Let me state my theory of Jacob up front: I think that Jacob is the ghost, or spirit, of someone who lived on the Island, and that this person was a powerful psychic. I also have a theory about the circles of ash that surround Jacob’s cabin, but I will save this for later. My theory of Jacob has been strongly influenced by remarks made by Damon and Carlton in their commentary to “The Man Behind the Curtain” on the DVD of season three. I am sure that most if not all of what I say here has already been said by other posters. Still, I think that someone might find it interesting.
It seems to me that there are four possibilities concerning Jacob:
(i) Jacob doesn’t exist.
(ii) Jacob is a living human with great psychic abilities.
(iii) Jacob is a ghost/spirit with great psychic abilities.
(iv) Neither (i)-(iii). That is, Jacob exists, but he is neither a living human nor a ghost.
I will say more about (iv) later. A few preliminary comments. First, I think it is clear that the mythology of Lost recognizes both the existence of psychic abilities and the existence of ghosts/spirits. So, I think that (ii) and (iii) are live options. Second, I think it is clear that Jacob exists, and so (i) can be discounted. I won’t say much against (i) here, except to note that the producers have said (or very strongly suggested) that Jacob is real on numerous occasions. Also, I think that Locke’s experiences in Jacob’s cabin and Hurley’s experience of the cabin (which Hurley never entered) provide conclusive evidence that Jacob is real. (I wonder if Alpert ever speaks explicitly about Jacob. I think that Alpert has conclusive evidence that Jacob exists, unlike many Others, such as Tom, who have to rely on Ben’s testimony about Jacob.) One possibility that I do not consider here is that Jacob exists but that Jacob is really some other character, such as Jack, ! or Locke, or Christian Shepard, or Ben, etc. I don’t have any argument for the following claim, but it seems to me that Jacob is not some other character: Jacob is simply Jacob.
(Note, even if Jacob is another character, then Jacob may be the ghost of that character, or he may be related to that character in some equally strange way. Thus, possibilities (iii) and (iv) are still on the table even if Jacob is e.g. Jack.)
One other comment. Given Jacob’s behavior in his cabin in “The Man Behind the Curtain,” Jacob’s reputed healing abilities, etc., I think we can be confident that Jacob is a psychic, and a powerful one at that. Jacob can also choose to be seen and heard by some people and not others. (That is, of the people that have the ability to see and hear Jacob, such as Ben and Locke, Jacob can choose for those people not to see and hear him. Perhaps some people are fundamentally incapable of seeing or hearing Ben at all. In fact, I think this is likely). This is confirmed, I believe, by the scene in Jacob’s cabin in “The Man Behind the Curtain.” Now, Jacob’s ability to choose to be seen and heard or not seen and heard may not be psychic powers. They may be powers deriving from Jacob being a ghost. Jacob is a psychic ghost.
Ok, so Jacob exists. Can we rule out the possibility that Jacob is a living human, albeit a psychic human? I think so. First, in their commentary on “The Man Behind the Curtain,” Damon and Carlton say that Jacob is somehow dependent on or constrained by Ben. If Jacob were a living breathing human, I don’t see how this could be the case. Second, we have good reason to believe that Jacob cannot interact with all the Others, and that Jacob needs an intermediary to deal with the world outside his cabin. (I think it is plausible that Jacob has beef with Ben. But if Jacob has beef with Ben and Jacob is a living human, why couldn’t Jacob simply kill or sideline Ben? Ben tells Sayid (I believe) in the Swan station that Jacob has the power to kill him). Again, it doesn’t seem that this would be the case if Jacob were a living human. Third, Jacob just doesn’t seem human: he seems otherworldly. Fourth, if Jacob were a living human, why would his appearances be in any way ti! ed to or restricted by the circles of ash, as Damon and Carlton suggest they are? Fifth, if Jacob is a living human, then I think what we have seen of both Jacob and his cabin must be psychic projection. However, it doesn’t seem to me that Jacob’s cabin is a psychic projection of any kind. I could cite more reasons, but I will stop here.
