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From Lostpedia

Family

John Locke's was born three months prematurely to the fifteen year-old Emily Locke, who argued with her mother, ran out of the house to meet with her older lover, and was struck by a vehicle approaching at a high speed. The unseen driver of the vehicle left the scene of the accident ("Cabin Fever").

As an adult, Locke encountered Emily. He subsequently identified his father, Anthony Cooper, who swindled him out of a kidney by pretending paternal affection. After the surgery, Emily admitted to Locke that she had helped Cooper in the swindle ("Deus Ex Machina"). Emily was not seen again.

When challenged by Locke about his activities as a confidence man, Cooper shoved Locke through the window on the eighth floor of a building; Locke survived the fall but broke his back upon landing, becoming a paraplegic ("The Man from Tallahassee").

On the Island, Locke again encounted Cooper when Ben had Cooper brought to the Island from Tallahassee, Florida by a method still unexplained. Ben told Locke that to join the Others he was required to kill Cooper. Locke was unable to do so by himself, but, using information provided by Richard Alpert, convinced Sawyer to do it, because Cooper had conned Sawyer's parents, leading to their deaths.

Anthony Cooper, the epitome of a confidence man, who tried to murder his girlfriend and unborn child and later tried to murder that now mature child, was the victim of patricide by proxy.

Healing

• Locke was born in the mainland United States, but his home, as expressed by Richard Alpert in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" has always been the Island.

• The Island has been protecting him all his life, from his early illnesses resulting from his premature birth ("Cabin Fever"), through his fall that should have killed him instead of "only" breaking his back ("The Man from Tallahassee"), to his recovery from his paralysis ("Pilot, Part 1") and being shot by Ben ("The Man Behind the Curtain"), who acknowledged that he was not thinking clearly when he shot Locke ("Cabin Fever").

• The Island sent Abaddon to tell him to take a walkabout ("Cabin Fever"), setting him up for his delivery to the Island.

Locke's naiveté

• He thought he could replace the real Helen with a phone sex operator with the alleged same name.
• He brought an undercover policeman to a marijuana farm.
• He thought he was capable of killing an undercover policeman.
• He thought Anthony Cooper was worthy of filial affection, leading to the donation of a kidney, never stopping to ask, "Where has this guy rich enough to live in a walled estate been my entire life until he needed something from me?"
• He thought he could maneuver a wheelchair along the trails used in an Australian walkabout tour.
• He thought he could function as an independent operator in a foreign environment and lie to his co-survivors with impunity.
• He believed Ben when told that there was a magic box. Even after he was told that the statement was allegorical he was still asking about the box.
• He thought he could impose a dictatorship on a group of middle-class twenty-first century people and have them respond, "Yes, sir; yes, sir...."
• He will overestimate his power, as compared to that of Jacob.
• In "The Man Behind the Curtain", Jacob asked Locke to help him. He never specified what type of help he needed. Abaddon, who is loyal to Jacob, will remind Locke that Locke owes Abaddon a favor, and ask Locke to create a gap in the ring of granules surrounding Jacob's Cabin. Locke will comply. Jacob will be free and pandemonium will ensue, or, in other words, "some very bad things will happen."

