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The cabin was a rustic wooden structure on the Island originally built by Horace Goodspeed during the time of the DHARMA Initiative. The cabin appears to have had some previous connection to Jacob and strangely seems to appear in different locations on the Island. Benjamin Linus brought Locke here ostensibly to meet Jacob and later, when visiting the cabin, Ilana stated that "someone else" had been using it and that Jacob had not been there in a long time. The cabin was destroyed in 2007 when her group proceeded to burn it to the ground. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") ("Cabin Fever") ("The Incident, Part 1")
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History
The DHARMA Initiative
It appears the cabin was constructed sometime prior to the Purge by Horace Goodspeed as the means for him, his wife, and supposedly his son Ethan, to get away from the day to day bustle of the DHARMA Initiative. As the blueprints of the cabin were found on his body in the mass grave this may suggest the building was never quite finished. ("Cabin Fever")
The Others
Exactly what happened to the cabin between the Purge and the arrival of the survivors is unknown. It appears, however, that the cabin was at some point used temporarily by Jacob. ("The Incident, Part 1")
Recent events
Locke's first visit
After demanding to see Jacob, Ben brought Locke to the cabin from the Others' camp. Arriving at night, they first encountered a line of ash around the cabin and stepped carefully over it before approaching the cabin.
On entering, Ben approached an apparently empty chair in the middle of the room addressing the "person" there as Jacob. Seeing no one there, Locke became convinced either Ben was trying to deceive him or was truly crazy. Disgusted with this charade, Locke turned to leave when he heard a low voice say "Help me," that Ben did not seem to hear. Turning back to the room, Locke accused Ben of speaking, but Ben denied that he had. Switching on his flashlight and sweeping it around the room, both men appeared shocked when the room began to shake. Objects shook violently and flew across the room, a rocking chair suddenly began to move of its own accord, and the lamp fell to the floor and caught fire. Ben grabbed ahold of the chair he had addressed before, telling him he'd had his fun, but was thrown back against the far wall by a mysterious force. Looking back across the room, for a split second, Locke saw a mysterious individual sitting there.
Moments later, upon fleeing the cabin, both men appeared somewhat shaken. Locke asked what had just happened, and Ben responded, "That was Jacob." ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
Hurley's visit
While trekking across the Island to warn the survivors about the freighter crew, Hurley accidentally fell behind. On wandering alone through the jungle and trying to catch up, Hurley was startled to see Jacob's cabin in front of him with a light gleaming from one of the windows. The cabin this time appeared to be in the center of a clearing and not at all where Locke had previously encountered it.
Approaching gingerly, and peering in through, Hurley saw Christian Shephard sitting in a rocking chair, when suddenly someone else's eye appeared at the window. Hurley screamed, and ran directly away from the building, but suddenly came up short a short distance away when he found himself literally in front of the cabin again. To all appearances, the cabin had seemingly shifted location. As the front door of the cabin began to slowly open, Hurley shut his eyes, concentrating and telling himself it was not real over and over. Upon reopening his eyes, the cabin was gone. ("The Beginning of the End")
Hurley did not observe the circle of ash surrounding the cabin. Later, when Locke mentioned that the group was going to the cabin, Hurley seemed to feel that they were going the wrong direction. ("Confirmed Dead")
Locke's second visit
On attempting to return to the cabin with his group, Locke was unable to locate the building. Strangely, however, he did find the same circle of ash at the same location. ("The Economist")
Locke's third visit
Following a dream in which he met Horace Goodspeed, Locke located a set of blueprints on Horace's corpse found at the mass grave of DHARMA Initiative members killed in the Purge. The blueprints contained a map of the cabin's location on the Island in addition to detailed specifications on the construction fo the building. Using the map as a guide, Locke was able to successfully return to the cabin with Ben and Hurley. Declining to join him, the two men elected to wait outside while Locke entered on his own. Ben stated that he would not enter the cabin as Locke was now the leader of the Others.
Entering, Locke found the same dirty ramshackle interior with the exception of finding Christian Shephard sitting in the shadows. Locke asked, "Are you Jacob?" Christian introduced himself and claimed he could speak on Jacob's behalf. Locke was then perplexed to discover Claire also sitting nearby, smiling calmly. On asking what she was doing there, Claire told Locke not to worry, that she was here with Christian. Seeing Locke beginning to ask questions about her presence, Christian abruptly brought Locke's attention back to the matter at hand: Keamy's mercenaries returning in the helicopter from the freighter. Locke asked, "How do I save the Island?"
Locke emerged from the cabin a few minutes later, informing Hurley and Ben that Jacob wanted them "to move the Island." ("Cabin Fever")
Ilana's visit
Three years later in 2007, Ilana, Bram, Frank and the other members of Ilana's group arrived at the cabin carrying the large airline crate containing Locke's corpse. On approaching the building, Bram noticed the ash circle was broken and shouted a warning to Ilana. Entering the cabin cautiously, Ilana found it abandoned and empty, but for a small scrap of cloth held to the wall with a knife. Removing it, she found the cloth contain a small stylized image of the statue of Taweret. Exiting the cabin, Ilana informed Bram that Jacob was not there, that he had not been at the cabin in a long time and that someone else was using it. She then ordered the others to set fire to the cabin. The group departed, leaving the structure to burn. ("The Incident, Part 1")
Description
Ash circle
Main article: Ash circles
In several instances, individuals arriving at the cabin have discovered a line of gray ash that appeared to encircle the building. Ben appeared to regard the line with caution in stepping over it, but made no comment as to its purpose.
