Several of the characters in The Lost World view their lives as meaningless without great deeds. However, they each have different motives for pursuing their legacies. Early on, when Gladys expresses her fervent admiration for the British explorer Richard Burton, she reinforces the emphasis that British society placed on exploration, risk, and courage at the turn of the century. Undertaking a dangerous adventure was a way to make a name for oneself.

Before Gladys rebuffs his proposal, Ned gives no indication that he is unsatisfied with his life as a writer. He agrees to join the quest in order to win Gladys’s approval and hand in marriage. Because she cannot view his life as worthy without a dangerous resume, neither can Ned. He writes that he hopes to “justify his life” with the expedition (11), as if his life prior to the voyage is mundane.

Despite his previous successes, Challenger tells Ned that his eventual writings on South America “will be my life’s justification” (72). A man who has accomplished so much already still describes his life as needing justification, a grand purpose to prove that his life had significance.

Summerlee tells Ned that he goes on the trip to prove Challenger a fraud.