The first entry by the second author
Another entry by the second author
The diary is a feature on the official Lost section of the ABC website.
During season 1, its entries were written by a character named Janelle Granger, who offered the perspective of one of the peripheral survivors. She commented on the major events as they transpired, and her activities occasionally intersected those of the main characters, but ultimately, despite vague allusions to her life before the crash, her story added nothing to the Lost mythology.
Janelle's story apparently ended on the night when the hatch is opened; she describes "a bright fiery flash — then a loud bang." Her final entry ends with a cliffhanger: "Why is she screaming? Someone behind me? I can't find my bag— —" Her fate has yet to be revealed, but in the following season, none of the characters comment on her absence, making it unlikely that she was abducted or killed; she may have simply lost the notebook.
In season 2 the diary is resumed by another, unnamed author. The tone of the second author, who claims to have found the diary on the beach, is more cynical than that of Janelle. The diary became a point of much discussion when the author seemed to identify the captive Henry Gale as his/her "brother."
Identity of the second author
It is not clear how or from whom the author learned of Henry Gale's existence; if their brother is the real Henry Gale or the imposter; or even if the author knows the name Henry Gale at all. (The recent entry's reference to "Steve" seems to corroborate the latter.) By process of elimination, most of the main characters can be ruled out.
- The author refers to a plan by the "major players" (though, as we have seen, several main characters feel "out of the loop").
- The author was present when Hurley passed out the food and remarked on the arrival of the tailenders, so cannot be any of the raft crew (Michael, Jin, Sawyer) or the Tailies (Libby, Bernard, etc.).
- The author refers to many characters in the third person (including Jack, Charlie, Sayid and Locke).
Some possible candidates:
- Neil Frogurt
- Rose (note: this theory seems to be based largely on the fact that she and the real Henry Gale are both African American)
There are other passages that suggest the author, despite living on the beach (and presumably being listed in the flight manifest) is somehow detached from the main group and may be affiliated with the Others.
- S/he doesn't know Janelle
- Several passages call to mind what we know of the Others:
- Fixation on children: "We of course to are taught to understand the vital importance of children" (The author also seemed to admire Charlie for his efforts to protect Aaron.)
- Whose island? The question of ownership: "Who do these people think they are? ... This is not their island"
- "...nothing can come to them [from a conflict with the Others] but their own destruction"
Is the diary canon?
Much of the confusion surrounding the diary could be explained if it is not canon. The first part in particular seems to have no bearing on the official mythology. For example, the chronology of events as recorded by Janelle does not jibe with the dates according to the episode "The Other 48 Days." In the official podcast, writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ridiculed a question regarding Janelle, apparently unaware of her role in the online diary.
Also, many links within the diary are broken, some entries are missing, and others exist in duplicate/triplicate. It seems reasonable that the site would be better maintained if it had a substantial connection to the plot.
Of course, the tone of the diary was significantly altered by the introduction of the 'brother' subplot, and its very duration — along with the apparent direct connection to Henry Gale — suggests a more significant connection to the main story than has previously existed. It's possible that the writers and producers of Lost decided at some point in Season 2 to commandeer the diary for upcoming storylines — a "reboot" — in which case only the newer entries might be considered canon.
Entries
Part One
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]
Part Two
[33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46]
Theories
- The author's brother is the "Steve" that he mentions in the diary. This could refer to the the background character Steve, the imposter Henry Gale's real name, or a different person altogether.
- The diary is written by someone with a mental disorder. The could explain the author's growing belligerence and some of the continuity errors.
- The "brother" is somehow related to the tie-in novel Bad Twin, in which case The Brothers Karamazov (which Locke gave as reading material to Henry) may be significant.
- Sometime during or soon after the incident on Day 43, Janelle was changed somehow or became a new person altogether. This may explain why s/he has never heard of Janelle before, why this person has the diary, and maybe why s/he has adapted what could be considered an "Other" mindset.