"If A Tree Falls" is an orchestral piece from the Season 6 soundtrack. It plays as the Island begins to sink during the series finale.
Main appearance[]
The Island shakes, sending Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and Ben tumbling to the ground. A tree begins to fall, and Ben pushes Hurley out of the way. The tree ends up on top of him instead.
Over at the Heart, Jack wakes up and runs to the rope to save Desmond. He discovers that Desmond untied himself, making this impossible. He runs out of the cave.
Ben is now trapped under the tree, and Hurley urges the others to try to free him. Another shake shifts the tree slightly and convinces Sawyer that Island really is sinking. Miles's voice then comes from the walkie talkie. Kate picks it up and asks about Claire, but the men at the plane plan to take off as soon as they can. Frank says he needs several hours to ready the plane, but Richard warns him that less than that remains. Ben explains how they can reach the other island - Locke's boat.
The boat has indeed returned to the main island, and the Man in Black stares at it from a cliff. Then he turns when he hears Jack call his name. The two stand off for a few seconds then run at each other.
Full list of appearances[]
- Ben slams Ana Lucia against the wall. ("Two for the Road")
- He throws Keamy to the ground before stabbing him. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
- The survivors try to pull Ben from a tree. ("The End")
Influences[]
Besides its own motif, the piece includes the Heart theme, Jack's Motif, the season's suspense motif, and the mystery theme.
Title significance[]
A tree falls on Ben during the scene. The title also references the question, "If a tree falls in the forest, and no one's there to hear it, does it make a sound?" The philosophical problem questions whether reality exists independent of perception, a point relevant when interpreting the flash sideways.
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