Word play and Misdirection

[TeamJLA]

Long time listener, first time caller.  Love the discussion here, You guys rock.
After watching The Incident, I'm pretty sure that the man in black may be the force for good on the island and Jacob may be the force for evil.  The opening segment seems to support this and the final scene with the inverted black LOST logo on the white background may be the creators way of showing us that they pulled a fast on on us.  We were willing to accept that Jacob in white was good because we are used to the whole black = evil and white = good thing.  I know that idea has been posted a hundred times already but I'm going somewhere.
They are also big on anagrams, presenting us with one meaning but hiding another within.
While I was thinking about this it occurred to me,the question "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" was answered with "He who will save us all." or something like that.  It bothers me a little bit that the question "What" was answered with "He".  What if we're reading the question wrong?  We assumed that "Lies" refers to a location but what if it's means the opposite of the truth in this context?  Maybe there is a deceiver within the shadow of the statue.
Take that to the next level.  We assumed that the shows title, LOST is a reference to not being found or located.  What if it means the opposite of victory?  There is a battle approaching and one side will win and the other will lose.
Maybe I'm over thinking this but it turns everything on its head.

[Sweet Old Lady]

Hi, TeamJLA.  Welcome.  Overthinking is what this forum is all about.  We don't do simple here.  Asmo had the same idea about "lies" meaning fibs.  His answer was Ben.

I'm thinking the two supernatural beings represent Fate/Free Will.  Jacob is free will.  He scorns Ben whose slavish devotion didn't impress him at all.  Maybe he wanted Ben to exercise some free will from time to time.  He welcomed Locke who is kind of a rule-bender.  And he believes that Man is evolving.  Until it's really over "Everything else is progress."  Man can change.  "Essau" says "It always ends the same."  That would be the Fatalistic viewpoint. 

Another theory of mine is that Jacob has influence over the living and "Essau" influences the dead.  I don't believe either one of them is good or evil. 

[Walkabout V.2]

Hi, TeamJLA.  Welcome.  Overthinking is what this forum is all about.  We don't do simple here.  Asmo had the same idea about "lies" meaning fibs.  His answer was Ben.

I'm thinking the two supernatural beings represent Fate/Free Will.  Jacob is free will.  He scorns Ben whose slavish devotion didn't impress him at all.  Maybe he wanted Ben to exercise some free will from time to time.  He welcomed Locke who is kind of a rule-bender.  And he believes that Man is evolving.  Until it's really over "Everything else is progress."  Man can change.  "Essau" says "It always ends the same."  That would be the Fatalistic viewpoint. 

Another theory of mine is that Jacob has influence over the living and "Essau" influences the dead.  I don't believe either one of them is good or evil. 

Does Fate/Free Will only apply on the Island in regards to Jacob and his Island friend? Jacob pushed Sayid from a more Fate side by letting Nadia get killed. I know Free Will sent her walking across the street but Jacob intervened with Sayid causing her to stop and turn back around instead of continuing across the street. Not to mention all his encounters with all the Losties seem to be more him trying to influence their Fate through Free Will and he even mentioned 316 to Hurley. If you are correct in your theory then Locke has always been on the side of Fate/Destiny and that is why he made a perfect pawn for "Essau". "They are coming" leads me to think Jacob is counting on Jack,Sawyer,Kate,Hurley and Jin as proof that man can change.

[Novashannon]

Onteresting theory.  We DO assume that the guy in white is the good guy.-
Ben has always exercised free will.  He chose to follow Jacob/the island.  He chose to kdnap Alex.  H chose to deceive the Losties.  He chose to kill Locke.  Even when he did follow Jacob, he chose to do so.  Nobody held a gun to his head or held alex captive to make him comply.

[Sweet Old Lady]

Onteresting theory.  We DO assume that the guy in white is the good guy.-
Ben has always exercised free will.  He chose to follow Jacob/the island.  He chose to kdnap Alex.  H chose to deceive the Losties.  He chose to kill Locke.  Even when he did follow Jacob, he chose to do so.  Nobody held a gun to his head or held alex captive to make him comply.

Well, if you look at it that way every action is a choice, but is the outcome a choice?  If lightening stikes a man dead it's because he chose to go out in the storm.  But did he choose to die?  I don't think so.  The circumstances leading up to his death were by choice, but the outcome could be viewed as Fate.  Ben was never disobedient to Jacob.  He did as he was told.  I'm saying that's why Jacob has contempt for him.

[TeamJLA]

I haven't gone back to re-watch the entire episode so I may be off on this but I noticed that Jacob was wearing black in many of his off island visits with the losties.  This was a stark contrast with the opening scene which was very black and white.  I wondered if it was the man in black, posing as Jacob, setting up his loophole all the way back.  Basically running a Long Con.  If this theory had any merit, I would expect Jacob to be wearing white when he visited Ilana in the hospital.  I felt like she was there for different reasons than the losties so that might have been the real Jacob.  I suppose that dark and light could be substituted for black and white.

[Sweet Old Lady]

I haven't gone back to re-watch the entire episode so I may be off on this but I noticed that Jacob was wearing black in many of his off island visits with the losties.  This was a stark contrast with the opening scene which was very black and white.  I wondered if it was the man in black, posing as Jacob, setting up his loophole all the way back.  Basically running a Long Con.  If this theory had any merit, I would expect Jacob to be wearing white when he visited Ilana in the hospital.  I felt like she was there for different reasons than the losties so that might have been the real Jacob.  I suppose that dark and light could be substituted for black and white.

The long con theory is interesting and it certainly has precedent.  TPTB like to foreshadow.  Men wearing white attract attention in most settings, but in a hospital it would look perfectly normal.  I don't know if the clothing color has any significance.  I posted a similar theory in the crackpot-theory-of-the-day thread about stripes versus plaids.  Not that white/black is a crackpot theory.  Stripes and plaids is a crackpot theory.

[bastor]

Onteresting theory.  We DO assume that the guy in white is the good guy.-
Ben has always exercised free will.  He chose to follow Jacob/the island.  He chose to kdnap Alex.  H chose to deceive the Losties.  He chose to kill Locke.  Even when he did follow Jacob, he chose to do so.  Nobody held a gun to his head or held alex captive to make him comply.

Did he really? Was he not influenced as a child when they "healed" him?