Locke's faith

• The Book of Laws is presented to Locke by Eko in the "What Kate Did" - Eko finds it on the island and tells the story of the Book of Laws being the old testament, given to an ancient king who used the laws to rebuild the temple of their one "true" religion. As we see in Meet Kevin Johnson, Ben sends Alex to "The Temple," where the rest of the Others are apparently already waiting. The stage is set for Locke to emerge as the new leader, but on the basis of what? The book Eko gave Locke was hollowed out and contained missing film from a Dharma Initiative video about not using the computers to contact the outside world. His whole life, John has refused to believe in miracles, even though his entire life has apparently been filled with improbable events (his early birth, surviving a multi-story fall, surviving a plane crash), even on the island he has resisted faith. This is probably because he has often been embarrassed when his faith is shown to be misplaced - in the undercover cop he brings to the commune, falling for his father's con, pushing a meaningless button day after day). But his belief in the island, and his willingness to do every thing he can to keep everyone from leaving - despite the fact that it alienates him from everyone who wants to leave, seems to imply that he is following a plan he believes in. As we see in almost all the episodes, Locke is not very good at coming up with his own plan - ultimately he follows the directions of others, so once he has destroyed the submarine and killed Naomi - short of killing Jack, who he apparently wants to keep on the island, he will be open to following an ideology and leading the remaining Survivors and Others accordingly.
• The episode title "Lockdown" was named for the events occurring in the Hatch as well as "Locke" physically being brought "down". It may also have been a bit of foreshadowing regarding Locke's eventual fall from faith.
• Faith played a bigger part in Locke's life while he lived on the marijuana commune in "Further Instructions", and suggests that he gradually lost his faith between that time and when he went to Australia.
• John's tag line has always been, "Don't tell me what I can't do!" and his own bullheadedness leads him to deny his true destiny in favor of choosing his own way.
  • The island calls to him 3 times and each of the first 2 times he declines, unable to let got of his own desires. The first time is when Richard invites him to the school as a child but tests him first by asking him to choose the items that are already his. When he chooses the knife instead of the book this indicates that he is too attached to his life as it is. This was his first denial of his true destiny. Later, when he is in High School, he is offered the chance to visit the Island through the Mittleos program but he declines, once again choosing his own path for his life. He intially denies the third calling, when Abaddon tells him to go on the walkabout but as we all know he does eventually choose to go to Australia.
    • The first two times John was directly given the chance to choose to be the person that he truly was rather than the person he wanted to be. These were both at times when his faith in himself was still strong. The third time was after his faith had waivered and it seemed to be a trick as he was tempted with something that would speak to the path he wanted for himself, which was subsequently taken away from him in order for him to be primed for the transformation of his body and his faith when he came to the island.

See also: Fate versus free will

Relation to the Others

Leadership of The Others

• Ben did not kill Locke when he had the chance in "Lockdown". This may be because Ben wants Locke to lead The Others.
  • In "The Man from Tallahassee" Ben reveals a curiosity and fascination with Locke due to his miraculous healing. This may be what saved him. Had it been another of the Survivors, Ben would have killed them and escaped.
    • Ben seems pretty adamant that he doesn't kill innocent people.
• Ben's manipulation of Locke into believing that he failed to push the button indicates he wanted him to concentrate less on the then seemingly trivial tasks of the Swan.
• He is one of the few survivors who believes in the Island's powers, beliefs that are possibly core to the Others' operations.
• Ben killed his father, then took over leadership of the others. Now that Locke has killed his father, it is plausible that he will take over as leader.
• John's leadership will be the end of the Others. He was suppose to be a scientist, (based on actions by Richard) and not the rough and tumble knife wielding type (as Abaddon wanted).

Leadership, additionally, of the Survivors

Locke, after becoming acknowledged as the leader of the the Others, will return to the beach to attempt to replace Jack as leader of the Survivors. He will fail because:

• Most of the Survivors who went with him are dead or missing.
• Sawyer is available to provide leadership to the beach faction.
• Most of the Survivors at the beach are those who had chosen earlier to go with Jack, the "man of science."

