John and Michelle-Beware Of Spoilers

Ten years after the original game and Harry's still searching for his daughter.

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DirtyNorris
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John and Michelle-Beware Of Spoilers

Post by DirtyNorris »

I've scoured the forum and can't find anything on this.

Did anyone see a connection between Harry and John, and Michelle and Cheryl?

Michelle created a fantasy of John, remembered how he used to be and blocked out anything she didn't wish to hear. John realises this before Michelle, and tries to bring her to the truth. He reflects whatever traits Harry has (caring/commited etc, or more self-centred). He even bears a small resemblance to Harry.

Did anyone else think they were just forwarning the ending?
Last edited by DirtyNorris on 29 Jan 2010, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by cascade88 »

Yeah, after a couple of playthroughs, I started to figure that John and Michelle were just a representation of Cheryl's undying love for her father. What made this more interesting to me was when I had a version of Michelle tell me that she "likes guys who look like her dad", or something.

Edit: Shouldn't this be in the spoilers section though? No?
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Post by DirtyNorris »

Oh damn, I thought this was the spoilers section. Could a mod maybe move it? Sorry :oops:
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Post by Escapist »

This is still on the off-spoilers section...

Even though, John and Michelle's relationship is not always the same. Sometimes is Michelle the one who dumps him, because John is the one who is jelous (if I remember correctly, you should get this going for the S&S ending).

For me is just Cheryl view of their parent's relationship, not her relationship with her father.
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Post by AuraTwilight »

It's definitely about Harry and Cheryl. Michelle clearly embodies Cheryl's attachment to an idealized past, and John represents Harry.
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
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Post by Escapist »

AuraTwilight wrote:It's definitely about Harry and Cheryl. Michelle clearly embodies Cheryl's attachment to an idealized past, and John represents Harry.
But then I don't understand why in the other scenario is Michelle the one who is tired of John.

Remember that just happens after you make the couples test. I just got that this relationship represent what Cheryl thinks about relationships in general: that they all fragile and are destined to end in any way.
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Post by cascade88 »

Escapist wrote:
AuraTwilight wrote:It's definitely about Harry and Cheryl. Michelle clearly embodies Cheryl's attachment to an idealized past, and John represents Harry.
But then I don't understand why in the other scenario is Michelle the one who is tired of John.

Remember that just happens after you make the couples test. I just got that this relationship represent what Cheryl thinks about relationships in general: that they all fragile and are destined to end in any way.
I had that happen in my playthrough just earlier tonight; Michelle was the one to end it. Given that, I think that you might be right in thinking it merely represents Cheryl's idea about relationships in general.
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Post by simeonalo »

AuraTwilight wrote:It's definitely about Harry and Cheryl. Michelle clearly embodies Cheryl's attachment to an idealized past, and John represents Harry.
I always thought it symbolized the ending of a relationship, in this case, Harry and Dahlia's.
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Post by AuraTwilight »

But then I don't understand why in the other scenario is Michelle the one who is tired of John.

Remember that just happens after you make the couples test. I just got that this relationship represent what Cheryl thinks about relationships in general: that they all fragile and are destined to end in any way.
Probably for the same reason Cheryl accuses Harry of basically being a bad father and Harry asking her to forget him.
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
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Post by Dogg Thang »

They don't always go together though. I think it's simply a mix of both - there is much of Cheryl and Harry in John and Michelle but how it plays out is affected by how Cheryl views relationships generally.
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Post by AuraTwilight »

They don't have to always go together. I can get the costume that hints towards Harry being a leather jacketed sleazeball, then get the Love Lost ending.
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Post by NeoAquarius12 »

Awkward to imagine that Cheryl puts herself into Michelle's persona if youre going to end up getting the sleaze and Sirens ending. There's something very Freudian about this conversation. lol
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Post by AuraTwilight »

Pfft, nothing new. Cheryl's already using Young Dahlia as an avatar for herself, and she probably does it with Lisa as well, who also likes to sleep with men who are like her father. All three girls are avatars for her.
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Post by NeoAquarius12 »

Boom, AuraTwilight, you finished my thought. I wanted to come back and mention Lisa, but you wrapped it up quite nicely. Thanks.

