Why did Christian have work boots on?

I read somewhere the writters said to pay attention to the the white tennis shoes. Any thoughts on what is going on with the shoes? :confused:

Good question catch on the white shoes. It got me thinking... Is this the first time we have seen Christian Shepard on the Island without the suit on? From what I recall, every time we have seen Christian on the island he is wearing a blueish gray suit, with a white shirt and white sneakers. In the Cabin he seemed to be wearing work clothes and boots.

It really threw me off at first. When we first saw him, before you could really see the face, I immediately thought it was Christian. But then I saw his shoes and figured it had to be someone else since there were no white shoes.

Could there be more than one Christian? Like one is an apparition of the monster that Jack sees and another is a creation/peon of Jacob taking a similar, but not identical form? I do think there has to be be significance in his wearing different clothes when he has always been shown in the white shoes before.

He also actively identified himself as Christian, which is not really something we've seen him do before on the island. His demeanor seemed warmer. It was definitely the same Christian who abducted Claire, possibly not the same one with white shoes who was chillin' with Jacob in the cabin, though?

I noticed this too. It has to be significant, but I don't know why yet.

Since his death, we have only seen Christian wearing a suit and white tennis shoes. Even earlier this season, in the first episode, when Hurley saw Christian sitting in Jacob's chair, Christian was wearing the suit and white tennis shoes. Last week, in the future, he was wearing the suit and white tennis shoes.

In this episode, he was wearing brown shoes or hiking boots, and it looked like old brown clothes. I wouldn't say work clothes, but I only saw them for a moment. It looked to me like he was wearing the clothes that we saw Jacob wearing last season when we got a brief glimpse of him in "The Man Behind The Curtain."

Does anyone have screen shots? Are they the same clothes from the first glimpse we had of Jacob?

Did Christian ever wear the white-shoes-and-suit combo while he was alive, or is that something he only adopted post-crash?

I guess it does make sense with the whole shoe symbolism. If a person's shoes are their mode of life, then a change of shoes was definitely in order for him at that point.

He wore the same outfit as this week's in the last episode when Claire saw him by the fire.

Does anyone know if Claire in the cabin was wearing the same clothes as when she woke up and saw Christian holding Aaron? She seemed to be so different in that scene, too.

Follow up...
I checked screen caps to answer my own question... Claire is definitely wearing the same clothes in the cabin as before. She also has the same band-aid on her forehead. I'm hoping this means she is still alive, but who knows?? BTW, Christian is wearing the workshirt while holding Aaron, same as in the cabin. Here's the screen cap of that:

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1401-738.html

I think it's how Claire last remembers him although he wasn't wearing the suit in the flashforward for Jack.

I think it's how Claire last remembers him although he wasn't wearing the suit in the flashforward for Jack.

that could be true. someone should compare the clothes he's wearing in cabin fever with what he's wearing when claire meets him in par avion.

When Richard visited child John, the lady at home also wear white tennis shoes in the home.

Seems a pretty good indication he's still alive. Dead people aren't often depicted as changing clothes.

that could be true. someone should compare the clothes he's wearing in cabin fever with what he's wearing when claire meets him in par avion.


He's wearing a suit in both the hospital room and the restaurant. But maybe that's not the last time Claire saw him.

Christian's hair is also different than what we've seen before (except in SNBH), he usually combs it back.

I looked back at all the scenes Christian has been in on Lostpedia and it doesn't look like he's ever worn that shirt before. He usually wears lighter color shirts. He did wear a red one in the bar in Sydney and he also wore another blue one when he met Ana Lucia at the airport that was very similar to the shirt in the cabin, but it was a lighter blue.

Perhaps this version of Christian is one that was previously on the Island (ala Horace) and this is what he wore then. The version that appeared to Jack and Hurley with the white tennis shoes is the version from the casket on the plane. Just a thought.

Perhaps this version of Christian is one that was previously on the Island (ala Horace) and this is what he wore then. The version that appeared to Jack and Hurley with the white tennis shoes is the version from the casket on the plane. Just a thought.

I don't think the shoes were visible on Christian when Hurley saw him in the cabin. I don't have TSOTC on my DVR downstairs, so I can't look at it right now and the screencaps don't show the shoes, only that he was wearing a suit. The shoes could have been visible, I just don't remember seeing them.

There is also one white shoe hanging from a tree in an early episode (can't remember which... the pilot perhaps)... implying that a Christian with two white shoes is a ghost/manifestation because wherever his corpse went... it was only wearing one white shoe... which I think was the case in the cabin... the Christian with only one white shoe is a zombie.

