Whose Fault Is It?

This week's episode, "What Happened, Happened" takes a more extensive look at Ben Linus' childhood and the factors that turned him into the monster we all know and love.  Ironically, the 12-yr-old character doesn't do or say much in this episode except grunt, grimace, cough and wheeze but the actions around him seem to be guiding his destiny.

But that's the real question here.  If "What Happened, Happened," is it just destiny that Ben turned from an innocent 12-yr-old to an evil SOB later in life?  Or is it somebody's "fault" that he turned?  Is it his own free will?

Let's look again a little at the series of events in young Master Linus' life (as we know them to this point).

1) Ben is born in 1965 in the Oregon woods.  His mother dies in childbirth, and his dad Roger is forced to raise him on his own.

2) When Ben is eight, Roger gets a job with the Dharma Initiative and brings Ben to the Island.

During those eight years, his basic personality and values are formed.  Judging by his shyness and awkward social skills (and basic bland expressions) he doesn't appear to have been engaged much by his father.  He's bright and an apparently creative boy, with a certain basic friendliness which suggests a lot of time spent alone and creating worlds for himself at play.

3) He befriends Annie in Dharmaville, sees his mother's apparation and begins to bear the brunt of his father's discontent.

Roger is disgruntled at the menial job he's been assigned, having apparently been promised a more rewarding job.  He blames Ben for the death of his mother and takes no time to play with or otherwise interact with his son.  The rift between them grows as Ben is forced to find his own way in this new environment.

The island manifests the image or ghost of his mother as a kind of lure and reminder that another life exists.  Ben is lonely, has only one real friend to speak of, and tries to find who and what his mother is.

4) He runs away from his father and Dharmaville, meets Richard in the jungle.  Ben begs Richard and the "Hostiles" to let him join them.  Richard tells Ben to be patient, that his time will come.

It is unknown how much Ben is told about who the Hostiles are, why there's a conflict with Dharma and what kind of threat they represent to their lives.  He witnesses at least one attack, and possibly others we don't see, yet he is not afraid when he meets Richard Alpert.  Richard is everything his father is not - kind, sympathetic, understanding.  It's easy to see why Ben would be trusting another father figure that promises him everything his own father won't provide, mainly a purpose and sense of belonging.

When Richard understands Ben is trailing the ghost of his mother, he realizes the boy is special and likely a potential agent of Jacob's.  Wheels are set in motion to gain his trust.

There's a gap in the narrative here - in the episode "Man Behind the Curtain" we see all the preceding events, plus the later Purge.  Here we pick up the current events beginning with "LeFleur," "Namaste," "He's Our You," and "Whatever Happened, Happened".

5) Four years later, in 1977 Roger is still a janitor.  Ben is now twelve and more browbeaten by his father than ever.  Attempting to befriend Sayid, who in Ben's mind is a Hostile, a possible link to Richard and a way out of Dharma, he brings sandwiches and strikes up conversations.  Roger is shown to be an abusive parent, not wanting Ben to have anything to do with anyone.

6) Ben steals Roger's keys, sets fire to a DharmaVan, frees Sayid and after exacting a promise to "take me with you", together they flee into the jungle.  Sayid has no intention of taking Ben to Richard and the Others but instead shoots the boy, leaves him for dead and runs off.

Here's where the situation gets convoluted.  At some point in his life between here and when we meet him again in 1992 as a grown man and assisting the Purge, Ben becomes twisted.  A twelve-year-old boy can certainly be duped into lowering defenses, unwittingly helping in a massacre but this Ben is a grown, 28-yr old man and easily, gladly murders his own father.  He strides back into Dharmaville and cooly observes the carnage left by the gas attack.  This is man that had no qualms and no regrets about the murder of his own people.

What "caused" this change?

