Silent Hill Community • View topic - My character analysis/theories *spoilers*

If you come in here and haven't played the game yet....Well, that's your fault.

Ive been at this series for like 14 years...Hopefully I can figure this one out. Let's start by clarifying something...Most of these monsters are not Murphy's. The are shared between the common characters, but more of them belong to Cunningham. Also thoughout the game are various paintings that seem to resemble or depict the various monsters, said to be done by a local artist.

Screamers: They represent a combination of fear an anger from Cunningham. For the prisoners, they represent violence against women. Their complete and utter lack of sexualization is something to be considered. For me, that implies they are Anne's manifestation. I believe the spikes through the hands represents anger directed at oneself. Almost sadomasochistic.

Weeping Bat: They represent how JP is mourning his own actions (weeping). Their sickly and seclusive nature are related to how JP has exiled himself at the mines, not able to face the people who judge him. The lack of a face and a wide mouth is symbolic of an uncontrollable need to consume(alcohol) while also losing one's own sense of self(no face).

Various prisoners: They represent various aspects of incarceration. They are a projection of fear of other inmates, along with the brutal dominant/submissive relationships that occurr between inmates(Like how the lesser monsters are being led on leashes by the larger ones. Their projected eyes are in reference to voyeurism in prison and how nothing is ever private.

Caged Creatures. The caged monsters represent those that a person is willing to sacrifice to act out their own judgement. Murphy literally throws them into the void to make his own escape. That is basically how society treats prisoners. They will throw them to the sharks to protect their own safety.

Wall spitters: They represent caged prisoners throwing body fluids at others as they pass by the cell, which is common in prisons. This one is a direct reaction to the substance Murphy takes to the face as Sewell is leading him down the hall in cuffs.

Sex Dolls: This is a hyper sexualized form projected from sexual frustration in prison. It is probably the easiest to understand. The fact that the actions of the creature are hidden from normal view just suggests a secretive nature towards sexual fetish. ethereal sexual desires are always grounded in the physical and we can never transcend our biological needs.

Wheelchair: This is obvious. It is the sad guilty perception of Anne towards her father. A faceless pathetic lump of a human strapped to life support machines. Anne felt mostly pity and anger toward the entity that used to be her father, which reflects in his weak and inhuman appearance. Also the final boss, which is symbolic of Murphy's anxiety about having possibly beaten him(although an earlier cutscene depicts another officer swinging the baton while Coleridge is telling Murphy to run. Murphy didn't do it).

The heavy rainfall moments are relative of how water makes Murphy anxious, which triggers more creatures to manifest. This is also related to the showers where Frank and Napier were assaulted.

The void: Its name alone represents the human state once a person makes the ultimate choice. The story narrative here is that killing, if even for a righteous reason, only victimizes others. Revenge is selfish, because no matter what, more people end up hurt because of your actions. The void represents everything self-consuming and falling apart because of Murphy's embrace of revenge. Self-destruction(this is later echoed in the cutscene with the nun). Remember, Murphy is trying to hold onto what humanity he still has left, while his greater actions are making him into an empty person. Fleeing the Void is an echo of Frank beckoning Murphy to escape the showers so he wouldn't be blamed for Sewell's actions.

The Judge: Firstly, this character is Tomm's attempt at remaking the Bogeyman into his own entity, erasing that movie PH knockoff in Homecoming. Notice the children echo the same fears as the kids in Shepherd's Glenn concerning the Bogeyman. The hammer represents a gavil(taking judgement into one's own hand when choosing to exact revenge or kill someone or even take their own life). The cinderblock represents the building blocks of a prison wall and how exacting judgement leads to creating a prison for oneself. The raincoat/judge robe is self-evident. The gas mask probably represents hazmat or is a reflection of the diving equipment used when swimming or recovering a body(that's my only guess at the moment). The mask also probably relates to prison riot gear. A gas mask can also represent someone being impervious to harm. Mythical.

The humans: I firmly believe that this game has introduced the idea that not everyone is able to move on and some people end up just stuck in the town. The people featured in this game all seem to be prisoners of their own guilt due to their actions(JP, Howard, Murphy) or inactions(the Nun). They are all part of a woven narrative. The town has a plan and is telling a story by associating a bunch of people who have become prisoners of their own actions and decisions. Remember, this is really Cunningham's story....So Murphy is being manipulated by the others into confronting Anne, who is battling her own need for revenge. Murphy already made the choice, so his story is mostly over. Anne still has a chance to let go and move on. You're the bad guy here, she's the potential 'hero' of the story.

