Main Themes of Downpour (huge spoilers)

[saevitia]

Throughout the game the main theme for Murphy seems to be one of futility. Every time he tries to save a life he's unable to get there in time, and all he can do is take revenge.

He couldn't be there to save Charlie, and this is echoed every time he tries to save someone in the game. The officer, JP, the kids in the orphanage, Murphy can just never be there in time, he's always too late. Another place you see this is with the 'Void' in the chase scenes.

ETA: Additionally. in the Hansel and Gretel area of the Orphanage you hear children calling for help, but are blocked from going straight there, and must take the long way around.

More thoughts to come later.

[Axel_98]

Yeah the more I think about it the more I believe that Charlie is adopted. On the other hand though, if you watch the Screamer or w/e that monster is called you can clearly see her cradling an invisible baby in her arms. This becomes more prominent the farther you are in the story.

[five5sixers]

Not so sure Charlie is adopted. Near the end

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there's a note to Murphy from someone named Carol that can be inferred to be his girlfriend or wife at the time and most likely Charlie's mother.

[Dark Shadow]

I remember a brief flashback of a woman in a hospital bed holding a newborn baby, I assumed it was Carol holding the recently born Charlie.

[LastScion]

I wanted to get this down before I forgot it - but one of the themes I picked up on was the anxiety of judgment and shame.

Murphy comments early on that he feels more comfortable in prison, that he was happy to get away from society. I think the futility you mentioned played into this, as well. Carol judged him, his son was dead, Napier was captured but still alive, and the whole world knew what happened.

This is best represented in the monsters - the longer Murphy is outside (free, in society), the harder the rain gets, the more violent the monsters (his inner demons) become. The rain only slows and the monsters only recede when he hides inside for a while.

I think it's this feeling that led him to think of his plan to be captured in Maine, sentenced to Ryall, and kill Napier to begin with.

The nun in St. Maria's seems to know this, as well, as she quotes Psalm 107, which is about God's mercy to those who turn away from His word and has strong connotations with water and the sea.

[warfare315]

I liked towards the end where

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Murphy literally has to tip the scales of justice to get through. I saw running from and bringing people to justice as a big theme of the game, and obviously the buried guilt of Murphy.

This is aside from the obvious rain/storm/prison theme. Haha.

[Eric-3]

I wanted to get this down before I forgot it - but one of the themes I picked up on was the anxiety of judgment and shame.

Murphy comments early on that he feels more comfortable in prison, that he was happy to get away from society. I think the futility you mentioned played into this, as well. Carol judged him, his son was dead, Napier was captured but still alive, and the whole world knew what happened.

This is best represented in the monsters - the longer Murphy is outside (free, in society), the harder the rain gets, the more violent the monsters (his inner demons) become. The rain only slows and the monsters only recede when he hides inside for a while.

Not to take anything away from your idea (which I do like), but I think the rain just goes away after being indoors because the game is "resetting" some things. If you open up your Journal, it should stay at the page you left it at. But once you go to a new location that the game has to load (like going outdoors after being indoors or vice versa), the Journal goes back to the first page, "resetting" to default. I think the clear weather condition is just the "default".

[Falconv1.0]

Not so sure Charlie is adopted. Near the end

PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:

there's a note to Murphy from someone named Carol that can be inferred to be his girlfriend or wife at the time and most likely Charlie's mother.

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A husband and wife can't adopt?

Wouldn't they be more likely to give a kid to a couple rather than a single man? I'm not arguing either side I'm just saying...what? That proves nothing for either side, unless there's a statement that she is or isn't his biological mother, that note means literally nothing other than the fact that he had a wife.

Unless she does call him her son and I forgot then hey I'm full of shit my bad. =/

[Aerith Gainsborough]

^Apparently there's a quick flashback that shows Carol holding an invisible baby or something (I totally missed it, so I can't give the details). I suppose that indicates that she gave birth to Charlie...

Also, I believe there is a memo where she calls him her son, but don't quote me on that.

[KiramidHead]

^I've just been replaying. While Murphy is hanging off the clock face, there's a quick montage of his memories, and one of them is an image of his wife lying in what looks like a hospital bed while Murphy cradles a baby.