7) Juliet attempts to save Ben's life but is thwarted by the loss of blood, and Roger is beside himself with worry about his son.  Jack refuses to help, unwilling to save Ben's life a second time (the first being the spinal tumor removal on a grown Ben) and is happy to let a 12-yr-old die in order to keep him from becoming a grown up Ben Linus.  He uses the time-travel excuse that whatever he does, help or not help, Ben will survive so there's no point in doing anything but his real reasons are obviouse.   Kate and Sawyer, with Juliet's assistance, deliver young Ben to the Hostiles and Richard Alpert who takes the boy away to be healed.  Richard warns them that he can save his life, but the boy's innocence and memories of the event will be gone as a result.  They let him go, and Richard takes the boy into the temple.

At this point in our narrative, the next we see Ben is the day of the Purge 15 years later.

So whose fault is it that Ben became a bad guy?

<ul>
    <li>Roger - his dad, from years of mental and physical abuse.
    <li>Sayid - friend who turned on Ben and shot him.  He wanted to rid the future of the possibility of an Evil Ben.
    <li>Jack - refused to operate and save the boy.  Same reasons as Sayid.
    <li>Sawyer and Kate - enlisted the help of the Hostiles to save his life.  Warned by Richard that to save him would cause long-lasting consequences to the boy's self but would keep him living and the group chose to ignore the warnings
</ul>

Those are the most obvious answers at the surface, and ones that will likely be debated for weeks.  However there are two further suspects that I believe are the real forces at work determining the fate of Ben Linus:

<ul>
    <li>The Island/Richard Alpert
    <li>Ben Linus
</ul>

Every person, at any point in their life, has the ability to choose the path of good or the path of evil.  Obviously, the paths are at times murky and our better nature can be clouded with emotions of loneliness, revenge, anger, fear, etc.  A young boy with a history of abuse and be tempted to strike back at his father without realizing the true consequences or ramifications of their actions.  Even adults can delude themselves into thinking the evil they are doing is right, or just, or necessary for the greater good.  In time, however, each person in these circumstances must make the realization of what their actions mean and whether they actually care.

It's possible that 1992 Ben thought his actions in Purging the Dharma Initiative was a worthy, just action.  In those 15 years any number of things could have happened to shape his reasonings.  Continued missed birthdays from his father.  More abuse, combined with increased acceptance and sympathy from Richard and the Others.  Stories and possible first-hand experience at Bad Things Dharma and their people are doing.

Regardless, at some point Ben had to make the decision to stop being a good kid and become a bad man.

Except...

We're led to believe at the end of "Whatever Happened, Happened" that if Richard saves Ben's life the boy will be changed and lose his innocence forever and always be one of them.  Richard takes Ben to the Temple, and that's all we see from that point on.

If Richard/The Temple/Jacob/The Island does something, in the process of healing Ben, that actually physically alters his perception of life - twists the boy's free will or ability to choose between good and evil himself - then is it really Ben's fault anymore?

There have been cases of good people who have had traumatic head injuries or strokes or other afflictions to the brain having dramatic personality changes.  Good people become mean, hateful, spiteful to the ones they used to care about.  Physical alterations to the brain can affect someone's perception of the outside world.  Is this what's going to happen to Ben?  Is his mind about to be warped by The Island or Jacob or Richard in order to further its own agenda?

If that's the case, can we truly hate Adult Ben for actions he really has no control over?  If the Island "takes" his innocence and replaces the young boy with a vicious sociopath can we blame Ben for all he's done in the future?  Kidnapping Walt, causing Michael to kill Libby and Ana Lucia, stringing up Charlie, kidnapping Alex and the 815 survivors, shooting and strangling Locke, attempting to steal Claire's baby, murdering Widmore's associates, etc etc. - all the bad things Ben has done since then... how many did he ever have control over?

If The Island truly took away Ben's free will and made him their agent - until Locke came along - is it anyone's fault except the Island's?

Of course it's possible we'll find out in the next episode or so that Ben was healed but did not lose his mind, per se.  That he was given a choice to return to the path of innocence and good or turn to evil and revenge.  And that even a young Ben was able to make up his mind to become the Evil Ben we all know and love.  Time will tell.

But whichever way, it's either his decision or one the Island makes for him.  It has nothing to do with Sayid, Jack, Kate or Sawyer.

Whatever Happens, Happens.