(I think we know that psychic projection is recognized by the mythology of Lost. For example, recall Klugh’s questioning Michael about whether Walt has ever appeared somewhere he shouldn’t be. I tend to think that Harper psychically projected herself to Juliette and Jack in the episode that introduced the Tempest. I am not convinced that it was Walt who really appeared to Locke after Ben shot him, though.)
To recap, Jacob exists, and Jacob is not a living, psychic human. What possibilities remain? A strong possibility is that Jacob is a ghost. Is there any positive argument for this? I believe so. In an early scene in “The Man Behind the Curtain,” Ben meets Alpert outside the DHARMA camp when Ben is a young boy. Ben tells Alpert that he saw his dead mother on the Island. Alpert asks Ben whether his mother died on the Island. Ben tells Alpert that his mother died off of the Island. Alpert clearly has a strong reaction to Ben’s statement. Damon and Carlton, in their commentary on the episode, confirm that Alpert has a strong reaction to Ben’s statement, and they say that Alpert’s reaction is significant. Also, Damon and Carlton say something that suggests that Alpert choses to introduce Ben to Jacob for the purpose of Ben serving as an intermediary for Jacob. Why would Alpert think that Ben would be a good intermediary for Jacob? Well, if Jacob is a ghost, and if Ben h! as such a strong affinity with ghosts that he can see his mother who died off of the Island, then this quality might make Ben a good candidate to serve as Jacob’s intermediary if Jacob himself is a ghost. I think that this argument is made stronger if, as I suspect, not everyone has an equal ability or affinity to commune with ghosts. Also, if Jacob does have beef with Ben, then why wouldn’t Jacob recruit just anyone to replace Ben? I think Jacob needs someone special to serve as his intermediary, special in the sense that the person can interact with ghosts. Interestingly, though we the audience and Ben both know that Locke is special before “The Man in the Curtain,” we have no reason to think that Locke can communicate with ghosts. (Maybe I have forgotten a scene where Locke does interact with a ghost.) Note that Miles seems to have an especially strong affinity with ghosts, as perhaps does Charlotte Malkin.
Another recap: Jacob exists. Jacob is not a living human. What possibilities remain for Jacob? Well, we know that ghosts/spirits exist in the Lost mythology, and there are some arguments to support the claim that Jacob is a ghost. As I said before, I think it is clear that Jacob is a psychic whether he is a living human, a ghost, or something else. I believe that Jacob is most likely a psychic ghost.
What could possibility (iv) be? Here is one suggestion: Jacob is a disembodied, time-traveling mind. I will not discuss this possibility any further here.
About the circles of ash…
The Island clearly has special physical properties. I think that one special physical property of the Island is that it allows ghosts/spirits to appear to the living; or, if ghosts can appear to the living off of the Island, that the Island allows ghosts to make especially vivid appearances to the living. I think that this special property of the Island is due to a rock or mineral found on the Island, and that the circles of ash that surround Jacob’s cabin are composed of this rock or mineral. Basically, my idea is this: Jacob can only appear to anyone, or else Jacob can only use his psychic abilities, in the presence of this rock or mineral; therefore, Jacob is dependent on Ben, or someone else, to create the circles of ash in order for him to appear, or use his powers. (I speculate that the naturally occurring concentrations of the rock or mineral on the Island are few and far between and/or inconveniently located.) In this way, I think that Ben exercises some control ov! er Jacob.
Here is some serious speculation. Miles hears a ghost but does not see a ghost when he is in Los Angeles. Perhaps Miles has only heard ghosts and never seen ghosts before. On the Island, Miles speaks with Naomi’s ghost. If Miles had never seen a ghost before arriving on the Island, then I am guessing that Miles does not see (though he hears) Naomi’s ghost. Otherwise, I would expect him to act much more surprised when he meets up with Jack and crew. So, even someone with as strong an affinity for ghosts/spirits as Miles has limited access to ghosts on the Island.