The line appeared to be intact in all occasions when it was found in 2004, but was seen to be broken in 2007 when Ilana's group arrived at the cabin. Bram noticed the break and reacted with some measure of alarm. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") ("The Incident, Part 1")
Exterior
The cabin exterior was marred by age and neglect. A single lantern hung on a post outside on the front porch. When visiting for the first time, Ben explained to Locke that there was no other sources of light as Jacob has a strong dislike of technology. Locke made use of the same lantern in his meeting with Christian. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") ("Cabin Fever")
Interior
The interior of the cabin was dim, dirty and neglected. Several objects, old and unused, appeared about the single room, including:
- A rocking chair
- Painting supplies
- Six jars of unknown colored liquid
- A painting of a dog.
- An empty table
- A chair, sitting at the table, with some debris on the seat
- A wood-burning stove
- An old sink
- Several ropes and chains hanging on the wall
- A foot stool, under the table
- A chair, on its side
- A chest
- A ladder on the wall, or if it hangs from the ceiling, a bed or chairs.
Visitors
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| Picture | Name | First visit | Last visit | Reason for Visit | ||||||
 | Horace Goodspeed | Not on screen, revealed in "Cabin Fever" | Not on screen, revealed in "Cabin Fever" | Mathematician in the DHARMA Initiative who originally built the cabin for himself and his wife for relaxation away from the Initiative; he appeared to Locke in a dream, and his message guided Locke to a map showing the cabin's location. | ||||||
 | Locke | "The Man Behind the Curtain" | "Cabin Fever" | Locke went to Jacob's cabin along with Ben. He visits a second time to figure out what he needs to do next. Christian tells him that in order to save the Island, he must move it. | ||||||
 | Ben | "The Man Behind the Curtain" | "Cabin Fever" | Ben has visited Jacob's cabin before, and brought Locke there. | ||||||
 | Hurley | "The Beginning of the End" | "Cabin Fever" | Hurley stumbled upon it when leaving the beach to meet up with the group at the radio tower. | ||||||
 | Christian Shephard | "The Beginning of the End" | "Cabin Fever" | Christian Shephard was seen by Hurley sitting inside Jacob's cabin. Christian claimed to represent Jacob when Locke entered the cabin a second time and told Locke that he must "move the Island." | ||||||
 | Claire | "Cabin Fever" | "Cabin Fever" | Claire accompanied Christian to Jacob's cabin, where she is "safe". She eventually left the cabin and started living in the jungle. ("What Kate Does") | ||||||
 | Ilana | "The Incident, Part 1" | "The Incident, Part 1" | Traveled to the cabin in order to contact Jacob. The cabin was burnt down under her orders. | ||||||
 | Bram | "The Incident, Part 1" | "The Incident, Part 1" | Traveled to the cabin in order to contact Jacob. Assisted in burning down the cabin. | ||||||
 | Frank Lapidus | "The Incident, Part 1" | "The Incident, Part 1" | Traveled to the cabin with Bram and Ilana. | ||||||
Production notes
- The filming location for the cabin in "The Man Behind the Curtain" was the same filming location for Eko's grave in "I Do" and for when Eko was attacked by the Monster in "The Cost of Living".[1]
- The painting of the dog is actually of costume designer Roland Sanchez's dog Ms. Honolulu (who belonged to director Jack Bender at the time). The painting was created by artist Thomas Hannsz, who also is among the Others background cast. (Jacob's painting)
Trivia
- According to the DVD commentary for "The Man Behind the Curtain", when Ben is talking to the "empty chair", there was no officially written dialogue for what Jacob was supposed to be saying. Instead, actor Michael Emerson prepared to play the scene properly by writing notes in his own script to reflect Jacob's unspoken lines.
- All of the cabin's appearances thus far have been accompanied by a unique sound effect playing quietly in the background, a repeated rising tone not unlike a bird call.
- According to commentary for "The Man Behind the Curtain" on the Season 3 DVD by producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, the circle of ash is "a bit of a kind of protection or magic or kind of containment. Ben is afraid to touch it. In a certain way, part of the idea here is that Ben has some powers over Jacob, and Jacob has some powers over Ben, and there is a bit of a stasis."
See also
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Jacob's cabin/Theories
The cabin
- How was the cabin able to change locations?
- Who broke the circle of ash surrounding the cabin?
- When was the circle of ash surrounding the cabin broken?
- What were the liquids in the jars?
- Why did Ilana order the burning of the cabin?
- How did Ben know of the cabin and its whereabouts?
- What,if any, is the significance of the dog painting?
Inhabitants
- When did Jacob inhabit the cabin?
- Why did he stop using it?
- Who else had been using it?
- Who was the shadowy figure seen in "The Man Behind the Curtain"?
- Who asked Locke for help?
- Why did objects start flying around the room?
- Whose eye did Hurley see in the cabin in "The Beginning of the End"?
- Why were Christian and Claire present in the cabin in "Cabin Fever"?
- What is Christian's connection, if any, to Jacob?
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