WHAT WAS WITHIN

What lies behind us & what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lied inside the main characters of LOST is a matter of speculation. There were conflicting motivations and apparent psychological issues which cloud a clear reading of how each character's actions were based upon their past principles or morals.

In the episode “The Cost of Living,”  Juliet wheels a TV up to the aquarium where Jack is being held prisoner and tells him she’s going to show him a movie: To Kill a Mockingbird. She then tells Jack the reasons why he needs to save Ben;  he is a great man and will die if Jack doesn’t operate.  But on the TV screen is not the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, but Juliet holding signs telling Jack that Ben is a dangerous liar and asking him to botch the surgery and kill Ben.

The conflicting simultaneous messages confuse Jack. As a doctor, he pledged an oath to do no harm to a patient. But his patient is a man who has kidnapped and imprisoned Jack and his friends. A fellow doctor is asking Jack to kill the patient on the operating table because he is an evil liar and a dangerous man. This creates a serious moral dilemma in Jack.

In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus tells his son Jem that it is a sin to kill mockingbirds because they are themselves harmless and innocent creatures. Throughout the book, symbolic ‘mockingbirds’ – innocent people --- destroyed (or almost destroyed) by evil created by the deep South prejudice and racial tensions between whites and blacks in a small community. The book reminds the reader that everyone carries within themselves both good and evil.  The tension created by the small town trial based up upbringing, environmental and lack of understanding.

 There were immediate tensions between the 815 survivors and the Others, which resulted from a lack of mutual understanding, ignorance or fear. The 815ers could not trust the Others, whose first actions were to spy on them, then attempt to kidnap or harm the survivors. The Others continually told Jack's people that they "were the good guys," but they are the ones who destroyed Michael's raft and kidnapped Walt.

Jack knew he could not trust any of the Others. Juliet had been using a good cop-bad cop routine on him. Jack refused to cooperate. He was separated from Sawyer and Kate on purpose. During this time, Jack's will power to be a calm intellectual leader began to turn to anger and revenge. Whether that was Ben's plan, to bring the bad side of Jack to the surface in order to manipulate it, is unclear.

Jack, like Atticus, is a professional man who must decide to take on an unpopular case. When Atticus chose to defend a black man – and really defend him – he made a very unpopular decision that turned many of his own peopleand friends  against him, but his belief in the constitution and the equality of all men gave him no choice but to do the right thing, despite this being a dangerous decision for him and his children. Will Jack follow the path of Atticus Finch and save the life of the man who is holding him prisoner, or will Jack betray his Hippocratic oath and kill Ben for Juliet?  

Jack decides the only way to resolve these contrary conflicts is to make a deal. He makes a deal with Ben that Jack will do the surgery in exchange Sawyer, Kate and Jack's freedom. 

Jack's prognosis is that Ben's death is certain without surgery done "yesterday."  Ben assents to immediate surgery, but Jack scoffs and explains that he's not going to do it - because he doesn't trust the Others to keep their end of the bargain to free Jack, Kate and Sawyer. He shouts angrily at Juliet. Ben says he is disappointed in Jack's decision but with a wry smile on his face, Jack replies "At least you won't have to be disappointed for very long."

Later, Kate is brought to the aquarium. Jack and Kate ask if each other are okay, and Jack asks after Sawyer. Kate explains that they're being kept in outdoor cages and made to haul rocks for "something big." When Jack asks if Kate has been hurt, Kate starts to cry. Jack begins to reassure her that things will be OK, but Kate blurts out that he has to do the operation.

Startled, Jack glances at the spy camera, and then asks how the Others have persuaded Kate to urge him to do the surgery - what they offered her, what they did to her to manipulate her. Kate replies, "Nothing," Jack demands, "Then what are you doing here?" Unable to contain her emotions, Kate answers that they've threatened to kill Sawyer.  Jack looks up at the camera before turning away in frustration and anger. Kate apologizes and insists that "she" (Juliet) promised that they would let them go if Jack did the operation soon. Jack asks Kate, rhetorically, "And you believe them?" to which Kate answers, "I have to." Kate tries to plead with Jack, but he tells her, "We're done here." Kate pursues the point, but Jack looks up at the camera and says (to Ben), "Hey! We're done here!" then turns away from Kate. In the monitoring room, Ben, troubled, tells Juliet angrily to take Kate away.

At this point, Jack feels that he is losing control of his life. Ben is pressing him to do something he does not want to do. Juliet's hard luck story may or may not be the truth. Kate's choice of Sawyer's life over Jack's relationship angers Jack. It is furthered to rage when he spies Sawyer and Kate cozy in the bear cages.

This rage changes his mind. Instead of refusing further to do surgery on Ben, Jack agrees. He tells Ben that when he's done, he needs to get "the hell off this island."

During the operation, Jack's moral compass drifts. He decides to re-take matters in his own hands by  purposely cuts a small incision in Ben's kidney sac, creating a crisis only he can solve. Jack has turned the cards on Ben, who lies helpless on the table bleeding to death. This action by Jack actually saves Sawyer, who was just about to be killed by Pickett. Tom's call on the walkie comes through ordering Pickett to give the walkie to Kate or else the "doctor's gonna kill Ben."  Danny reluctantly gives Kate the walkie-talkie. Jack tells Kate she has an hour head start, and asks her if she remembers the story he told her on the beach the day of the crash. Kate says she remembers. Jack directs her to call him on the radio when she is safe and to tell him the story. Kate is distressed and hesitates, looking from Sawyer to the walkie and says, "I can't leave without you!" Jack responds by yelling "Kate, dammit, RUN!"

So Jack had to make an immoral action for a greater purpose of freeing Kate and Sawyer from the Others. He bought them time to escape, but at the cost of his own freedom. This plot twist did earn Jack a certain amount of respect from Juliet, who would use their mutual dislike for Ben to gain an alliance. An alliance which would cause a wedge between Jack and the rest of the beach camp upon his return. In some respects, Jack's relationship with Juliet would lead to Juliet's demise during the Incident, a forever cemented the rift between Sawyer and Jack.

Jack was willing to compromise friendships and principles for a higher purpose. It was also a turning point where Jack learned he had the power to take a life in order to save other lives.  This may have been what Christian told Jack that he could never be a leader because he could not make "life and death decisions."