Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Murphy's been a bad boy ...

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HeartlessBastard
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by HeartlessBastard »

I think the screamers basically represent accusation.
Like police sirens, accusing that something is wrong, the other prisoners shouting to Cupcake in the beginning of the game, his wife blaming him for Charlie's death, the prison staff blaming Cupcake for
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
killing Frank
(You can clearly see the hate in that officer's eyes in the game's intro), etc.
"Good people should love their enemies" - Seu Madruga
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thy_butcher
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by thy_butcher »

In the Centennial Building parking garage, there's a van that can be accessed from the back.
I feel that the bloodstain back there alludes to what Napier did to Charlie. I even think the bloodstain is "child shaped."
It was very shocking & disturbing when I came to that conclusion yesterday. It paints a very specific scene in my head...
(My third playthrough by the way)
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NemesisFY
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by NemesisFY »

I never understand you crazy people trying to find meaning in everything on Silent Hill. Prisoners were there because the bloody game is based on Jail and Convict Murphy Pendleton, aside from those, why should there be a meaning?

But that is not the ace yet, some years ago when I joined there was a bunch trying to argue whether the garbage on the floor and streets was there because of this or that.
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by SilentRobert23 »

NemesisFY wrote:I never understand you crazy people trying to find meaning in everything on Silent Hill. Prisoners were there because the bloody game is based on Jail and Convict Murphy Pendleton, aside from those, why should there be a meaning?

But that is not the ace yet, some years ago when I joined there was a bunch trying to argue whether the garbage on the floor and streets was there because of this or that.
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thy_butcher
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by thy_butcher »

@NemesisFY,
There's nothing wrong with searching for symbolism, especially with substantial elements like monsters.
Of course people go overboard sometimes & make something out of nothing... but who's to say their theories are actually wrong?

Searching for deeper meaning in SH games is part of the fun, I think.
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by Rev »

thy_butcher wrote:In the Centennial Building parking garage, there's a van that can be accessed from the back.
I feel that the bloodstain back there alludes to what Napier did to Charlie. I even think the bloodstain is "child shaped."
It was very shocking & disturbing when I came to that conclusion yesterday. It paints a very specific scene in my head...
(My third playthrough by the way)
Oh jesus, I never thought about that.
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ashatteredmemory
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by ashatteredmemory »

While I was playing the game, I noticed that in many instances: Murphy has to go downwards, especially in the Otherworlds. This has probabaly to do with the saying 'descending into hell'. In fact, every Otherworld sequence ends up with Murphy going downwards (Not sure about the last one though). But he still ends up somewhere that should be a lot above him. There is an odd contrast however: Every sequence ends up with him 'descending out of hell' . One might also think that he constantly goes downwards because the truth lies there; the showers were supposed to be downstairs. Of course, it might be complete coincidence and I like to overthink ^^' . (Little bit of observations up ahead, not so interesting)

The Dinner: waterslide and having to descend the eternal stairs to leave the otherworld
Devil's Train: After the monocle man, he the train goes backwards and downwards, ending with a train crash and him exiting the otherworld.
Radio Station: The elevator brings you down to the strange Prison cage ride, crashing through the floor, and finally sliding down the slope and waterslide, ending up on top of the Centennial Building, and falling to the ground once more to leave the otherworld.
Monastery: The Monastery shows a lot of 'going up' in comparison to the other sequences. Not only in the Staircases but also before the final descend out of the Otherworld.
Prison: The elevator where you have to fight a lot of monsters.

EDIT: a thought occured to me about the Radio Station. At the start of the Otherworld you seem to be in the garage/basement of the building. Since everything is also upside-down, you might say that descending is in fact climbing the building, with the last stop being the clock tower.
Very late EDIT: there are building diagrams upside down in the otherworld. However, these are during the chases and are easily overlooked. This somewhat confirms my thought above. Other cool things are viewable in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI__GFufHw4
Last edited by ashatteredmemory on 02 Dec 2015, edited 2 times in total.
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Typographenia
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by Typographenia »

NemesisFY wrote:I never understand you crazy people trying to find meaning in everything on Silent Hill. Prisoners were there because the bloody game is based on Jail and Convict Murphy Pendleton, aside from those, why should there be a meaning?

But that is not the ace yet, some years ago when I joined there was a bunch trying to argue whether the garbage on the floor and streets was there because of this or that.
One of the pillars of the design of the games is the symbolic nature that is built into the characters, the locations, and the items. This is something that has been firmly established by the people that created them, as evidenced by the various books, interviews, and whatnot that have been released over the years. Does that inherently mean that everything within the games has some kind of double meaning or is a reference to other material? No, certainly not. However, being rooted in the explicit use of symbolism leads the audience to seek meaning in the worlds. This can be a double edged sword, as their intents and true vision may become muddied by red herrings or over examination. However, it gives the games a longevity and depth that exceeds the superficiality and bubblegum nature of other games that people simply chew through and spit out.

