W.B. Yeats & LOST by Megan

Yes, the famed Irish poet did more than write verses about lake isles and faeries. He also held seances and practiced magic.

I was reading through one of his prose pieces, "Per Amica Silentia Lunae," and came across a passage that immediately made me think of Lost:

"the Daemon is our destiny. When I think of life as a struggle with the Daemon who would ever set us to the hardest work among those not impossible, I understand why there is deep enmity between a man and his destiny, and why a man loves nothing but his destiny. [...] I am persuaded that the Daemon delivers and deceives us, and that he wove that netting from the stars and threw the net from his shoulder."

For Yeats, the Daemon is this otherworldly being that is our anti-self, but something we must come to terms with in able to create and be the best we can be. Maybe a tie-in to the two worlds scenario? An indication that the alternate timelines are the self/anti-self of our characters? We have seen them struggle to come to terms with their purpose on the Island, their everyday lives, and their relationships with themselves and others.

The bits about destiny seemed especially relevant with regards to Jack, who has such a love-hate relationship with the Island and his purpose there.

The last bit of the quote, about nets and stars, reminded me of Jacob, weaving and casting nets into the sea when he fishes. In a sense, Jacob is the ultimate anti-self, or Daemon. He has delivered our castaways to the Island, but in a sense has deceived them, never letting on what their purpose is there, or how to go about figuring that purpose out. Jacob believes he can prove that good exists in the world, and in that sense challenges these characters, making them struggle in their quest to find and understand their destiny.

Just thought it was a little eerie how a poet from 100 years ago was so in tune with the television drama of today.