Connection to "The Others"

Locke is the only Survivor to be invited to join the Others. Michael, Walt, Claire, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, along with the various Tailies, were all abducted. While it may be argued that those abducted are offered the chance to join after an orientation, based on the way Karl was disciplined for his escape attempt ("Not in Portland"), it would seem that coercion is employed before invitation. Even Locke's invitation from Ben ("The Man from Tallahassee") seems to have ulterior motives behind it. Ben demonstrated in "The Man Behind the Curtain" that he regards Locke as a threat by choosing to shoot him after Jacob asks Locke for help. Locke's connection to the Island has been a major theme from the beginning of the series ("Walkabout") and it is recognized by Ben ("The Man from Tallahassee"). Ben's attempt to force Locke into killing Anthony Cooper ("The Brig") could be interpretted as an attempt to make Locke less innocent. It has been noted that the Monster (see Lostpedia article for citation) seems to have a connection with the characters' guilt, most obviously Eko's ("The Cost of Living"). While the Monster is seen by other characters as a form of black smoke, Locke claims he saw beautiful, bright light ("The Cost of Living"). The Others also pride themselves on being "good people" ("Maternity Leave") and Cindy tells Locke that the group is excited about his arrival: "They've been waiting for you." ("The Brig") If Ben does feel his position or plans with the Others are threatened by Locke's presence, it would be in character for him to make Locke into a "bad person."

Reincarnation

Locke is the reincarnation of Magnus Hanso. In the episode Cabin Fever, Richard Alpert asks John to identify items that already belong to him. This is similar to a process that is used to determine who has been reincarnated as the new Dalai Lama. He chose a compass and a vial of sand. He recognized the Book of Laws, but took the knife because that is what he wanted. This disappointed Alpert who knew that he was lying. Damon and Carlton said that they researched the search for Dalai Lamas in the Official Lost Podcast/May 8, 2008.

Alternative to Reincarnation: Items from Locke's future

• Unlike the test of the Dalai Lama, the items Richard shows Locke are not from the past (which might imply reincarnation), but from his future on the island. Like his drawing of the monster on the wall, these items indicate that young Locke has glimpsed the future. In particular, the items are from Locke's future show to him by Richard are:

Evidence:

• Locke gets the Book of Laws (from Eko).
• Locke brings a compass on the island.
• The comic refers to a "Mystery Island".

• Ben chose the knife, which according to Richard's reaction, was the wrong choice. However, on the island we see that Locke is actually a knife collector/enthusiast and that in fact these items did become a part of his future on the island. Thus, when Richard asked him which of the items already belonged to him [in the future] - young Locke chose correctly.

Counter-evidence:

• The compass is different in appearance to the one Locke uses, and later gives to Sayid.
• Richard does not ask "which of these things do you recognize," or "which of these things seem familiar?" He asks "Which of these things belong to you already?"
• Locke did not choose the comic book. If he was choosing things that represented his future (the island), he would have chosen the comic book.
• While certain books of the Old Testament portion of the Bible are considered books of law, and the Old testament is sometimes referred to as "The Law," the book Mr. Eko finds and later hands to Locke is "The Holy Bible." The book that Richard Alpert presents has a very different appearance and is titled "Book of Laws."

Interaction with the Monster

• Locke's first encounter with the Monster was in the jungle while hunting for boar. When approached, Locke faced up to the Monster and later told Jack, "I've looked into the eye of this Island..., and what I saw was beautiful." One might conclude that this was the first time Locke knew that the Island was where he belonged.

• When Locke and others were taking the dynamite back to the hatch to blow it open, the Monster tried to capture Locke, but Jack intervened ("Exodus, Part 2").

• Locke's encounter with Jacob, short as it was, whetted his appetite for more information about the Island. In particular, he tried to learn about the Monster from Ben in "Confirmed Dead"; Ben denied any knowledge about what the Monster was, but later ("The Shape of Things to Come") appeared to dispatch the Monster to attack the mercenaries.

Main article: The Monster

Miscellaneous theories

• Locke no longer considers the occasional deaths of the survivors to be meaningful but rather sees them as necessary (Boone, Eko) as part of the Island's great plan for him. Locke doesn't even question the death of Mr. Eko the day after the Island sends him to save the African.

• John was all wet just before the Galaga exploded because he had to dive under water to attach the C4 to the bottom of the submarine to ensure the explosion would completely destroy the vessel.

