Man of Science, Man of Faith, Man of Lost

Jack Shepard,
 Man of Science

          The main themes of Lost can pretty much be summarized in one single episode. The episode titled Man of Science, Man of Faith is the first episode in season 2. The show's main conflict comes from the two main characters Jack Shephard and John Locke. Jack, the doctor, is a man of science and always has been. In contrast, Locke is a man of faith. Locke believes that there is more to the island than meets the eye. He sees the island as a second chance, or a re-birth with a new spiritual beginning. Jack is not as optimistic. He believes that there is always a rational explanation to an unexplained phenomenon.

John Locke,
Man of Faith

            The second season opens with the hatch that has just been blown open, of which John wants to explore and Jack wants to avoid. Because of Jack's inability to view the hatch as a half full glass of water, the shows displays an intimate flashback oh his that will help him throughout the episode.

            Before the island crash, Jack had a female patient who was paralyzed from the waist down. Having terrible bedside manner, Jack tells her that, even after surgery, there is a very slim chance she will ever walk again. Jack's father pulls him aside and tells him to give more hope, even when there is none. With slim expectations that the surgery will be successful, Jack performs it, goes jogging in a stadium and meets a stranger to whom he explains his disbelief in hope and miracles. After a discussion, the stranger leaves Jack with a phrase that will be heard multiple times throughout the show, "See you in another life, brother."

            When Jack returns to his patient, he discovers that a miracle has in fact happened. She can move her toes, meaning that the surgery worked and a miracle has happened. What happens on the island in this episode is irrelevant because the real transformation of Jack happened in that flashback, and it made him who he is today. What Jack should have learned is that faith can be as effective as science. Without faith, Jack would have lost hope.
             This episode is important to me because it set the tone for the new season, it introduces a pivotal character, and because it showed me how far hope can take you. This is a show where anything can happen, miracles included.