The Island of the ‘Lost’ Man: TV’s LOST and Isolationism They say that no man is an island, yet for centuries, philosophers have been obsessed with the notion of man and his return to the island. Notorious thinkers and intellects like Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau have volumes worth of literature, all speculating and arguing the pros and cons of a return to a state of nature in which man can release himself from the shackles and constraints of society and begin anew. Subsequent philosophers come to build or dismantle the idyllic representation of the state of nature, but still, the notion remains strong and unwavering for the next three hundred years. In fact, it would only be in 2004, with the creation of the critically acclaimed LOST, would television finally see the appeal in what Hobbes and Rousseau had been discussing for centuries. LOST, is a wildly popular television program that revolves around the stranded survivors of a plane crash and delves heavily into the philosophical. Everything from the settings to the individual character’s back-stories, beliefs, and even names, are modeled around key Enlightenment thinkers and their theories concerning human nature. Yet, of all the characters that represent a long dead academic, it is the characters Danielle Rousseau and Desmond David Hume that one can see how true LOST sticks to the notions of isolation as seen by the theorist, David Hume. One of the sub-plots of season one, revolves around Danielle Rousseau, the crazy French lady that has lived on the island for over sixteen years. When Sayid decides to leave the group and do a little soul searching, he is kidnapped by Rousseau and held captive. Moreover, when the characters and audience are first introduced to Desmond Hume, he is the mysterious man who lives in the equally mysterious hatch that has eluded them castaways since mid-way through season one. Both Desmond and Rousseau become literal representations of Hume’s writing seeing as how they, much like the pseudo-biographical Hume in his Treatise on Human Nature, are shipwrecked on the island after imparting on a voyage around the world for knowledge (Hume 263). Hume goes into great detail in describing just what comes about after his intellectual shipwreck, revealing with great sadness the repercussions of being separated from society. He states, “I am first affrighted and confounded with that forelorn solitude, in which I am plac'd in my philosophy, and fancy myself some strange uncouth monster, who not being able to mingle and unite in society, has been expell'd all human commerce, and left utterly abandon'd and disconsolate” (263). To commence, due to their isolation from humanity, both Rousseau and Desmond begin to lose sight of their humanity. Rousseau, as noted by Sayid, appears crazed, wild, and irrational. She chains Sayid to a metal bed and tortures information out of him, only furthering Sayid’s belief that she is insane and beyond the realm of human logic. She claims there is a “monster” in the jungle, which Sayid dismisses as her deluded way of grasping with the fact she has killed her entire crew. As well, when with Kelvin, Desmond continues to shave everyday for the three years of his captivity, maintaining some semblance of a civility and a neat upkeep. Yet, once Kelvin leaves and he is left alone to “save the world”, Desmond forgoes his daily regiment and allows himself to grow a thick and messy beard that when combined with his tangled hair, give him the appearance of a wild man. By being alone for extended periods of time, Desmond becomes aggressive and feral thus evolving into “an uncouth monster” (263). It is only when both he and Rousseau realize that there are other humans on the island, do they begin to re-assimilate themselves into a shadow of their former selves: Desmond shaves and showers and Rousseau asks for help in fixing her music box. Moreover, Hume explains that one must maintain human connections in order to be able to define themselves as a human, stating, “to mingle and unite in society…expell'd [from] all human commerce, [they are] left utterly abandon'd and disconsolate” (263). This ties into the notion of solipsism: the idea that the universe is a creation of one’s mind. Rousseau, having lived in isolation, fear and paranoia for sixteen years, is not quick to trust Sayid. Having been alone for so long, she seems incapable of letting others into her life, choosing to stay by herself despite Sayid’s insistence that the other castaways can assist her. Also, although Desmond and Kelvin are an odd-couple, mixed up in a twisted mind game, they provide each other with a human connection to what is left of society. It is when Kelvin leaves Desmond alone, does Desmond begin to truly feel his incarceration. Sadly, due to his increasing isolation and alienation from living creatures, Desmond decides to kill himself. It is in his moment of desperation that he finds a letter from the woman he loves, stating, "Please don't give up, Des. Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her" (LOST 2.24). It is during this moment that Desmond realizes he is not as alone as he initially believes himself to be, for he hears a loud pounding and screaming. Desmond finds John Locke who has just lost his faith in the island, which becomes ironic seeing as how in that one instant, Desmond’s faith is completely restored. He shines a light, which John Locke assumes to be a sign from the island that his faith should not waver. Desmond tells Locke this, frantically claiming, "Three days before you came down here, before we met, I heard a banging on the hatch door, shouting. But it was you, John, wasn't it? You said there isn't any purpose -- there's no such thing as fate. But you saved my life, brother, so that I could save yours" (LOST 2.24). As solipsism asserts, the human mind is isolated for other human minds, which in itself, becomes a terrible form of isolation. Desmond and Rousseau believe themselves to be alone not only physically but also mentally. Their faith in reality only seems to be re-established when they find another individual to prove that they are not alone in the world, thus proving Desmond’s love correct when she asserted that the only thing a person needs to survive is one other person. As one can see, the effects of isolation can have devastating effects on an individual. For the characters Desmond and Rousseau on LOST, said effects are implemented in various degrees and through different methods, yet the message still comes across loud and clear. Through Hume’s literature on isolation and the notion of solipsism, the island and man truly does become a monster in which society has to defeat. Will the survivors be able to slay this beast? We will just have to wait for season four.