Here is another (admittedly weak) argument for my proposal about the cabin. If we assume that Christian Shepard is dead, then what accounts for Hurley seeing Christian in Jacob’s cabin? Might Jacob have manifested as Christian? Perhaps, but another explanation is that Hurley saw Christian’s ghost, and that the rock or mineral surrounding the cabin made it possible, or at least easier, for Christian to appear to living humans, including Locke presumably, and Hurley.
Theory by DHLostie
It seems to me that there are four possibilities concerning Jacob:
(i) Jacob doesn’t exist.
(ii) Jacob is a living human with great psychic abilities.
(iii) Jacob is a ghost/spirit with great psychic abilities.
(iv) Neither (i)-(iii). That is, Jacob exists, but he is neither a living human nor a ghost.
I will say more about (iv) later. A few preliminary comments. First, I think it is clear that the mythology of Lost recognizes both the existence of psychic abilities and the existence of ghosts/spirits. So, I think that (ii) and (iii) are live options. Second, I think it is clear that Jacob exists, and so (i) can be discounted. I won’t say much against (i) here, except to note that the producers have said (or very strongly suggested) that Jacob is real on numerous occasions. Also, I think that Locke’s experiences in Jacob’s cabin and Hurley’s experience of the cabin (which Hurley never entered) provide conclusive evidence that Jacob is real. (I wonder if Alpert ever speaks explicitly about Jacob. I think that Alpert has conclusive evidence that Jacob exists, unlike many Others, such as Tom, who have to rely on Ben’s testimony about Jacob.) One possibility that I do not consider here is that Jacob exists but that Jacob is really some other character, such as Jack, ! or Locke, or Christian Shepard, or Ben, etc. I don’t have any argument for the following claim, but it seems to me that Jacob is not some other character: Jacob is simply Jacob.
(Note, even if Jacob is another character, then Jacob may be the ghost of that character, or he may be related to that character in some equally strange way. Thus, possibilities (iii) and (iv) are still on the table even if Jacob is e.g. Jack.)
One other comment. Given Jacob’s behavior in his cabin in “The Man Behind the Curtain,” Jacob’s reputed healing abilities, etc., I think we can be confident that Jacob is a psychic, and a powerful one at that. Jacob can also choose to be seen and heard by some people and not others. (That is, of the people that have the ability to see and hear Jacob, such as Ben and Locke, Jacob can choose for those people not to see and hear him. Perhaps some people are fundamentally incapable of seeing or hearing Ben at all. In fact, I think this is likely). This is confirmed, I believe, by the scene in Jacob’s cabin in “The Man Behind the Curtain.” Now, Jacob’s ability to choose to be seen and heard or not seen and heard may not be psychic powers. They may be powers deriving from Jacob being a ghost. Jacob is a psychic ghost.
Ok, so Jacob exists. Can we rule out the possibility that Jacob is a living human, albeit a psychic human? I think so. First, in their commentary on “The Man Behind the Curtain,” Damon and Carlton say that Jacob is somehow dependent on or constrained by Ben. If Jacob were a living breathing human, I don’t see how this could be the case. Second, we have good reason to believe that Jacob cannot interact with all the Others, and that Jacob needs an intermediary to deal with the world outside his cabin. (I think it is plausible that Jacob has beef with Ben. But if Jacob has beef with Ben and Jacob is a living human, why couldn’t Jacob simply kill or sideline Ben? Ben tells Sayid (I believe) in the Swan station that Jacob has the power to kill him). Again, it doesn’t seem that this would be the case if Jacob were a living human. Third, Jacob just doesn’t seem human: he seems otherworldly. Fourth, if Jacob were a living human, why would his appearances be in any way ti! ed to or restricted by the circles of ash, as Damon and Carlton suggest they are? Fifth, if Jacob is a living human, then I think what we have seen of both Jacob and his cabin must be psychic projection. However, it doesn’t seem to me that Jacob’s cabin is a psychic projection of any kind. I could cite more reasons, but I will stop here.
(I think we know that psychic projection is recognized by the mythology of Lost. For example, recall Klugh’s questioning Michael about whether Walt has ever appeared somewhere he shouldn’t be. I tend to think that Harper psychically projected herself to Juliette and Jack in the episode that introduced the Tempest. I am not convinced that it was Walt who really appeared to Locke after Ben shot him, though.)
