This is the fourth part of our LOST homeschool curriculum – The Games Losties Play! (PART I – THEMES is here.) Games play an important symbolic part in the series, and we may even find they’ve provided clues to the strategic storytelling in LOST.

NOTE: If you watch the series, this will all make sense to you. If you don’t watch the series, I highly recommend it, but you have to watch it from the beginning – we purchased the first 4 seasons on DVD. You can’t just watch a couple episodes and have any understanding at all. My series here includes only the simplest of the discussion points. For in depth LOST analysis, please visit the message boards or Lostpedia.

Backgammon
Clearly the most symbolic game in the series is backgammon, an ancient game that is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia in the Persian empire (present day Iran, Iraq, and Syria.) It is the oldest known recorded board game in history and its “light” and “dark” playing pieces provide the most frequently discussed theme in the show. Locke teaches Walt how to play the game in the pilot episode, and references to the light and dark imagery have continued throughout the five seasons of the show. (We bought a vintage Backgammon set on eBay for $7.)

RISK
In the photo above you see my kids playing RISK with the neighbors. This strategic war game is definitely a classic, as is evidenced by the Losties playing it in the 1970’s Dharma barracks in Season 4. The first five seasons seem to be leading up to a war in season six, so I expect to see parallels with Risk in the coming year. The gameboard set we found also as the “Castle Risk” version on the backside of the board – this wasn’t introduced until the 80’s or post-Dharma in the show.

CHESS
Locke defeats the computer chess game in season three, and Hurley plays the ghost of Eko in season four. Our kids have been playing chess for about five years, so this is already a mainstay in their game repertoire.

For more fun references to games in LOST, please visit Lostpedia.

LOST Homeschool Lessons Series:
Themes
Character Arc
Symbols
Games!
History/Literature

Our boat lift cover had disintegrated a couple years ago, and we’d been getting by with large tarps. But the wind that comes across our wide part of the lake was far too great for the thin vinyl. We were unwilling to purchase a new cover, since the cheapest one we could find was more than $500 (the used boat lift cost us only $200 all together, so that price for just a cover seemed a little ridiculous,) so we decided to try recycling an old billboard sign.

We purchased the 12′ x 25′ vinyl billboard from $25 from a wholesaler we found on Craigslist, and purchased a grommet machine as well. The kids helped us to flatten the billboard sign on the lawn so we could accurately measure and place the grommets along the perimeter of the sign. The backside of the sign is white, so that can face up. The realtor advertisement faces down toward the boat.

Then we placed the vinyl on top of the boat lift, zip-tied two sides of the sign and bungied the other sides so it’s a perfect fit.

Voila!

Like my mom would say, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!”

This is the fourth part of our LOST homeschool curriculum – symbolism (PART I – THEMES is here.) Strong references to mythology and other symbols have opened much opportunity to include symbols in the series, making it a very interesting show to analyze.

NOTE: If you watch the series, this will all make sense to you. If you don’t watch the series, I highly recommend it, but you have to watch it from the beginning – we purchased the first 4 seasons on DVD. You can’t just watch a couple episodes and have any understanding at all. My series here includes only the simplest of the discussion points. For in depth LOST analysis, please visit the message boards or Lostpedia.

Here are a few of the general points of discussion related to symbols – they often tie in directly to the themes I discussed in part one of this series:

Light/Dark – Throughout the series, you’ll find situations where two opposing forces are represented one dark and one light. Examples of dark/light include the backgammon game and the clothing worn by Jacob and the other man in the Season 5 finale. Interestingly, Rose and Bernard also represent light/dark skin color, but are both viewed as “good”, and not really opposites.

Rain — Rain is a frequent occurrence in Lost, usually supporting dramatic effect and accompanying significant scenes or plot twists.

Music/sound — Michael Giacchino’s musical score for Lost makes use of numerous recurring leitmotifs and themes, often with associations to specific characters, locations, or actions. (Source: LostPedia) Other noises are also symbolic of the Smoke Monster – sometimes a metallic/growling noise, sometimes like a scraping chain.

Babies/children — Many storylines include babies and children, and in general there’s a mystery regarding children on the island.

Pregnancy — There are numerous problems with pregnancy on the island, and I think this theme will continue into season 6.

Numbers — Numerology is strong in this series, and you’ll find the same numbers used over and over, in one form or another. Most stem from the “cursed” numbers Hurley used in the lottery: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Apparently, these numbers also represent the core to the Valenzetti Equation, a mathematical formula designed to predict the end of humanity. Lostpedia is an excellent reference for all LOST numerology.

Symbols that seem to have been a point of focus so far, but I’m not sure for what reason:

Rings – Rose’s wedding ring, Sun’s wedding ring, and Charlie’s ring.

Shoes – They appear randomly, and in many episodes.

Kate’s Horse — Possibly the spirit of her dead father? Or her guide?

This is by no means a comprehensive list. Please share other symbols that you’ve noticed in the show.

LOST Homeschool Lessons Series:
Themes
Character Arc
Symbols
Games!
History/Literature

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