So if LOST was representative of a long con, then the show's poster boy would be Sawyer. Of all of the main characters, Sawyer was the one who stayed most true to himself. He was the ultimate survivor because he looked out only for himself. And in the end, he got what he wanted from the island - - - rescue and in the after life - - - Juliet. And he was never punished for his crimes or sins.
James Ford was a mid-section survivor on Flight 815. He had the charm of a Southern accent, but selfishness, machismo, and folksy use of oft-abrasive nicknames belied his sophisticated and tender sides as an avid reader and a caring lover—elements of his personality that started to become more apparent as he spent more time on the Island.
On the Island, Sawyer used his skills as a confidence man to accomplish various ends. He hoarded material possessions to leverage power, leading to his involvement in several dangerous missions. His acts of rebellion led him to, at various times, become the most hated survivor on the island, though he still formed an intimate bond with Kate
Sawyer later developed romantic relationship with Juliet and his jealousy sparked a rivalry with Jack. He did not want to lead the survivors after Jack and Kate were captured, but Hurley convinced him he was the leader by default. He failed at it after giving it a try.
In an early attempt at rescue, Sawyer left the Island along with Jin, Michael and Walt on Michael's raft but was forced to return when Walt was kidnapped by the Others and the raft was blown up. He vowed his revenge against the men in that boat. Sawyer washed up on shore and met up with the previously unknown tail section survivors of Flight 815.
He used various cons to gain control of all the guns and a position of power over the other survivors. He also used his hoarding skills to make people beg and feel uncomfortable around him. He would rather be alone than the center of attention. He was later captured by the Others, as a result of Michael's betrayal. While with the Others, Sawyer and Kate were used as leverage to convince Jack to perform surgery on Ben until he and Kate eventually escaped with the help of Jack. During the time spent on Hydra Island and through the remainder of season three, Sawyer started an on-again, off-again relationship with Kate. Sawyer was asked by Locke to kill a man, Anthony Cooper, who was revealed to be the real "Sawyer" who Ford believed was the reason why his parents were killed. Locke could not kill his own father, so Locke trapped Ford in the Black Rock with Cooper knowing that if Cooper revealed his true self, Ford would kill him. Locke's plan worked, and he took Cooper's body back to the Others camp to be installed as the new leader, effectively dethroning an angry Ben.
Sawyer would change alliances as the often as the direction of the wind. After Jack called Widmore's freighter for rescue, Sawyer joined Locke and a small number of survivors who thought Jack was wrong. They left for the shelter of the barracks. There, the freighter soldiers came and killed Alex, and blew up Claire's house. Sawyer rescued Claire from the rubble, but lost contact with her when she met Christian in the jungle.
When the survivors left the freighter in the helicopter, when the fuel tank was hit and weight needed to be shed, Sawyer jumped for shore after he kissed Kate goodbye (also whispering her to tell his daughter he's sorry). This signaled the end of his romantic relationship with Kate.
When he was on the island, he was part of a small group of survivors underwent time shifts as a result of Ben moving the Island. He led the small group until a final time shift, where they were stuck in 1974. Sawyer joined the DHARMA Initiative and eventually became their head of security. He began a relationship with Juliet, who knew the Dharma ways, and continued to live in the 1970s for three years until Jack, Kate and Hurley time flipped back to the Island following the crash of Ajira plane.
Sawyer joined the Man in Black upon meeting him, not out of loyalty but as a means of personal survival, although he ultimately betrayed MIB while boarding Widmore's submarine to escape the Island. The Man in Black however, had conned Sawyer into stealing the sub so that he could kill the remaining candidates with a bomb. After the explosion, Sawyer was knocked unconscious and brought ashore by Jack. While Jack was preventing the Island from being destroyed, Sawyer managed to escape on the plane with Kate, Claire, Frank, Richard and Miles.
In the sideways world, Sawyer was an edgy police detective rather than a crook. Eventually, he was reunited with his lover Juliet at the hospital while investigating Jin's shooting. They moved on together with their friends at the church.
So Sawyer was one of the few characters that got all he wished for: rescue from the island; no ramifications from his past criminal behavior; and an after life reunion with Juliet who was taken from him by Jack's dumb plan to set off an atomic bomb to stop the time shifts.