To recap, Jacob exists, and Jacob is not a living, psychic human. What possibilities remain? A strong possibility is that Jacob is a ghost. Is there any positive argument for this? I believe so. In an early scene in “The Man Behind the Curtain,” Ben meets Alpert outside the DHARMA camp when Ben is a young boy. Ben tells Alpert that he saw his dead mother on the Island. Alpert asks Ben whether his mother died on the Island. Ben tells Alpert that his mother died off of the Island. Alpert clearly has a strong reaction to Ben’s statement. Damon and Carlton, in their commentary on the episode, confirm that Alpert has a strong reaction to Ben’s statement, and they say that Alpert’s reaction is significant. Also, Damon and Carlton say something that suggests that Alpert choses to introduce Ben to Jacob for the purpose of Ben serving as an intermediary for Jacob. Why would Alpert think that Ben would be a good intermediary for Jacob? Well, if Jacob is a ghost, and if Ben h! as such a strong affinity with ghosts that he can see his mother who died off of the Island, then this quality might make Ben a good candidate to serve as Jacob’s intermediary if Jacob himself is a ghost. I think that this argument is made stronger if, as I suspect, not everyone has an equal ability or affinity to commune with ghosts. Also, if Jacob does have beef with Ben, then why wouldn’t Jacob recruit just anyone to replace Ben? I think Jacob needs someone special to serve as his intermediary, special in the sense that the person can interact with ghosts. Interestingly, though we the audience and Ben both know that Locke is special before “The Man in the Curtain,” we have no reason to think that Locke can communicate with ghosts. (Maybe I have forgotten a scene where Locke does interact with a ghost.) Note that Miles seems to have an especially strong affinity with ghosts, as perhaps does Charlotte Malkin.
Another recap: Jacob exists. Jacob is not a living human. What possibilities remain for Jacob? Well, we know that ghosts/spirits exist in the Lost mythology, and there are some arguments to support the claim that Jacob is a ghost. As I said before, I think it is clear that Jacob is a psychic whether he is a living human, a ghost, or something else. I believe that Jacob is most likely a psychic ghost.
What could possibility (iv) be? Here is one suggestion: Jacob is a disembodied, time-traveling mind. I will not discuss this possibility any further here.
About the circles of ash…
The Island clearly has special physical properties. I think that one special physical property of the Island is that it allows ghosts/spirits to appear to the living; or, if ghosts can appear to the living off of the Island, that the Island allows ghosts to make especially vivid appearances to the living. I think that this special property of the Island is due to a rock or mineral found on the Island, and that the circles of ash that surround Jacob’s cabin are composed of this rock or mineral. Basically, my idea is this: Jacob can only appear to anyone, or else Jacob can only use his psychic abilities, in the presence of this rock or mineral; therefore, Jacob is dependent on Ben, or someone else, to create the circles of ash in order for him to appear, or use his powers. (I speculate that the naturally occurring concentrations of the rock or mineral on the Island are few and far between and/or inconveniently located.) In this way, I think that Ben exercises some control ov! er Jacob.
Here is some serious speculation. Miles hears a ghost but does not see a ghost when he is in Los Angeles. Perhaps Miles has only heard ghosts and never seen ghosts before. On the Island, Miles speaks with Naomi’s ghost. If Miles had never seen a ghost before arriving on the Island, then I am guessing that Miles does not see (though he hears) Naomi’s ghost. Otherwise, I would expect him to act much more surprised when he meets up with Jack and crew. So, even someone with as strong an affinity for ghosts/spirits as Miles has limited access to ghosts on the Island.
Here is another (admittedly weak) argument for my proposal about the cabin. If we assume that Christian Shepard is dead, then what accounts for Hurley seeing Christian in Jacob’s cabin? Might Jacob have manifested as Christian? Perhaps, but another explanation is that Hurley saw Christian’s ghost, and that the rock or mineral surrounding the cabin made it possible, or at least easier, for Christian to appear to living humans, including Locke presumably, and Hurley.
Theory by DHLostie
