Being "Lost" in Lost has multiple meanings. Lost by the physical meaning, literally means what the premise of the series is, group of survivors from a plane crash lost on an uncharted island. It could also be lost in terms of

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The word "Lost" is heavy with meaning and mystery. It defines both physical disorientate and psychological states of defeat and despair" p10 Lost Chronicles, Mark Cotta Vaz Transworld Publishers, (UK) (2004)

Being "Lost" in Lost has multiple meanings. Lost by the physical meaning, literally means what the premise of the series is, group of survivors from a plane crash lost on an uncharted island. It could also be lost in terms of not knowing where your life is going. Lost in terms of physical things like addiction or not knowing who you are. It can mean lost in terms of losing your ethos/values or religion. In the context of contempary, it can mean being lost in terms of loss of traditional TV programme style. The creators of "Lost have taken the plurality of meanings to create a text, which offers multiple meanings to cater for heterogeneous audience with a variety of need. Lost offers a variety of levels to satisfy a wide variety of audience needs.

One of the ways in which the series satisfies audience needs is through narrative. Which is an aspect of being lost is lost because it contains a vague mysterious plot, which subverts traditional narrative structure by not exhibiting a linear style. As it jumps back and forwards through time. "It's an unusual occurrence a smart show where the story is the star" (Mark Cotta Vaz 2004-p73) the show as a star aspect is apparent from confusion in binary opposites. Binary opposition in "Lost" and Lost because people in the series do not know who they are or even threats neither does the audience, a key to its success. In the text, binary oppositions are subverted regularly this satisfies an active audience as they are taken by surprise in this. The pilot episode set up a few binary opposites, which then change as the direction of the series changes. As many people on the island you do not know their identity and if they are a threat or not.

If you were to take the meaning of the word lost literally for the TV series that is true in terms of where the characters are and what the audience feel. This is a feeling of not knowing where you are, generated by the series in its narrative. Lost is in anti narrative it starts with the Jack waking up on an island in the midst of a plane crash with no explanation why he came to be there. Until a flashback to the plane's turbulence showing Lost is not a traditional narrative as it goes back and forward through time. Due to the narrative Lost has a vague feeling generated about which is also furthered by what you are not told. You see the world of Lost through the characters eyes and memories. Therefore, the audience only know what the characters know bar "Man of Science" where you see a scene with Desmond in his room. In addition, because you see the world through the characters eyes the supernatural feel of the show furthered because you only see the plane crash before they all go unconscious in mid air. Thanks to this, the audience do not know where they are so "Lost" is lost in terms of time and space. Leading audiences to arrive at their own conclusions as to what exactly is going on. Various ideas include "The place went through a wormhole and they are on another planet" "They are dreaming" or the most popular "They are all dead"- E4 Lost Revealed. This is because past the turbulence nothing is seen until the aftermath. In addition, this done through media language, as by things you do not see as vague close ups or wide shots there is never any clear shots of certain things. For example in "Pilot part I" this is done through the shots of the shadowy behemoth.

In addition, supported by the music of Lost created specifically to be mysterious to the audience it generates a tribal/sinister through use of parallel sound. This is through use of the opening titles of Lost, which shows the word, lost swaying across the screen to an eerie wind chime feeling falling music. This helps draw the audience into Lost straight away as it gives the audience the mysterious feeling if you were to the word lost as feeling unsettled.

The narrative for each character-focused episode parallels the feeling of physical disorientation in Lost, as they have to deal with an Island conflict relating to their life as a whole. The meaning of being lost could be that a character has lost their way in life. For example in the "Moth", it follow Charlie's drug addiction and how endangers Jack. Though this technique of flashbacks the audience learn more about that character in the episode, however with answers as typical with Lost another five or so open up. The audience do not know where the program is going but they know they will find out in the end and that is what through the anti-narrative makes Lost so addictive.

In the pilot episode, the main binary opposition is set up via a fight starting the Sawyer/Sayid conflict. This is true, as the first times the focus is on both characters; in any detail in a shot is their fight in "Pilot Part 2". A clash of two opposing cultures which is a microcosm of current global affairs. The stereotypical conflict of US/Iraq is not as simple in Lost as it is in real life. Certainly, in the first few episodes like "Pilot Part 2", "The Moth" and "Confidence Man" where the two come into conflict as their identities suggest. However, these identities change throughout Lost, Sayid (seen by Americans as the enemy) through the war on terror is represented as a hero, whereas the American Sawyer is represented as a false hero (by being involved in looting and speaking his mind). Therefore the audience could be Lost as they do not know who route for. This relates to the growing complex political situation of the world. However, the distrust is gone when in "Homecoming" They team up to help capture Ethan. Ethan is an internal threat terrorising the islanders who comes out of nowhere. This could be a possible allegory for the modern fear of a spy, a fear of terrorists in America started by the Okalahoma Bombing then aggravated by 9/11. Showing the binary opposites are lost in terms of being confused about where you stand the meaning of being Lost as in a loss of ethos and values. Ethan corresponds to two aspects of Propp's narrative theory "The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings" and "Villain is punished;" this is true of Lost as Ethan deceives the islanders to acquire Clare and he is punished in the end being shot by Charlie.
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This shows how Lost still has traditional elements a mysterious villain, but he appears to conform to conventions. This has an impact on the audience satisfying their desire for a good vs. evil conflict.

In these innovative representations, Lost further continues this breaking down of boundaries in terms of gender roles, as even though some of the characters are male hero's Lost has heroines. This shows that the series is lost in terms of its loss of traditional gender values. (See appendix i for examples) That goes against stereotypes, as they are not your traditional female characters, ...

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