Opening Movie: The Figure in the Road

[LastGunslinger]

Initially, I forgot about this as soon as I started playing, but upon a replay I noticed that when Travis is first distracted on the road, it is a very physical-looking figure in what appears to be a raincoat that collapses in the road. This can't be the "actual" Alessa, as she is burning alive in the house, nor does it resemble "ghostly" Alessa. It can't be Dahlia either, because she is also still at the house.

Does anyone have any theories about who or what the figure in the road is?

[SilentMadness]

i have absolutely no idea. I know the figure is that of a woman, covered in a cloak. The robe almost looks like the robe that you see wear near the end of the game when they are surrounding the table. the only other woman there is lisa. Maybe?

[Droo]

Why would Lisa even be there, though?

My theory is this: The Order had that night all planned out. They would burn Alessa in the middle of the night, when no one else was around. However, Travis decides to shortcut by the town. Now, the road goes right past the Gillespie house, so presumably they'd have sentries on guard to warn of any approaching interlopers. I think they saw his truck coming, and one of the members of The Order stepped out onto the street to make Travis stop. However, Alessa immediately manifests for Travis and leads him to the Gillespie house anyway.

This is the only explanation I can come up with that makes sense to me.

[AuraTwilight]

I figured it was Alessa's spirit. She certainly is wonky like that.

[Droo]

Yeah, but Alessa never manifests as an adult in the game.

If that adult figure is Alessa, why does she revert to child form seconds later and remain that way for the rest of the game?

[SilentMadness]

Why would Lisa even be there, though?

I knew it probably wasn't. Notice the confused icon. I'm just trying to make sense of it all. It would definately make sense that it was a cult member though. (i.e. the cloak it was wearing)

[The Adversary]

>The Order had that night all planned out.
This isn't true. Dahlia's decision to immolate Alessa was impromptu and not at all sanctioned by the rest of The Order. The rest of the organization was unaware of it.

Although it seems the cult has a place they use for rituals, Dahlia was confident that she would be able to summon the malevolent deity if Alessa was the surrogate mother; therefore, as it was not necessary to choose a location, she impulsively carried out the ritual in her own basement.

She decided that day that "There is no reason to wait. Herein lies the Mother's womb, containing the power to create life. I could have done it all myself." So she does.

Notice how Dahlia is the only person at the house when Travis arrives? Yeah, that's 'cuz no one else was there--no sentries, no guards, no lookouts. Just Dahlia and Alessa.

[Droo]

Interesting.

So why didn't The Order retailiate against Dahlia? They seem to rally around her after the fire, and she continues being a High Preistess until she dies.

[The Adversary]

Because they want god to be born. Remember in Silent Hill there are two other people surrounding Alessa in the flashback. I bet those same people are surrounding Alessa in Silent Hill: Origins, in ceremonial garb.

I suppose "the rest of The Order" isn't entirely correct. Some of them clearly knew about it, but it wasn't universally known among the cult.

[Droo]

Still, you'd think that internal politics would result in Dahlia being ousted, branded as a heretic, or even killed for her actions.

[The Adversary]

How do you know she wasn't?

However, note that at this time--the years between Silent Hill: Origins (1976) and for the decade after Silent Hill (1993)--The Order isn't nearly as structured as it is when Vincent and Claudia take over (peculiarly enough, 17 years after SH:O). I highly doubt, then, that there is much "internal politics" to disrupt The Order's plans, save for the disagreements between the sects of the Holy Mother and Holy Woman.

[Droo]

I forget, was Wish House run by the same sect as Dahlia's? I was sort of thinking Jimmy Stone's allowing of Dahlia to interact with Walter was indicative of The Order's continued acceptance of Dahlia, but if they're from the same sect, this is less likely.

[The Adversary]

Wish House was run by the sect of the Holy Mother. Dahlia was of the sect of the Holy Woman. Jimmy Stone was the mediator between the two, having founded the sect of Valtiel to be the intermediary.

[Mis Krist.]

Well, that book said that the ritual was in the basement and.. Alessa's a crispy critter up on the second floor. I like how they can't even fact check their own stuff, new developers notwithstanding.

I bet they wanted this ghostly figure to be Alessa-esque, like the first game - 'cept that doesn't make any sense.

Maybe it has nothing to do with Alessa at all but... I don't know, weird idea here, Travis' mother? I know she's dead and doesn't have powers of any kind but if Angela can manifest her whole family as a means to frighten her (or a means to overcome) maybe it's something similar with Travis? We don't know much about his sagging mental situation, I don't believe, though I would think it highly plausible that he should equate bad/scary situations with a creepy messed up woman considering his mother was just that.

[Empty_Eyes]

Honestly Krist I don't think you need powers to have an impact in the world. We could also see it as Travis's "nightmares" beginning to manifest themselves outwardly. Perhaps the repressed memories of the frightening child hood that he had started to bubble to the surface. Manifested delusion is not outside of the realm for Characters making their way to SH.

[Harrys_Girl]

I never really stoppd to think about the wonam in the road.

I figured that it was Alessa's spirit. She had already gotten her powers, I think. That is one thing about the game that always confused me.
One point says she had mental powers her whole life and the magnified greatly after the ritual her mother performs.
Another points says she got all her power during the ritual her mother performed.

Either way, Alessa would have some mental capabilities during and immediatly after the ritual, and when Travis finds her, mere seconds after seeing the woman run into the road, the ritual is nearly finnished. So maybe she was ble to tap into enough power to astral project herself out into the road, the main road through Silent Hill, for help.

[The Adversary]

>Another points says she got all her power during the ritual her mother performed.
Where does what suggest that?

[Mis Krist.]

So maybe she was ble to tap into enough power to astral project herself out into the road, the main road through Silent Hill, for help.

This makes the most sense, and honestly it's what I originally thought as well, though I have to question why Alessa simply wouldn't manifest an image of herself for Travis to chase down to her house if that were the case. Instead there appears a ghostly, creepy figure of a(n adult?) woman that sets Travis on edge. That's what makes me think it was Travis' scarred mind doing the damage.

[LastGunslinger]

I started thinking it was his mother, too, except that I don't think there's anything in her history that would correspond to Travis imagining her running across a road in a dark cloak. There is also very little in the way of suggestive detail to tie the figure to her (or anyone else, for that matter).

Another stretch (a really big one) is that, assuming the "bad" ending is true, it could be a generic vision of one of Travis' murder victims.

[Harrys_Girl]

To Krist:
Maybe it takes too much energy to astral project with that much clarity. Maybe a shrowed figure was all she could sum up. And to me, it looked kinda short. I mean, I am only 5' 2" and that is considered pretty short for an adult. Maybe it was a girl. I am sure we could find some math genious to take the measurments of the average semi trucks grill, then the angle of the oad and then solve for how tall approxamitly, the figure was.

To Mockingbird:
I don't know where I heard the point of her only getting her powers after the ritual. I think I read it on here somewhere. I never really believed it, but someone did a lengthy piece explaining it and several people agreed.