Completely Literary, Yet Completely "LOST" Quiz

Answer: The Looking Glass

Lewis Carroll, known for "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass", was one of a handful of authors whose influence on the series spanned all six seasons of the show. Ever since the early episodes ("White Rabbit", for instance), imagery and parallels to the fantastical white rabbit have made their mark on the survivors.

The third season finale ("Through the Looking Glass") saw Desmond and Charlie heading to an underwater DHARMA station known as 'The Looking Glass', the symbol of which was a white rabbit, and many of the techniques of time travel and 'flash-sideways' mirrored the temporal dislocation of the latter book. Both books appear in physical form over the course of the show and it is perhaps one of the most interesting allusions of all because of the concept of 'Wonderland'.

Much like Alice tumbled into the rabbit hole, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 fell out of the sky into a mystical location, Locke and Jack tumbled into the hatch in the second season, and Locke tumbled into the well during the time shifts in season five. Curiouser and curiouser, I'd say.

Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia

"LOST" connects to the "Narnia" series almost entirely through the second book of the seven entitled "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". In this book, a single, solitary lamppost marks the path from Narnia to the large dresser in 'Spare Oom' in Britain.

In the show, of course, The Lamppost was visited by Desmond, Ben, and the five adult members of the Oceanic Six, all of whom needed to find their way back to the island in season five. They were guided there with the help of Daniel Faraday's mother, Eloise but, of course, only they could return under the proper conditions, much like the Pevensies in "Narnia". Additionally, C. S. Lewis, the author of the "Narnia" series, shares his initials and surname with Charlotte, the red-haired anthropologist from the Kahana, a freighter first seen in season 4. Little does Charlotte know, her roots on the island can be traced back to her childhood; unfortunately she is unable to cope with the time-shifts caused by Ben in the fourth season finale and she dies.

Answer: Our Mutual Friend

Kept at the back of a shelf in 'the hatch' (The Swan DHARMA station), Desmond intended for "Our Mutual Friend" to be his final read. After several years isolated in the hatch, Desmond opened the book to find a letter from Penny which caused him to rethink his plan to commit suicide.

It was at that moment that Locke discovered the hatch. The key used to perform the fail-safe and stop the hatch from releasing catastrophic electromagnetic energy was hidden inside the book as well, making its appearance in the second season finale. "Our Mutual Friend" appears again in the fifth season; it's the name of Desmond's boat when he reunites with Penny in Los Angeles.

Answer: The Turn of the Screw

Written by James in 1898, "The Turn of the Screw" is a classic Gothic story about a woman who believes that she is being haunted. Notably, the book was adapted for the cinema and retitled "The Others" upon its release (and subsequent remakes). 'The Others' are, of course, the name for the DHARMA Initiative workers on the other side of the island.
"The Turn of the Screw" also features a character named Miles. This is an explicit connection to the story as Miles Straume, who first appeared in season 4, had the ability to talk to ghosts.
Season 2 marks the first allusion to this book, though. When Desmond flees from the Swan Station claiming that Locke and Jack will replace him in punching the numbers into a computer every 108 minutes to 'save the world', he notes that an orientation video can be found behind a copy of this very book.

Answer: Carrie

A major author of the twentieth century, Stephen King's canon of horror and fantasy works clearly played a large role in shaping the world constructed in "LOST's" six seasons. While "Carrie" appears in full physical form in the season three premiere (as part of a Juliet-hosted book club), many of King's books depict groups of people banding together to fight for survival in dystopian and fantastical locations, particularly "The Stand", "The Dark Tower" series, "The Langoliers", and others. "The Stand" in particular is an epic battle between the binaries of good and evil, an element held at the core of "LOST". Specific notes from King's non-fiction book "On Writing" made their appearances in the show (particularly the #8 bunny seen in season three's "Every Man for Himself") while "The Dark Tower" also features 'the Man in Black' as an antagonist.

Answer: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Another classic, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was L. Frank Baum's first story in the series, released in 1900. Telling the story of Dorothy Gale, a girl swooped up into the air in her house only to land in a faraway land known as Oz, the book made its mark on "LOST" as well.
In season two, Ben Linus (under the pseudonym Henry Gale) was found by the Oceanic survivors near a hot air balloon in the jungle. Linus would later be the "Man Behind the Curtain" alluded to in the season three title of the same name as he would be revealed as the leader of 'The Others'. A later episode, "There's No Place Like Home", served as the fourth season finale as well.
When attempting to return to the island in season five, Jack realized he needed his father's shoes (on Locke's body) to make the connection to get back, much like Dorothy needed the silver shoes in the novel (and the ruby slippers in the film).

Answer: A Tale of Two Cities

Another from the Dickens canon to make an appearance in the "LOST" library, "A Tale of Two Cities" documented a fictional revolution. In the show, the mention of the book (in the episode title) reflected the existence of two warring factions, the beach camp of the survivors and the domestic environment of the DHARMA Initiative 'Others'.

The allusion "A Tale of Two Cities", comes literally one episode after the major inclusion of "Our Mutual Friend" which played a role in the final episode of season two and the fate of the hatch. "A Tale of Two Cities" was published in 1859 and remains one of Dickens' most timeless classics.

Answer: A Wrinkle in Time

Although Sawyer read all of these books during his stay on the beach in the first couple of seasons of the show, "A Wrinkle in Time" is particularly fascinating to note. Aside from the complexities of time travel experienced by characters in later seasons of the show, parallels can be seen in some of the common motifs.

For example, the Smoke Monster experienced by characters from start to finish on "LOST" is reminiscent of The Black Thing, an evil cloud entity that expands in space and time. First seen in the season one episode "Numbers" and then again in season 5 in the DHARMA Initiative past, "A Wrinkle in Time" also features a psychic child. "A Wrinkle in Time" was first released in 1962.

A popular children's fantasy book, it's one of the many complex-themed novels to make an imprint on the "LOST" mythos.

Answer: Of Mice and Men

A book about isolation and the futility of dreams, "Of Mice and Men" holds less than a Utopian view of American life. Sawyer reads this book in "Every Man for Himself" in season three, during which time both he and Ben talk about it. It isn't until season six that Sawyer notes his appreciation for the novel to the Man in Black (inhabiting the body of John Locke) in "The Substitute". Once again, rabbits play a role in both the literary work (as a motif) and the show; the #8 rabbit is featured in "Every Man for Himself". Coincidentally, Steinbeck also wrote a novel in 1947 (ten years after "Of Mice and Men") called "The Pearl", which shares its name with a DHARMA station.

Answer: Lord of the Flies

Certainly a parallel, "Lord of the Flies" involved a group of boys marooned on a desert island in the sea struggling to survive. With boars in the jungle and tensions mounting amongst the other survivors, the boys split into two groups with violent consequences. This, of course, mirrors "LOST". Aside from Sawyer outright mentioning Golding in season 1 and Charlie mentioning the 1954 novel in a later episode, the subtle motifs of the book are evident.

This includes the two sides, one of whom had a leader named Jack, the inclusion of a character with asthma (Piggy in Golding's novel and Shannon in "LOST"), and the concept of sacrifices to appease the island (according to Locke, who developed a connection with the location).

It seems that those grade school papers just caught up with us all.