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Jacob's cabin

[[{{{Video}}}|Orientation Video]]

First seen

"The Man Behind the Curtain"

Last seen

"Cabin Fever"

Constructed by

Horace Goodspeed

Controlled by

Jacob

Connection

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Number

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Purpose

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Status

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Discovered by

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DHARMA Initiative Stations
The Arrow • The Staff • The Swan
The Flame • The Pearl • The Orchid
The Hydra • The Tempest
The Looking Glass

Jacob's cabin is a structure on the Island where Jacob currently resides, apparently built originally by Horace Goodspeed for him and his wife Olivia to live in from time to time. It has appeared in multiple locations on the Island, suggesting that Jacob is capable of moving it.

Exterior

Horace's blueprints for the cabin. ("Cabin Fever")

The cabin exterior appears marred by age and only harbors a lantern for light. Ben, when visiting Jacob, explained that there were no lights, because Jacob hates technology. It is also noted that, unlike the more modern houses in the Barracks, Jacob's house appears to be built in the style of a cabin from the 1800s. The cabin is about a day's hike from the temporary camp the Others had set up. It is in the middle of dense jungle, isolated from anyone else. Before entering the house, Ben knocked and made Jacob aware that he was entering and had brought a guest (John Locke). ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Later when Hurley also visited the cabin, a porch structure was visible on the exterior. ("The Beginning of the End")

Circle of ash

Inspecting the mysterious substance trail. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Before approaching the house on his visit, Locke noticed there was a line of what appeared to be gray ash. He inspected the substance, but was hurried by Ben. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

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."

Interior

The painting of a dog ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

The jars of liquid ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

The chair, sitting at the table, with a circular pattern of debris ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Inside the dimly lit house there are several typical objects that appear old and unused including:

• An aged rocking chair
• Painting supplies
• Six jars of colored liquid
• A painting of a dog.
• A dirty, old, and empty table
• A chair, sitting at the table, with a circular pattern of debris on the seat
• What looks like 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

"Once I open this door, there's no turning back" - Ben
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	"Cabin Fever"	"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".

Locke's visit

Ben and Locke traveled on foot to a location somewhere in the northeast quadrant of the Island (north of the barracks and east of the front section wreckage). After crossing over a line of ash, they reached the cabin and entered.

Ben told Locke that Jacob was sitting in the empty chair in the middle of the room, but Locke saw no one there. After Ben began to talk to the apparently empty chair, Locke became outraged at Ben, convinced that Ben was either trying to deceive him or was truly crazy. But as Locke proceeded to the door, he heard a low voice utter, "Help me." Locke asked Ben to repeat himself, but Ben denied he ever spoke. Locke turned the flashlight on and pointed it at Ben, beginning to insist that Ben had indeed said something. The room suddenly began to rumble and objects shook violently throughout the house. The lamp fell to the floor, starting a fire, and the rocking chair began to move back and forth seemingly on its own. A window smashed as jars flew across the room. Ben grabbed Jacob's chair, telling him he'd "had his fun", but Ben was thrown against the far wall. Locke looked back to the chair, and for a split second he could see a man, presumably Jacob, sitting there. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Hurley's visit

When Hurley sees the cabin, it is in the middle of a clearing. ("The Beginning of the End")

On a trek to warn the survivors about the freighter crew, Hurley fell behind Jin, Bernard, and Sawyer. After wandering in the jungle for just a few brief moments, Jacob's cabin appeared in front of him. Walking up to a broken window and looking inside, Hurley saw Christian Shephard sitting in Jacob's rocking chair. An eye suddenly appeared in front of the hole into which he was looking. Hurley screamed, turned, and ran, but found himself a few steps later again in front of the cabin, as the door opened. He closed his eyes and shouted for it to go away, and when he opened them, Jacob's cabin had disappeared, much as his vision of Charlie would disappear during his flashforward outdoors at the mental hospital. ("The Beginning of the End")

Interestingly, Hurley did not see the gray, powdery substance that Locke saw on his visit with Ben. Also, as he came upon the cabin in a small field, neither did he encounter the surrounding trees that Locke saw adjacent to the cabin. When Locke later mentioned that they were going to the cabin, Hurley indicated that he saw the cabin in an entirely different area than the one to which they were heading. ("Confirmed Dead")

Locke's attempted second visit

Locke led his group and Charlotte Lewis back to the location in the northeast quadrant of the Island where he had been taken previously by Ben. While he managed to locate the line of ash, he found no cabin at that place. ("The Economist")

Locke's actual second visit

Responding to a message relayed through Horace Goodspeed in a dream, Locke located a blueprint of the cabin in the jumpsuit pocket of Horace's corpse in the Dharma mass grave. Using the map on the blueprint as his guide, Locke was able to locate the cabin with Ben and Hurley in tow. Both men declined entering the cabin with him and waited outside while Locke entered.

Inside, he found the familiar dusty ramshackle interior, and saw Christian Shepherd sitting in the shadows. Locke asked, "Are you Jacob?" Christian leaned forward to introduce himself, saying that he merely spoke on Jacob's behalf. Locke was then perplexed to notice Claire sitting in the shadows, seeming peacefully amused with the circumstances. Christian brought Locke's attention back to the problem at hand—Keamy's men flying in from the freighter. Locke emerged from the cabin moments later, telling Hurley and Ben that Jacob wanted them to move the island. ("Cabin Fever")

Production notes

• The filming location for the cabin in "The Man Behind the Curtain" was the same filming location used when Eko was attacked by the Monster in "The Cost of Living". [1]
• The painting of the dog is actually of Jack Bender's dog Lulu and 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.

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Jacob's cabin/Theories

• What is the cabin?
• Does the material seen on the chair have any significance?
• What are the liquids in the jars?
• What is the purpose of the ash-like circle?
• How does the cabin change locations?
• During Hurley's visit, who is the second person (the eye) in the cabin?
• Why is Claire in the cabin?