Christian sporting new clothes and boots... definitely a zombie Christian... same as Harper was a zombie Harper when she appeared to Juliet...('cause the Whispers call Harper Sarah). It seems relevant here to mention again that there is a reason the bodies are left unburied in the Dharma mass grave... so that the dead can communicate with the living through their dreams and through Smokey.

There is also one white shoe hanging from a tree in an early episode (can't remember which... the pilot perhaps)... implying that a Christian with two white shoes is a ghost/manifestation because wherever his corpse went... it was only wearing one white shoe... which I think was the case in the cabin... the Christian with only one white shoe is a zombie.

Christian sporting new clothes and boots... definitely a zombie Christian... same as Harper was a zombie Harper when she appeared to Juliet...('cause the Whispers call Harper Sarah). It seems relevant here to mention again that there is a reason the bodies are left unburied in the Dharma mass grave... so that the dead can communicate with the living through their dreams and through Smokey.

Actually in the podcast following TOW, Darlton confirmed that Harper was indeed the real Harper and not an apparition. Again, another KISS situation that many people, myself included, were creating many theories about. But take it as you wish, since alot of people don't believe everything Darlton says.;)

Actually in the podcast following TOW, Darlton confirmed that Harper was indeed the real Harper and not an apparition. Again, another KISS situation that many people, myself included, were creating many theories about. But take it as you wish, since alot of people don't believe everything Darlton says.;)

Yes, she is the real Harper... it's Harper's body and she's not a ghost. I'm saying that she's not really a person named Harper... that Harper is either a person named sarah who played the role of someone named Harper who really was a Dharma shrink-type, OR Harper is a zombie inhabited by someone named Sarah.

Confusing to explain ... :P

The whole cabin looked different to me when Locke took over. Could that also be the reason why Christian looks different?

Someone in another thread (CarpeDiem, I think) pointed out that perhaps this Christian is NOT representative of Jacob, despite what he says. I mean all that stuff about Claire's baby and 'raised by another,' what if he (Christian w/work boots) has some ulterior motives here? Perhaps creation of EvilAaron, away from Claire...

I dunno... but I just wonder about the shoes now, and why we should just take Christian-zombie's word that he DOES speak on behalf of Big J.

Seems a pretty good indication he's still alive. Dead people aren't often depicted as changing clothes.

Charlie changed clothes and got a hair cut. :biggrin:

Charlie changed clothes and got a hair cut. :biggrin:
And he looked 10 times better "dead" than alive! :D

I thought the white shoe in the pilot episode was proof that Christian is not quite or still dead; because Jack sees him wearing two white shoes in "White Rabbit." Right?

I thought the white shoe in the pilot episode was proof that Christian is not quite or still dead; because Jack sees him wearing two white shoes in "White Rabbit." Right?

I think it implies that when the plane crashed one of the shoes that Christian was wearing when he was placed in his coffin fell off his dead foot and landed in a tree... therefore when you see him with two shoes... it has to be a manifestation/hallucination.

I'm guess if you see him with one shoe walking around.... he's a zombie.

Can a hallucination hold a baby in midair?

Can a hallucination hold a baby in midair?

On this island? Probably.

I think it was Jacob taking the form of Christian hence the change of clothes.

I think the clothes are different because it's Claire facilitating his ability to manifest physically this time, instead of Jack. Either way, it's still Christian, but there are differences in how he appears depending on who the facilitator is.

Seems a pretty good indication he's still alive. Dead people aren't often depicted as changing clothes.

I actually really like this comment. The dead don't usually change their clothing in between sightings - in literature or even movies.

People brought up the fact that Charlie looked different. He looked different from the last time we saw him alive, but we haven't seen him change his image again since then.

To pick up on the question of whether we should take his word that he represents Jacob, I think that's a good question. Why would Jacob not be able to talk to Locke himself, given he has shown himself able to communicate with Ben before? Was he perhaps in the Cabin, yet simply appeared invisible to Locke, as he did the last time Locke was in the Cabin, and if so, then why is it to Locke that he appears invisble? A lot of questions.

I think also questions should be asked of why would Horace, a DHARMA guy, whom Ben implies had his death sentenced passed by the 'other' leader of the the Others (Jacob surely?), be helping Locke find Jacob, or indeed be helping Jacob interact with Locke?

Certainly I doubt there is all that appears to this, I've a feeling also that if we knew more about what went on between Locke and Walt, which we surely will know by the end of the show, in through the looking glass, we would have a little bit better idea of what is afoot here.

I’ve enjoyed reading all your thoughts. I go back and forth about CS being dead or alive, about the time I’ve made up my mind one way; I read a good argument against it and go the other way!!

