But the writers guide had a different perspective on Claire.
When wild-child Claire found herself in a family way, her immediate
instinct to get rid of the baby was overcome by an even greater instinct-
to make a sizeable chunk of cash. Taking advantage of the massive market for newborn babies in the States, Claire reached out to a Beverly
Hills adoption agency and instantly found a couple willing to pay forty
thousand dollars for her unborn child. Denying herself any emotional connection for fear of building a bond she has broken in advance, the last
thing Claire wants to be is a mother. Now, she is forced to confront that
inevitability as the baby inside her creates a unique connection to the
island's MYSTERIES (illustrated by terrifying nightmares)- a
connection she is too frightened to share with the others.
A pregnant woman surviving a plane crash was certainly a unique situation (if we suspend belief and agree that people did survive a mid-air plane break up). But the writer's hint that Claire's womb would be the portal to tell the island's mysteries to the viewers.
Now, that is a sci-fi Rosemary's Baby moment of character development. The guide states that Claire's unborn baby "creates a unique connection" to the island - - - which terrorizes Claire to the point where she can't share her nightmares with anyone. Again, this revelation that the island has a supernatural hold over the people on it was going to be the series story engine. It would seem the most venerable would have the hardest time coping with the island's mental pulls and manipulation. Her mental state could collapse if she believed that she was carrying a monster in her womb.
TPTB are coy about what are the mysteries of the island, or how the characters are supposed to interact with the island (if it is a conscious supernatural being). But there is clearly a sinister aspect of the island which could harm people.
It is also interesting to note that Claire was not thought of as the helpless, confused unwed mother as show in Season 1, but a clumsy wild child whose unwanted pregnancy was a means to a large pay day in the new born adoption market. Claire would have had no personal attachment or conflict in giving up her baby in LA. Now, crash landing on the island may not have changed her perception that this child would not be a burden to her - - - she did not want it. She could still give it away (perhaps to a barren Sun).
Now, who can force Claire to become a mother? The island. How? We don't know. Peer pressure from strangers on the beach would not readily change her mind. The guide does not state that any of the male characters, such as Charlie, would step up to the plate to become a surrogate father to raise the child. It is just as likely that after Aaron's birth, Claire would have attempted to abandon the baby so she could return to her party ways, seducing the other male outcasts. Once a tramp, always a tramp. She could have been the temptation to mess with the minds of a Jin, or a guide book Sayid.
The guide does propose that dreams and nightmares are going to be an important aspect of the series. Are those activities fantasy or foretelling of island truths? Does it create madness or bring out madness already instilled in people?
This idea that the island is speaking through the unborn child to Claire adds a level of spirituality and potential clue to the premise. Since the guide does not say who the father of the child is, it could be the bad seed - - - Satan's child or the next savior of the world. Aaron could be the bridge between good and evil, earth and heaven, or the destructive influence to destroy mankind (which was a later theme during the Ben-Widmore arc). Having a spiritual equivalent of an atomic bomb in the form of a baby on an unknown island would be a difficult mystery to solve by the castaways.
As we have discussed in many prior posts, the Aaron story line was quickly delegated to an after-thought as the series went forward. Many thought Aaron's presence would be the key to understanding what the island was and what its connection was to the real world. But the writers did not develop the Aaron story line. In fact, they confused it totally in the sideways world re-birth sequence. How can you be born when you are dead?
Claire fell into the category of a secondary character. Her closest connection with the main characters was the superficial connection with Kate, who also did not want to be tied down or be a mother, but assumed that role during the freighter rescue. But that tangent was more about Kate than Claire.
The writer's guide makes no mention that Claire is somehow related to Jack. It appears that back story element was added much later to raise a connective mystery between the characters. A connection which did not have any impact in the actual story.
Claire's LOST story could have easily erased in a difficult child birth sequence (with Jack being unable to save her like with Boone). But once the writers kept her on the island, her role of being fragile pregnant girl was gone once Aaron was born. Then she became basically a background character on the beach since the guide's claimed island connection with Aaron never came to the forefront.
