Theories - Page 4

Okay, here's my theory for SH2.

James was dead before the game began. I believe that in a fit of greif, he loaded his dead wife into the trunk, and drove to Silent Hill, their 'Special Place' and promptly topped himself. No? Well have you seen Jacob's Ladder? Check out the remarkable similarity between the stories. I believe James, Angela and Eddie were all dead and SH was the purgatory they had to face, to decide their spiritual fate. Laura was also dead, but she acts more like the Angel of Truth, sent to lead James into the next life if he behaves in a redeeming way (Leave ending). If James repents when faced with his sins, he gets to go to heaven. On the other hand, if he chooses to ignore the truth and wallow in his sin (Maria ending, Rebirth ending), he will be forced to repeat the horror of Silent Hill forever, until he finds redemption. The water ending is probably pretty close to how he actually died.

This would explain the grave James jumps into (Along with Angela and Eddies' graves. And one belonging to some guy called Walter sullivan. And we already know he was definitely dead) and the multiple James corpses throughout the game. And also (SH4 spoiler ahead) Why James and Mary were said to have dissapeared in Silent Hill at the conclusion of the game.

It's just a theory, so don't take it too seriously. but this is, and really always has, been my take on the game. I know that Konami's Guides say that this isn't the case, but to be honest with you, most of the 'Official' Guides for the SH games I've read flatly contradict each other, so I don't pay them too much mind.

You have a good point Wile E Daigo, but if they are all dead, how can James then kill Eddie, as he does in the end? But then again, you see James lying dead in the chair in Woodside apartments, and you encounter graves, as you said, of at least on man known to be dead, next to the graves of all three main characters (not Laura I think).
Angela killed her father and comes to Silent Hill in order to find her mother, who can forgive her of her heinous crime, although the scene in the hotel where you meet Angela on the burning stair and she says "you see it too? It is always like this for me", could tell us that Angela never finds peace but will haunt Silent Hill eternally. If she were to kill herself it would put and end to this dark circle. Therefore, I don not believe that she commits suicide.
Laura is, as you say (sort of) probably a permanent resident in Silent Hill, guidin' people through ( and helping the living, as in Marys case).
The letter James recieves is a creation of his own mind (dead or not) born by his guilt ridden heart. The monsters James meets look familiar to how he think Mary would have come to look like (quite symbolic that he kills alot of them). At the other hand, Eddie sees people taunting him (as they when he was alive, if he's dead, that is).
When he meets flawless Mary (aka Maria) he is drawn to her, but in order to find peace he must try to distance himself from her (if you spend to much time with her you will get Maria ending, see, but if do not, you might get the proper ending Leave in which James has come to peace with his act of killing Mary and he can go home apeace (or to heaven...if he is dead)
I think there are two types of Silent Hill, the real and the nightmare version (where to game takes place...dahh!)
Just like the movie The Others. Silent Hill is only foggy in the NM version.
When James in the end has to kill Maria, it is because he has to kill the delusion of a perfect Mary, and he finally realises that he DO love Mary and what he did was the right thing to.
If they are dead or not does not really matter (I actually think they are). The meaning of the game is to show that it is important to come to peace with your action. I think!
Please comment. It is a complex story.

I think Laura may have just been a normal little girl, in the hospital at the same time as Mary. But if she met Mary, she must have been on the same ward as her, which would indicate that she was also suffering some terminal illness. Because she is young and innocent, she has no "inner demons" for the town to feed off. Therefore she can see things for what they really are and help guide the sinners to the path of redemption.

As for how James could kill Eddie? Well maybe he's not really killing him, but acting as an instrument of fate - Eddie has chosen to continue killing and ignore his chance to redeem himself, so perhaps James killing him represents condemming his soul to hell?

In Marys Letter Mary States That She Wanted To Adopt Laura If Things Were Different.

In My Opinion, All The Characters Are Alive (Except Eddie) This Is What Konami Planned It To Be Like. Laura Is A Normal Little Girl With A Temper. The Bodies That Are Like James Throughout The Town Just Symbolise The Hell He Will Go Through And If He Doesn't Get Over It, Then He'll Die By Suicide Or Worse PYRAMID HEAD

Nope I'm Just Your Normal Rebellious Teenager! But I Have Read From Konami That James Lives. Plus The Bodies Around Town Are Explained On The Making Of Silent Hill 2 DVD.

mmm nice thought of symbolism, silent fan


the story of the silent hill franchise is more like seperate stories of people going through a test of sanity, leaving a small light at the end of the tunnel, recognizing their true enemy (like when james finds out that He killed his wife), and overcoming the hell they walked into, or better yet the hell they did not recognize.

in the end i beileve it points out that everyone, no matter how nice their life appears to be, goes throught their own little hell of confusion, fear, and utter truth of their own being.

Will they survive?