CASALOST

You can wrap a rich story around a simple idea. For example, in Casablanca, the story world centered around a simple piece of paper called Letters of Transit, which allowed the holder free access out of  war torn North Africa to America. The establishment of this simple idea, freedom by means of a piece of paper, cascades into a series of mysteries, deals, romance, betrayals and resolution of some big concepts.

LOST also featured a large cast of character actors like Casablanca. But while the Bogart film centered around a bar, the LOST world was spread out over an island, then dimensionally, all over the world.

LOST started off with a simple plot point: rescue. Rescue meant hope to the survivors just as the possibility of receiving letters of transit meant hope for those refugees trapped in North Africa.

One could see Jack as being the Bogart character, Rick, who even though he did not want to be a leader of any cause, was caught up in the middle of most every other character's life.

Kate would have been Ilsa, the woman for whom Rick won then lost due to the war. In the end, Rick had to let Ilsa go on the plane, just as on the island, Kate left with Jack's rival, Sawyer, the Victor Laszlo character who would never get along with Jack.

Ben could be symbolic of the loose power manipulation of Capt. Renault. The Nazi major could be played by Widmore.

Hurley "fits" the Sydney Greenstreet role in size of his suit, as well as being a background supporting character consumed with the idea of controlling supplies in Casablanca.

Peter Lorre's character, Ugarte, was a hapless dreamer who overplayed his hand with the letters which eventually cost him his life. Locke had a similar role in LOST; he had a chance for complete rescue of his heart and soul, but misplayed the cards dealt to him.

But what would have been the letters of transit in CasaLOST?

Season 6's conclusion apparently states that the transit point for the main characters was the sideways world, an after life destination, where the lost souls from the island could reunited and remember their lives together, in order to "move on." Bogart's resolution in Casablanca was to hand freedom to the woman he still loved by putting her on a plane to America, sacrificing his own happiness and fortune, for a greater purpose. LOST has no such noble ending for Jack or the other characters. Heaven is a nebulous concept in LOST, just as the fog was symbolic of change in the end of Casablanca.