How if Ben has such control over Jacob is Jacob able to control the smoke monster. We know the Smoke monster can seize hold of things - it took hold of John Locke and dragged him through the jungle. Why doesn't Jacob order the Smoke Monster to come free him, or are they "roughing it" still within the sonic fence? Why doesn't Jacob order the Smoke Monster to grab any of the Others when they were a certain distance from the shore in the submarine? Why didn't Jacob order Smokey to grab Ethan or Goodwin when they were infiltrating the Lost guys' camp? Grab them and hold them hostage or something?

Well smokey must have an area where he has power and can't go outside of. We've never seen him on the beach, and I guess that's why he was tearing up trees in the jungle on the night of the pilot, he was spitting mad he couldn't play with the newcomers. I'm guessing he must stay in a an area around where the vents are located on the map, perhaps he gets his power from there, and teh magnetism to remian a somewhat cohesive shape.
The Others just may be still inside the fence, and ben was shaking because he had to travel outside the fence until he got past the ashen border of the shack.

hmm i maybe locke woulds see him too later.. since he is "special" too.

I think that Ben did have a falling out with Jacob/the island. I think his actions in killing his father and other Dharma workers revealed a darkness and an ability to murder in cold blood...that put a wedge between him and the abilities that the island had given him to that point. That was why he insisted that Locke kill his own father. That is why he went to all the trouble to have Richard bring Cooper to the Island. He thought that if Locke did the same terrible thing he did...then they would be on the same level again, instead of Locke being the favored one. I think that Ben could still see Jacob, but Jacob no longer speaks to him. It infuriates him, so he keeps Jacob trapped in the cabin. Pretending to the others that they are still buddies and that Jacob is still guiding him. He thought that Locke would possibly be able to see Jacob too, since they have the same abilities.....but was not prepared for Jacob speaking to Locke. As for the ash...I am sure it is magnetic in nature. The magnetic field keeps the smoke monster out of the barracks. I think it keeps Jacob trapped and prevents him from utilizing Smokey.

That is the way I'm leaning,esp. after seeing Ben's jeaousy showing. I'm guessing as well that Ben was on a spy mission in season two to find out about Locke, he may even have trapped himself, making the 'henry Gale' cover more plausible.

But didn't Ben tell Jacob something to the effect that he couldn't hear Locke if Jacob kept talking... I Was under the impression that Ben could hear Locke, to the exclusion of all else?
I was thinking this morning that when Locke said he had looked into the eye of the island and what he saw was beautiful... (maybe Locke didn't understand it completely, but) Locke was actually looking into Jacob's eye? That's why Locke saw something beautiful (and later told Eko,"that's not what I saw" and why Locke told Jack that Locke would be okay if Jack would let him go when Locke was dragged away by Smokey). Jacob had connected with someone who could help him, and Ben knows nothing about this. Ben might sense something is different with Jacob and that there is something special with Locke. Which would lead to Frogmeister's excellent idea of of why Ben was so insistant that Locke kill his father.

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`Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!'

-- Alice, from “Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland”

I also thought Ben could hear him initially. But upon review, I saw that Ben did not start "hearing" Jacob until after he was certain Locke did not see him. I am thinking it was acting on his part, so he can keep up the pretending that Jacob is calling the shots. To me that is why Ben can be called the man behind the curtain....he is putting on an act. If he could hear Jacob, then he would have heard him call out to Locke. Also, he would not have hated Locke so much because Jacob spoke to him.

I have always believed Ben intentionally allowed himself to be captured so that he could infiltrate the Losties and get close to Locke and see him for himself. He was confident that he could be rescued or escape whenever he wanted to. I also tend to think that Rousseau was in on it. Maybe not of her own free will, maybe because he has her daughter and can blackmail her. But, it never made sense to me that she would turn him over to the Losties, and not even want to be there to try to extract info from him about her missing child.

Thank you Frog - I am glad that I am not alone on this. I always thought it was strange that Danielle would turn Ben over to the Losties with the statement,"He will lie, he will lie for a long time." What? That seemed to me like he had lied to her, and for a long time.... Has Ben been lying to Danielle about giving Alex back to her? just like he has lied to Juliet about going home - he keeps coming up with excuses to keep them on the island. There seems to be history with Rousseau, too. And she shot him with an arrow, but not a kill shot - which I thought she could have done if she wanted, no, she made it so he needed a doctor - what a great in into the Losties camp! Ben probably made her do it as a way to get into the camp and fulfill Roussea's obligation(to get Alex back).

__________________

`Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!'

-- Alice, from “Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland”