could save mankind through their, as Ben Linus calls it, "Silly little experiments." However, the Others know mankind is inevitably doomed and have created their own Shangri-la. They soon see the Dharma scientists as a threat to that Utopia that must be eliminated so as not to destroy the Island that they believe will be a lifeboat for humanity, when the rest of the world is destroyed. Similarly, Shangri-la is predicted to be a surviving haven for mankind in the book.
• Ben Linus demonstrates that he knows all about Jack. Similarly, the High Lama of Shangri-La knows all about Conway. It's possible that he, the others, or the Island hired a new pilot, Seth Norris to bring the plane Island, just as is implied in the book.
• Benjamin has promised both Michael and Jack that they can go home. The visitors to Shangri-La were also promised that they could leave, but when they actually tried it was revealed that it was near impossible. The same could be true for Jack and Michael. Especially now that communications have been knocked out by the hatch imposion!
There will always be more to add to this theory, but these are some of the main connections and I will continue to add to it as more is revealed on the show and in my own research.
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