The other hing I wanted to say is... Wow thank you writers for this game to make it so that we can have many different changes, but each make sense individually. I was focusing on each ending and how he emotions between Cheryl and her late father could translate into the game, and each circumsance can shed a whole lot of light on he characters themselves, Michelle and John being just a fracture of it. It works on so many levels.
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Post by Avianna »

When I saw characters like Michelle, Lisa or Cybil, I thought they were perhaps people also moving through Silent Hill in other people's memories or visa versa.... except for one of the endings. Perhaps Michelle is looking for John like Harry is looking for Cheryl. All I know is that its interesting to think about who in the game is really in Silent Hill interacting with the Memory of Harry as a real person, and who is a memory themselves.
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Post by Martee »

I apologise to be posting in quite an old topic, but no one seemed to mention two things that back up Michelle representing Cheryls views Harry and Dahlias relationship.

The first is that when you first meet Michelle she sings 'Always On My Mind' to you, which is obviously a reference to Cheryl, and then when the car crashes into the water and you're with Dahlia, the radio plays 'Always on My Mind'.

The second is that at one point Michelle actually turns into Dahlia in Michelles house I think? and then Dahlia (I think) turns into Michelle in Dahlias house... Though I don't quite rememeber.
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Post by AuraTwilight »

The first is that when you first meet Michelle she sings 'Always On My Mind' to you, which is obviously a reference to Cheryl, and then when the car crashes into the water and you're with Dahlia, the radio plays 'Always on My Mind'.
Yea, so? It's the themesong of the game, and it's about how Harry is always on Cheryl's mind.
The second is that at one point Michelle actually turns into Dahlia in Michelles house I think? and then Dahlia (I think) turns into Michelle in Dahlias house... Though I don't quite rememeber.
What are you talking about?
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Post by Martee »

AuraTwilight wrote:Yea, so? It's the themesong of the game, and it's about how Harry is always on Cheryl's mind.
Yeah but the song is only present on those two occasions, which in my opinion shows a clear link between the two characters in Cheryls mind. Otherwise there would be no real reason for Michelle to sing the song at all, the song playing in the car is surely there to make you think of Michelle, even though it is Dahlia who is in the car with you.
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The second is that at one point Michelle actually turns into Dahlia in Michelles house I think? and then Dahlia (I think) turns into Michelle in Dahlias house... Though I don't quite rememeber.
What are you talking about?
When you go to Michelles keys for her car and come back she is gone and Dahlia is in her place. The same happens later on where Dahlia is gone and Michelle is present.
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Post by Joaobessie »

I personally believe that Michelle and John mirror the relationship between Harry and Dahlia.

John is harry, Michelle is Dahlia. That is why when you get out of the bathroom you see Dahlia instead of Michelle. They're "one and the same".
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Post by AuraTwilight »

Yeah but the song is only present on those two occasions, which in my opinion shows a clear link between the two characters in Cheryls mind. Otherwise there would be no real reason for Michelle to sing the song at all, the song playing in the car is surely there to make you think of Michelle, even though it is Dahlia who is in the car with you.
The song is about Cheryl's psyche, though, so if anything it only affirms that both Michelle and Dahlia are "avatars" of Cheryl.
When you go to Michelles keys for her car and come back she is gone and Dahlia is in her place. The same happens later on where Dahlia is gone and Michelle is present.
Fair enough, though see above. I'm sure we could say the same of Lisa if she had a more prominent role.

Can we agree that Michelle and Dahlia are both extensions of Cheryl along with being Dahlia divided into her idealized and demonized aspects?
I personally believe that Michelle and John mirror the relationship between Harry and Dahlia.
But it doesn't. Dahlia didn't idealize Harry in her head, and she didn't love a Harry who wasn't there. She spent all of Cheryl's life criticizing Harry, cutting him down, bemoaning his flaws, and ultimately breaking up with him. This is nothing like how Michelle's been lovey-dovey over John, talking about how great he is and making him up to be this idea that he wasn't in actuality. This reflects CHERYL, and Cheryl only.
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