Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
case) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomsecrets2014-02-20 06:53 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2014-02-20 06:53 pm
[ SECRET POST #2606 ]
⌈ Secret Post #2606 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 021 secrets from Secret Submission Post #372.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
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(Anonymous) 2014-02-21 12:16 am (UTC)(link)"If you want a female-centered game with a fleshed out girl protagonist, I'd recommend Silent Hill 3 rather than Silent Hill 2. Being a feminist, I have to say that this game is a great example of what we can accomplish in the gaming world. That game also focuses more on the Silent Hill mythos too, so I'd doubt anyone's claims to call that particular game lacking in world building.
Silent Hill was always known for bringing out fear in people through isolation and the lingering feeling that something's not quite right. It's not known for the hoards of monsters swarming around you that you need to fight off. When it comes to things that scare us, it can be quite subjective, so there's nothing wrong in not being scared by Silent Hill elements.
Silent Hill 2 is mainly dealing with the theme of choice and the consequences for our actions, and whether we can redeem ourselves by our choices. The symbolism is actually quite subtle, and isn't just seen with the monsters. Every character in the game represented something related to James; therefore they're not going to be completely fleshed out like James is because they're more archetypes than characters.
If you pay attention, you'll notice Angela's fascination with suicide and internal suffering with what was done to her as well as what she did represented James' own struggle with his feelings on what he did to Mary, his guilt over it, and his own suicidal thoughts. That's why if you stare too much at the knife Angela gives you, James will choose suicide at the end of the game. Eddie represents James' own selfish desires and inability to take responsibility for his actions. This ties in with the "Maria Ending" where Mary is painted as the villain rather than James taking responsibility for killing her so James can remain the victim of his situation. Eddie was also called names by people he eventually took revenge upon much like how James was yelled at by Mary when she was in the hospital on one of her bad days while being treated. Laura on the other hand represents James' ability to take responsibility for his own actions. The more time you spend with Laura, the more positive things you'll hear about Mary and what she wanted for James. That's also why if you stare too much at the letter meant for James you'll get the "Good Ending" where James ends up walking away with Laura. Maria obviously represents James' sexual repression. Therefore any positive interactions with her will result in the "Maria Ending" where James is bound to repeat his mistakes because Maria is a fabrication of everything he wanted Mary to be rather than seeing Mary as a person with her own feelings.
This isn't even going into the symbolism of the monsters. But yes, every one of them represented something.
Each ending is also considered canon. So while this is just my theory on it rather than real confirmation, I would say the only reason why each is considered canon (which could be supported by Silent Hill 3 mythos and Silent Hill 4 information), is because James was already dead at the very beginning of the game. Which would mean everyone else he meets is dead too. Heck, we even see three graves that represent Eddie's, Angela's and James'.
He most likely died by driving his car into the lake out of guilt of what he just did. That's why the ending where he "commits suicide" is said in the guidebook to be the ending where James chooses to live in his memories. As in, he's repeating himself and will most likely continue to repeat himself and his actions in this hell. Just like Angela. It's also why this ending is considered a bad ending. Because while James does take some responsibility for himself, he chooses to wallow rather than take action. The "Maria Ending" is considered a Bad+ Ending because it's an ending where James learns absolutely nothing and takes zero responsibility for his own emotions and actions. It's also why Maria begins coughing just like Mary, to show that James will again repeat everything he did with Mary in his own personal hell. In contrast, we see in the good ending James leaving with Laura after coming to terms with what he has done and trying to truly make amends for it. You can also notice in this world that the fog never disappears, only the monsters do.
And while this is more going into Silent Hill 3 canon, it's learned that all the symbols where you save your game represent places where you're reborn after you "die" in Silent Hill. Tying into this, in the old story about God, the Fog World was considered the place where humans would walk in and never die. As if they were spirits rather than common mortals who could be killed so easily. And just as it describes in the legend about God's mercy, this place was meant to be a place where people could redeem themselves. Which ties into the "constantly dying to be reborn" theme when saving your game until you get it right and your main character gets to redeem himself.
There's a saying that goes that hell is different in everyone's mind. That's why Angela's hell was full of fire, like how she left (and possibly died in) the burning house of her parents. James' hell is moldy, decayed, and full of water, like how he saw his wife slowly dying before his eyes and how James possibly drowned in his car. And while Alessa and Heather never died, they have extremely strong psychic powers to the point of being considered gods, so we can see their hell in Silent Hill being represented with rust and blood like how Alessa was being tortured in the hospital. Laura on the other hand was completely unaffected by the Silent Hill monsters because she's an innocent child who never seemed to suffer much in life. So why would she be?
Anyway, it's fine if you don't like the game. I personally prefer SH3 more than SH2. But the symbolism and details within SH2 is incredibly thorough and well crafted if you look a bit deeper into it."
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(Anonymous) 2014-02-21 12:18 am (UTC)(link)