Personally, I have added to my knowledge of various subjects by being introduced to ideas, content, and people through the ruminations of people on this board and elsewhere because of their perceptions and interpretations of the games. That to me makes some muddying of the water completely worth it, for me.
Also, it's kind of just fun to interpret things.
ashatteredmemory wrote:While I was playing the game, I noticed that in many instances: Murphy has to go downwards, especially in the Otherworlds. This has probabaly to do with the saying 'descending into hell'. In fact, every Otherworld sequence ends up with Murphy going downwards (Not sure about the last one though). But he still ends up somewhere that should be a lot above him. There is an odd contrast however: Every sequence ends up with him 'descending out of hell' . One might also think that he constantly goes downwards because the truth lies there; the showers were supposed to be downstairs. Of course, it might be complete coincidence and I like to overthink ^^' . (Little bit of observations up ahead, not so interesting)
I don't think you are overthinking things. This was a quality first explored in SH2, so the possibility that they looked at something such as that is fairly likely. Perhaps not, but who knows?
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Rev
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by Rev »

A little while ago I noticed "ANIMAL" was written above the doorway in the prison, just before you enter the area
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
where you pick up Carol’s letter and see "Murphy" at the end of the hallway.

It might be a stretch but I like to think that it's Murphy's perception of himself, considering that you just happen to find a projection of him in that same cell, clearly in mourning while wearing civilian clothes and sitting next to his wife's letter, blaming him for losing their son.

Which also reminds me of how Silent Hill seems to show Murphy looking at himself from an outside perspective. Like during the cage ride in the Centennial Building, where he saw himself pacing in an isolated cell in his Ryall jumpsuit while separated from the other prisoners.
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ashatteredmemory
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by ashatteredmemory »

I've been looking more into Centennial Building, and there's actually a lot of strange things going on with it. The maps don't correlate with the outside of the building at all. Especially if you look at the top floor (the studio): the map shows the floor to reach the 'front side' of the building; while in-game, the top floors are in the middle of the building and not reaching the outer walls of the lower floors. (http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2011 ... 448326.jpg)
This could be an oversight by the developers; but there's just a lot of strange things going on with the maps.
First floor: The library. For some reason, there used to be something else there, but it has been scratched out. There is no logical reason why there shouldn't have been 'library' written at that place, since it's just plain that: a library (or archive, but the letters don't spell that out). Someone have a good suggestion of what was supposed to be written there? Also, for some reason there's an extra part drawn at the library, which is directly scratched out, for no apparent reason actually.
Second floor: Some rooms are inaccesible from the outside, not by any door, locked or not. They just are there. Their numbers have been scratched out from the moment you get the map. A part of the building is also just scratched out (at the vault). For some unknown reason, a small portion has been drawn to the front side and scratched out.
Third floor: A gaping hole behind the elevator. It seems there would have been acces to it, but it was scratched out. The rooms used to be something else before being called 'Offices'.
Studio floor: the weirdest of them all. Parts of the floor are completely unaccesible, not even by another floor. Also drawn out 'exit'.
Other point of interest is that there is not even a stairs, only an elevator.

Now, the point of all this is just to prove one thing: Nothing in the Centennial Building is original, or al least not a lot of it. The town has altered its interior for Murphy, or perhaps even Bobby Ricks.
Why Bobby Ricks? Well, he 'lives' in the studio floor. It's interior has been altered to best suit him. The one room constantly looks straight at the elevator, the only entrance and exit. Since he has been labeled a coward by a lot of people (and probably Silent Hill itself), it's the perfect spot for him to be.
The building is already altered for Bobby, and now again for Murphy (hence the drawn out arrow or exit for Murphy in the studio floor).
This has also led me to believe that the Dolls might have something to do with Bobby. They fit him somewhat, sitting in his own tower, sending out calls to other people; much like the Doll, which sends out her shadows.

EDIT: remember the "someone has specific taste" though Murphy had when observing a sex doll in the Library? He certainly didn't say it as if alluding to himself. Since I've been linking Bobby Ricks to the library and the Dolls, it's very possible their existence and appearance is not caused by Murphy but by Bobby. However, the reason of the appearance of the Dolls,regardless of what character they are connected to. Their symbolism, however, can be applied to other people than Bobby.

P.S. for maps unedited by Murphy, check http://www.silenthillmemories.net/sh8/maps_en.htm
Last edited by ashatteredmemory on 23 May 2014, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by Postcode »

ashatteredmemory wrote: First floor: The library. For some reason, there used to be something else there, but it has been scratched out. There is no logical reason why there shouldn't have been 'library' written at that place, since it's just plain that: a library (or archive, but the letters don't spell that out). Someone have a good suggestion of what was supposed to be written there?
It looks like 'something' hall, but what the 'something' is I'm not sure.
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by HeartlessBastard »

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but it seems that every monster is connected to a particular place.

The Weeping Bats inhabits the caves.
The Dolls are a lot more active and playful in the Centenial Building.
The Screamers just seem to come out of the ground at the Monastery.
And the prisoners... are from the prison.
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thy_butcher
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Re: Monster / Character / Location Symbolism

Post by thy_butcher »

I remember reading or watching somewhere: Tomm Hulett stated that in the caverns at the end whenever Murphy is on the train ride you can see piles of coins around where you encounter that embodiment of JP.

I've always been interested to see these but through Let's Plays and my own playtime, I've never seen them.

Can anyone confirm this; perhaps show some stills?
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