I am wondering if the change of clothes is meant to be understood that CS is now ready to go to work himself rather than saying “Jack has work to do”.

As to CS speaking on behalf of Jacob I don’t have a clue. I have thought that Jacob (what ever he is) was trapped in the cabin, so is he there invisible as he was to Locke and Ben on their first visit? If not where is he?

CS is the only person we have seen in the cabin that we recognize, so maybe he has been spokesman for Jacob all along and Jacob had nothing to say until the island came under direct threat.

When I saw the white tennis shoe hanging from the tree I never thought of it belonging to CS. I thought of CS without shoes in his coffin, out of the coffin he needed shoes in order to traipse through the jungle so he found the hanging shoe and its mate and put them on.

I would not think of a ghost needing shoes, but a living person would which lead me to believe the glaring white tennis shoes were a BIG clue that CS was somehow alive. Since TPTB continue to claim he is dead, who knows? :undecide:

or a manifestation based on another memory. which doesnt really help with charlie and hurley, unless charlies image is from a cd cover that hurley kept or bought.

or this a weird way of having "no place like home" shoes... instead of ruby slippers there are white shoes.
I keep wondering what jacks dad wore when he hung outside of cliares house yelling for her. before he went to the bar...

or a manifestation based on another memory. which doesnt really help with charlie and hurley, unless charlies image is from a cd cover that hurley kept or bought.

or this a weird way of having "no place like home" shoes... instead of ruby slippers there are white shoes.
I keep wondering what jacks dad wore when he hung outside of cliares house yelling for her. before he went to the bar...
I see the white shoes as being more like "White Rabbit" shoes with Alice/Claire following the Rabbit/CS down the rabbit hole/Jacob's Cabin to a another world/dimension.

Did Christian ever wear the white-shoes-and-suit combo while he was alive, or is that something he only adopted post-crash?


maybe its cuz hes a doctor. always bustling around. you need good supportive shoes in that profession.

The dead don't usually change their clothing in between sightings - in literature or even movies.
Of course I could've brought up another example wherein a survivally-challenged entity does so IIRC: Due South. Fraser, Sr. had a very full after-life, which included building and working in an office in astral-land. And he still had to shave IIRC.

One function you never see depicted in the dead AFAIK is aging. Maybe someone will have a counter-example. Actually at one point in Due South, it was implied that he might be getting older, when he said, "I'm not getting any younger."

The best inside joke I know of on all this was the casting of Jane Roberts in a bit part in the TV play of The Lathe of Heaven.

Robert

I think there is a definite difference between this and any previous apparition, for example, the image of Yemi denounces his identity in front of Eko as if he is just using his form, whilst Christian says that he is Christian, I don’t think he has any reason to lie as Locke would not know who Christian was. Perhaps Jacob uses the form of people that died on the island so that he can take advantage of the emotional connection. He only broke the illusion of Yemi to Eko because ha had refused to do as he asked. I think this would be a good time to analyse further why Yemi / Jacob wanted Eko to 'confess' now that we know that this entity has an intelligent purpose. Or was it just having fun before things turned bad for he island. One further point, All previous characters who have seen the apparitions have seen people/animals from there own lives, why then would it be Christian that Locke sees, a couple of possible suggestions,

1) Jacob has the wrong guy; he thinks that he is dealing with Jack

2) Locke does not have any deep meaning connections with anybody that has died on the island (although there are many chars that pos could fit the bill)

3) Locke has some previous connection with Christian; with all this time travel going on could Christian be Locke’s dad aswell? (Cooper doesnt look 30 years older than locke, Emily 15, father x2 = 30 years older)

Imposters.....Christian and Claire......it was'nt them, it was ........?

Remember the last mobisode, Christian and Vincent??? My son has work to do.
I think Christian is Christian and Claire is Claire in the Cabin, but.. are they ghosts or living humans?? What/Who is Jacob?????

Remember the last mobisode, Christian and Vincent??? My son has work to do.
I think Christian is Christian and Claire is Claire in the Cabin, but.. are they ghosts or living humans?? What/Who is Jacob?????

I agree and you ask the right questions, but who knows when we will get the answers!

The shoes struck me of course, I notice too how Claire's seated pose mirrors her dad's - one leg raised and her un-Clairelike demeanor - but it's the strips on Christian's shirt get me.

Ben habitually wears stripy shirts and from the evidence of his own mouth, took - or only raised, his line on the incident changes - an infant from a woman in the woods ...he never said who had given Alex to him.

If that line's true. But all things time-loopy considered, they both might be. lol. I'm shut-up now. :lipsseal: