Once Was Lost, But Now I am Found by Jennifer Barton

The people who crashed on that island were broken in their own ways, in spirit, in mind, in body and in emotions. They were, so to speak, “lost.” The island does not kill them off when it is done with them. They die when they are done with the island. But first, let’s look at our characters.

Jack: angsty relationship with dead dad, guiltridden alcoholic
Kate: murderer, trust issues (deserved of course, but still), inability to let herself love or depend on others
Sawyer: major trust issues, oppositional defiance disorder, obsessed with revenge
Locke: broken in mind and body, consumed with resentment, and the desire to see himself as powerful
Charlie: has been drug addict
Hurley: luckless loser despite winning the lottery
Clare: unwed mom at a crossroads
Jin/Sun: completely unaware they have everything they need to be happy, swept up in circumstances and turning on each other
Not on the plane, but still on the island for a reason:
Ben: where do I start? OMG. So broken! Devious b’tard. Conniving, just out for himself. SELFCENTERED.
Desmond: Unable to commit to anyone or thing
Juliette: I don’t remember her issue – I do recall she is being manipulated to stay on the island b/c of her sister, but regardless she had trust issues and trustworthiness issues
Ilana: I don’t know what her deal is, but she’s been “preparing her whole life for this”
Ok, so that’s enough people. Charlie is already dead, of course, and if you will recall, all season that year, Desmond had to continually intervene b/c Charlie had a death curse. Charlie had fallen in love with Clare, and had kicked his habits, and was taking care of her baby. Everything was going great. How sad that he had to die, right? Why did he choose to take the chance, knowing he could die? For love. For Clare. For her baby. For the island. For his friends. For Desmond, who he conked over the head in an effort to save him. Charlie was done with the island, and it was his time to go. He got what he needed and could move on.
Locke –his quest to be in charge, to be powerful, has led him astray. “Don’t ever tell me what I can’t do.” I believe Jack is going to convince him to try the surgery and restore his mobility. I think this will result in somehow letting FLocke release the need for Smokey/Puffy/LockenessMonster. He will have what he needs. He will be able to leave.
Jack. Ah, Jack. He’s coming into his own. He can admit when he is wrong. All season he’s been on a journey, trying to listen instead of speak, follow instead of lead. (Don’t do that, Jack. I appreciate the effort, but you walk point now, buddy. K?) He’s going to be the one to resolve the situation, I believe. He loves Kate, and came back to the island in order to get another chance. He’s opening up to Clare. The Jack who was completely closed off is now trying to repair things with his son. He’s ‘aware’ of his mistakes in this reality and the alternate one. He’s slowly going to become aware of the island, as Desmond is. They are the two most in tune with the duality. I believe Jack will die in the coming episodes, but not in the parallel/sideways world, and not before helping Locke release The Beast. I do not believe Jack will be stuck on the island, but I do believe he will make the offer. I think that will be enough. He will be finished with the island. Sun / Jin have made major strides toward putting the other one first. They will soon be finished with the island. Clare, learned to love/trust Charlie – but I don’t think she is evil. I think she is misguided, and looking for someone to follow b/c she is lost. I think she will come to love Jack, or trust Jack. She has already come around and been touched by Kate’s words. She is almost there. She is almost done with the island.
Sayid, did anyone else think the whole dying and being washed in that pool was a lot like baptism? That he seemed to be “bathed in the blood”? Did you think he looked a bit Christ-like going in and coming out, with the hair, the outstretched arms, the whole body positioning? I expected him to be redeemed, but alas, I was wrong. However, he is making major strides this season. I see him being done with the island. I am not sure how they will resolve his storyline in the other realm, being incarcerated and all. But maybe he can ask Kate for advice.
Kate, ah Kate. It’s coming, sweetie. You did a very selfless thing going back to the island to get Clare, considering how much you love Aaron. You really seem to love Jack, if you could only LET yourself love him. It’s the quickest ticket off the island. In fact, you might want to consider dying to save Jack. He’ll see you on the other side. This is not a spoiler. I have absolutely NO information except my own opinion that everyone is going to die so they can have life in the parallel world.
Ilana – died right after saying she was “looking out for your best interest. All of you.” She said this to Hurley. She was done. She spent her whole life preparing for this moment, and that was it, a little sooner than she expected, but there you go. When you’re done, you’re done.
Hurley – caged by fear. Getting braver. Still a big second guesser.
Desmond: Clearly on a mission. He is very aware. He is down in the well for a reason. He’s let go of fear, indecision and uncertainty. Now he is approaching his tasks with a single-mindedness that will soon get him “kicked off the island.” He hit Locke so that Jack can fix him. He’s not long for that world, but that’s ok. Something better must await with Penny and Charlie.
Again, this is just my theory. The island is a place of good and evil, but I think it is also an abstract good and evil. Meaning, evil is not just the seven deadlies, but breaking the holds they have on their lives, and following their purposes in life. FLocke is very evil, but the islanders have been very selfish toward each other over the past six seasons, each with his own agenda, each with his own bruises to nurse. They came back a very disparate group, and are now finally looking out for each other and letting go of their issues... And because of that they are able to let go of the island.
Of course, I could be full of sh’t.