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Richard's items
From Lostpedia
In 1961 or 1962. Richard Alpert presented six items to a five-year-old John Locke as a test. Alpert placed the items on a table and asked Locke to identify which ones "already belong to him". ("Cabin Fever")
Contents |
Items
- A baseball glove
- An old book whose cover bears the title "Book of Laws"
- A vial of granules
- A brass compass
- A comic book, Mystery Tales issue 40 from April 1956 (right before Locke's birth), bearing the subtitle "What was the secret of the mysterious 'HIDDEN LAND!'" (The question ended with an exclamation point.)
- A wood-handled knife
Selections
John inspected the container of the granules and the compass. After examining the items, John picks up the knife, to which Richard seems upset. He asks John if he's sure, and after nodding affirmatively, Richard snatches the knife from his hands and takes the other items away, put all of the items back into his bag and stands up quickly. Florence enters the room and asks how John did. Richard responds sternly that John was not quite ready for his school and walks out of the house. Florence scolds John, asking what he did wrong; John looks down dejectedly.
Episode references
- In "What Kate Did" Eko told Locke a story about the "Book of Law", i.e., the Old Testament.
Cultural references
| Cultural references in Lost (direct references only) |
|---|
| Art • Books • Cars • Games • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science |
- The test given to young Locke by Richard Alpert resembles the Tibetan Buddhist ritual used to confirm a reincarnated tulku (the Dalai Lama being the most widely known). (Religion and ideologies)
- In the Season 3 DVD commentary for "The Man from Tallahassee", Richard Alpert is described as someone who is not interested in leading the Others but is very influential in finding and selecting a leader. In the commentary for "The Man from Tallahassee", he is described as being similar to a Panchen Lama choosing the next Dalai Lama. He and Ben keep each other in "check" by having the power to pick/veto each other's replacement on the Island. Ben's role would be to pick the next Panchen, should the need arise. This keeps the two in a sort of balanced power relationship. They are allies, yet they have some measure of control over the other should one get out of hand.
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
|---|
|
- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Richard's items/Theories
- What is the significance of these items?
- Which were the correct items that Locke was supposed to choose?
- What would have been the consequence of choosing the correct items?
- What is the granular material in the vial?
- Why did Locke choose the knife?
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| Episodes | "Not in Portland" • "The Man from Tallahassee" • "One of Us" • "The Brig" • "The Man Behind the Curtain" • "Greatest Hits" • "Through the Looking Glass" • "Cabin Fever" • "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" • "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" | |||
| Associated characters | Juliet Burke • Sayid Jarrah • Kate Austen • Benjamin "Ben" Linus • John Locke • Ethan Rom • Jacob | |||
| Richard's items | Compass • Knife • Book of Laws • Mystery Tales No. 40 | |||
| Associated Groups and Events | the Others • the Hostiles • Mittelos Bioscience • the Purge | |||
| See also: Supporting Characters | ||||
