TV character analysis: John Locke, from LOST

John Locke (played by Terry O'Quinn) is a fictional character from the popular television series ‘Lost’. He is one of the many mysterious characters in the series. Coincidentally (or intentionally, as one may say), John Locke is also the name of a philosopher of the 16th century who was famous for being an enlightened thinker. So is our John Locke from the television series.

John was virginally conceived when his mother was a teen. Abandoned, he spent his childhood in various foster homes. He was not aware who his father was, until much later in his life. But when he did, he shared a close bond with his father. His father, playing a true con man, showered him with his love only until he got what he wanted from John- his kidney. But John has a strange connection with his father. Even when his father abandons him again after conning him, john doesn’t get over him and goes back to him again and again- at much a cost of losing his girlfriend. But his father doesn’t like John interfering in his life and doesn’t even think twice before pushing John out of the window. This push ruins John’s life. He is left crippled and has to move around in a wheel chair for rest of his life- which is until he reaches the island.

After the crash of Oceanic flight 815 on the island, John is surprised to see that he could stand on his own legs, walk and run around fine. This is one of the reasons John is always reluctant to leave the island as he feared he would have to return back to the wheel chair once he goes back to the real world. He usually hunts and lives on his own, but he with his group whenever they needed him. He doesn’t think twice before parting from his clan time and again, whenever he disagreed with Jack Shephard.
John has strange encounters with people from the past who tell him that he was destined to be on this island, that he had a purpose to be here. This added more to his resistance to leave the island. Flashes of his past reveal that people had always told the same thing to him – that he was special. The others tell him that they have been waiting for him. He replaces Ben as the leaders of ‘the others’. But he is always ill-informed which leaves him weary and anxious as he doesn’t know how he has to lead the people. He most of the times, waits for Ben to tell him what he has to do. But sooner or later the island always guides him to what he has to do.

John is fearless enough to kill anyone who comes in his way, for example- Naomi. But there is one instance where he is very reluctant to kill a person he dithered the most- his father. Ben asks John to kill his father and in return he can join ‘the others’. But John couldn’t do it and leaves it to James (Sawyer) to do it for him. This shows that he shared a deep bond with his father. This also shows that he has his own ways of getting his work done, when he can’t do it himself.

There are various instances shown where John loses all hope of what he is doing and decides to do something totally opposite to what he is supposed to do, like not pushing the button which leads to a huge explosion in the hatch. Another instance is when he fails in persuading Jack, Kate, Hugo and others to go back with him to the island and attempts to commit suicide. Ben persuades John to not kill himself but later is killed by Ben instead.
John Locke resurrects when another flight (Ajira Airways flight 316) crashes on the island; much to the amazement of Ben, Richard and the others. Coming back from the dead, this new John Locke is a confident man who knows exactly what he has to do. He has the precise plan of what needs to be done and how to do it. But it’s later known that he is ‘The man in black’ in disguise of John Locke while the original John Locke slept peacefully in his coffin.