Howard Blackwood: We know his story from Past Life. He exacted revenge on his slave master which he obviously feels guilty about(the slave master still had a family, I'm sure). Howard, being a good person, feels guilty at even extracting a righteous kill. Murphy is having these same problems. Killing is killing and it isn't easy, no matter what your reasons are. We just aren't wired to cope with cutting into people and killing them for any reason. Howard continues to deliver mail because he can't forgive himself and let himself move on. Also, the town is using him as a messenger. Just like Ricks talks about, the town has 'rules' that you have to follow. Howard is one of the ways it carries out those rules. He continues to deliver mail, also, because he has nothing else to do. The best he can do is just carry on with his job and try to cope with the fact that he's a PRISONER of himself and the town. That is also one HUGE character point. These people are all prisoners in different ways. I imagine Howard has been instrumental in countless "Silent Hill events" for various characters. He's seen it all and it won't end anytime soon.

DJ Bobby Ricks: Awesome character. He is stuck in the town for reasons we don't know. They don't really reveal why he's here other than he's been here for awhile also. He passes the time by playing records. The town is also using him as a messenger by calling in requests for Murphy in order to lead him to the radio station and trigger a confrontation with Cunningham. Note that when he says "they're coming" and Murphy asks who, he says "it doesn't matter". He isn't referring to a person, he's simply referring to the town making the decision to send something after them. The voices he hears on the phone aren't that of a person, but are simply the communications of the town itself. It doesn't matter because it isn't a who, and you can't stop it. Ricks thought he was hiding, but he was really just waiting until Murphy arrived as per the town's instructions. He is also there to introduce the escape boat and the "freedom" key quest, which leads him to the Monistary. Again, the town is crafting a story for Murphy. Sadly, once Ricks carries out his task, he is killed by Screamers. I'm still looking for clues as to what would have gotten Ricks stuck there to begin with. He seems fairly benign, but being a boat owner and having the keys stolen may be suggesting something.

The nun: The nun is not a person, but is an archetypical figure of mercy and redemption. Murphy was raised by sisters in an orphanage(check the nun's bio unlockable). Murphy, and perhaps the town, manifested her as a means of redemption for Murphy. It is a figure he finds comfort in. She isn't any particular person, but may resemble one of the ladies who raised him. She's as close to a motherly figure as Murphy can imagine.

JP Sater: Pretty easy. He represents how a prison is not bars and walls, but is a state of mind or existence... Like most of the other characters in the game, he is a prisoner of the town(which is a metaphor in itself). He escapes by passing judgement on himself, which is also a story beat(enacting judgement).

The existence of these characters also seems to reflect the various endings that you usually get(suicide, escape and forgiveness, or trapped in the town) in this game series.

On my first playthrough, I got the ending where Anne becomes a prisoner and Murphy is the warden. This is because I let Anne kill me at the end instead of attacking her. This allows Anne to exact revenge, effectively making herself a prisoner of her own actions. In the ending, she has inherited the role that once belonged to Murphy(prisoner), and the image of Murphy has become her own Sewell(its not really Murphy, it just looks like him...Remember, this is Ann'e story. What happens to Murphy after Anne kills you doesn't matter). Murphy being her warden represents the hold he will always have over here because she chose to kill him instead of forgiving him and moving on. Murphy as the officer could also represent his new role, as assigned by the town...Just like Ricks was forced to DJ and Howard has to deliver messages for the town. All of these 'roles' are because the person can't forgive themself and move on.They will remain a prisoner of the town.

As for some story elements....

The symbolism with the Bogeyman is that it is a role that is passed along if you continue the chain of revenge.

In the orphanage, there are four primary characters: The boy, The girl, The Nun(has no name) and The Bogeyman.

Firstly, the boy represents the innocence of a child. He is Charlie, and also represents Frank Coleman at times.

The young girl is Cunningham's innocence(just like Walter Sullivan did in part 4). The nun represents redemption, and acts as a guiding figure for Murphy because he grew up in an orphanage himself. The Bogeyman represents several themes in this scene. You see his transition between roles.

Secondly, this portion of the story makes it clear that the Bogeyman represents his hatred of Napier, which he let replace his love of Charlie. He chose to kill Napier and become a monster, rather live his life and honor his child's memory. This is why you see the creature replace Charlie in the lake and also why the nun identifies it as 'your son'. Murphy killed his son's memory and replaced it with the void of judgement, hatred, and revenge.

The creature also kills the 'innocent' boy, which represents the monster that Murphy enabled by killing Napier. Where it once killed Charlie, now it has killed Coleridge. Notice the young girl says "why did you hurt him? He didn't do anything to you!" and she runs off. That is Anne speaking.

You could even assume that this is actually Anne in front of you, in one form or another, seeing these events play out in an entirely different manner. Notice the Bogeyman hushes you and vanishes, hiding his true form. The young girl then flees from you, identifying you as the Bogeyman. That is Cunningham, and to her, you look like the Bogeyman monster. Notice the last time you see the young girl, she is standing next to the wheelchair entity, holding his hand. There is also an earlier scene during one of the slide transitions that shows Anne also chasing the young girl, which is a direct reflection of when Walter was pursuing his own child manifestation.

Feel free to add, suggest, correct! I'll be adding more myself...

My character analysis/theories spoilers

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