Michael Dawson is a survivor of Oceanic Flight 815 who was an artist before a car accident derailed his work eight years earlier and he'd turned to construction work as a source of income. Michael was in Sydney to pick up his son, Walt, and Walt's dog, Vincent, after Walt's mother died. Michael hadn't seen Walt seen he was an infant because Walt's mother left town for a job in Amsterdam when her relationship with Michael hit a rough patch. Despite having made several efforts, including trying to take legal steps, to regain custody of Walt, Michael was denied and became a stranger to his son. Walt and Michael have a clearly icy relationship as they board the fateful flight.Michael is the first on the island to discover that Sun speaks English and this helps them develop what appears to be a platonic bond, but also triggers some tense exchanges with Sun's husband Jin. On the island, Michael is extremely protective and strict toward Walt, a likely combination of his lack of familiarity with parenting and the clear sense of danger that is prevalent on the island. Michael also initially doesn't much appreciate the fact that Walt begins to look toward Locke as a bit of a father figure.It is Michael who comes up with the first big scheme to leave the island, and it is clear that he will go to great lengths to get off the island with Walt -- sometimes with devastating consequences.