Jacob represents Fate. Mib Represents Free Will by Jason Merry

I spend way too much time thinking about Lost. I'm knowledgeably addicted, and in May I will seek counsiling for this problem. That being said, I believe we have it all backwards as to who represents what in relation to Jacob and the MIB.

We, as an audience, don't actually have any indication that Jacob represents free will, aside from a single line, uttered to Ben, just before Jacob's 'death': "You have a choice".

However, his proceeding line was uttered mockingly, antagonistically: "What about you?"

All of the scenes the audience would view as Jacob "flashbacks" show him interacting with our Losties. However, in each of these scenes, he was touching them. The act of touching could be viewed as a nudge, a push, a prod...a physical attempt to purposely affect the direction of the intended object.

That doesn't sound like free will to me. If someone were to attempt to purposely affect my direction, I'd say they were coercing me, working to undermine my free will.

And that is exactly what Jacob is doing to our Losties. He gave Ben a choice, but by that point Ben was already fairly honed in on his intended decision.

MIB, on the other hand, has done nothing BUT present the given players with their options.

One of his first edicts was to go to the statue and show the "Others" Jacob, this man who they've taken "directions" from, whom they've never even seen.

Yes, on the beach, when he was chatting with Jacob, seeing the Black Rock in the distance, he did say they come, they fight, they corrupt...but he never said they didn't do it of their own free will.

Jacob said everything was "progress", but he didn't say toward what end. I believe Jacob is trying to prove progress toward fate. They come and they choose fate. They come and they make the choices Jacob has predetermined for them. They follow the script, as it were.

MIB has been trying to get them to make the "other" choice. The choice to forge their own destiny, regardless of the consequence. That's why he says he's very disappointed in all of them. Because they chose to be followers, and didn't forge their own destinies.