• If the Island indeed has some sort of connection with Locke, then it is possible the Others respect this and try to avoid him.
• Locke's ultimate aim is to learn more about the island, being the place that has healed his back. He is simply using the Others as his means of gaining this information.

• Locke did not destroy the submarine: Locke was helped by Danielle, who traveled with them to the Barracks, but was nowhere to be seen after Locke went and talked to Ben. She moved the sub while he blew up the C4 at the end of the dock so that everyone would think the sub had been destroyed. Locke is counting on the sub for something important in the future.

The Death of John Locke

• John Locke, using the alias "Jeremy Bentham," had left the Island to contact members of the Oceanic Six and had died. Sayid comments, "They said it was suicide," thereby suggesting that he knows otherwise.

• Locke's body is in a casket, presumably having been prepared for burial by embalming.

• Locke's death may be compared to that of Christian Shephard, who died in Australia and whose body was prepared for transportation to the United States, also presumably by embalming, and who appeared to be alive.

• John Locke did not die. His death was faked by either himself or Ben to convince Jack and the other members of the Oceanic Six to return to the island.

• Locke had to move the island which is why he is in America

• John Locke Commited suicide for two possible reasons, either moved the island and felt desparate as he found no way get back to island. Or commited suicide realizing after visiting Walt, all the instructions he has received from Boone/Walt were not really from them, but as the Monster Manifesting as them. Feeling used by the island, he commits suicide as he was also the cause of all the bad things happening at the island.

• The casket that contains Locke's body seems to be too small to contain the remains of a full-sized, adult man. This may be due to the loss of his legs at some point between the moving of the island and his eventual death.
  • Does the funeral industry stock special caskets for deceased amputees? It is more likely that this is a production error.

• Locke was murdered by Ben, who already had a plan (because Ben always has a plan) to get back on the island as the Others' leader when he was turning the Frozen Donkey Wheel.

• Locke used the spider that paralyzed Nikki and Paulo to fake his death.
  • The Medusa spider induces paralysis for eight hours; after that...,

Possible cultural references

Esau

In the bible, Esau is the twin brother of Jacob. Esau is a "hunter who prefers the outdoor life", while Jacob was "a gentle man who dwelled in tents". Locke hunts, and in "the Brig" Ben is seen living in a tent. Also, Esau is the son of Isaac; in the bible we have the Abraham/Isaac sacrifice tale, in "the Brig" Locke spares his father ("Isaac"?), it seems very much like a retelling of the bible story in reverse.

Watchmen

When Locke does the "Orange Peel Trick" it is possible the producers are referencing Alan Moore's Watchmen, the cover of which is a smiley face with a blood mark over its right eye. Watchmen has been called "the greatest piece of popular fiction ever made" by Lost creator Damon Lindelof.

Lugus

The highest deity in the Gaulic pantheon, Lugus was a nature god, a hunter and a craftsman. His name was Lugh to Irish Celts and might be connected to Loki, another god, this time the Nordic trickster. Those two aspects cover Locke's ambiguous personality. His hunter role is also linkable, although less credibly, to Logan, the famous Marvel character with a healing factor. [1]

• In Irish mythology, Lugh's father Cian was able to change forms to appear as animals or other people, not unlike Locke's conman father Anthony Cooper. Lughnasa (the feast of Lugh) is the Irish word for the month of August, as the God Lugh was associated with the harvest. Lugh was known for being multi-skilled rather than proficient in one area.

Josaiah

Josaiah was the King of Judah. According to the story told by Eko in What Kate Did, while Josiash was in power, the Temple was in ruin and people worshiped false gods. Josaiah wished to re-build the Temple with gold, but was unable to. Instead they used the Book of Laws to re-build. Locke was presented with the Book of Laws as a child, and he didn't accept it as something which belonged to him. The Temple is a sanctuary for the Others. Locke will use the Book of Laws to correct the damage which Ben, the false god, has caused. This will allow him to re-build the Temple and the community within the isalnd.