| Main Article | Theories about Jack Shephard |
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Character representations[]
Jack was a tragic hero[]
Jack was the tragic hero of LOST. He shares a lot of common traits with that archetype. His tragic flaw is his stubbornness and compulsive need to fix things and his reversal of fortune was when he called Naomi's people. His stubbornness caused him to call the Kahana , but his reversal of fortune comes when he encounters Ben at the funeral parlor and agrees to go back.
Jack was an epic hero[]
There is also evidence Jack represents the epic hero. He is on a cyclical quest, started out alone but has amassed allies along the way. His morals mirror that of current popular society. He has a sort of demigod status "he walks amongst you, but he is not one of you" He has no superpowers but an extraordinary skill (surgical) that he uses to help people. He has also returned to his home transformed.
Jack's independence was his flaw[]
Jack Shephard
All of Jack's actions of taking all responsibility for the safety of his group are driven by his absolute refusal to trust anyone else. This was first a response to his father's betrayal of his mother and compounded by his cheating wife.
Jack's hero complex overcompensated for his defects[]
While Jack did take on all responsibility for the safety of his group, this is evidently motivated by an extreme desire to save people because only in saving people can he forget about his flaws and his character defects. Jack might have had hidden "feelings" for his father as well, which would help explain his daddy complex.
Death[]
Jack became a monster after death[]
It's heavily implied that Jack dies when his eyes close in the final shot, but this may not be the end of his life on Earth. In "Across the Sea", the Man in Black also travels into the Source suffering from wounds; he takes on the form of the smoke monster and pours out of the cave, carrying his body with him. Like Jack, his body is found in the Bamboo grove. Lacking any other explanation for Jack's exit from the cave, it seems likely that Jack is now a smoke monster.
Healing Powers[]
It's possible that Jacob gave Jack a supernatural ability to heal people that Jack doesn't even know he has. We see several examples of Jack healing people who shouldn't be able to be healed.
- Jack healed Sarah, who made a full recovery
- Jack was able to revive Charlie after a very extended period of unconsciousness, even after it seemed like he died
- He successfully removed Ben's tumor
It's also possible that in order for someone to die on Jack, they have to choose to let go, whether consciously or subconsciously. For example, Jack was going to amputate Boone's leg, when Boone chose to stop him and accepted his death. Boone might have lived through the amputation had he not chosen to die.
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