Pyramid Head and Maria: James' mind at war with itself.

[flown]

alone in the dark's theory is completely in line with the "fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh" frase which is basically the slogan for every silent hill story since silent hill 1, so i can only give him credit for pointing this out to it's core. it's always about the initial fear of confronting the bloodstained truth and the following realization the demons are the only ones telling the truth and them being the only ones guiding you to absolution so yeah, this is a good perspective imo.

[alone in the town]

I've given this theory a thorough re-working. It's a lot longer now, so sit down and get comfortable. Go to Page 1 for more details.

[JuriDawn]

Thanks, alone in the dark.

(Kudos, Ryan)

[Mizz Stalker]

So its like PH is there to help james see the truth, help james face the reality of it all?

[AuraTwilight]

Indeed. He's basically James' conscience, punishing him and showing him the truth at the same time. It's showing James that he can't run from his sins, and he can't pretend they're not there, and that he has to be punished for them.

[Mizz Stalker]

Wow what an intresting chacter.

[lain of the wired]

Indeed. He's basically James' conscience, punishing him and showing him the truth at the same time. It's showing James that he can't run from his sins, and he can't pretend they're not there, and that he has to be punished for them.

Conscience may not be the right term for it, if you want to call him a punisher. Your conscience directs you towards what is right. The punitive super-ego is more of a punishing force, to the point of self-flagellation, which is what PH comes across as. Somewhere, James feels he has to get past what he did, not merely be punished for it. If that were the case, he would end up like Angela, curling up in a ball on the floor, rather than fighting to survive. If you get past the punitive super-ego, you can free yourself from the guilt that it pushes on you and live your life. If I'm interpreting the full letter correctly, even Mary wanted him to live on.

Does that make sense?

[AuraTwilight]

Conscience may not be the right term for it, if you want to call him a punisher. Your conscience directs you towards what is right. The punitive super-ego is more of a punishing force, to the point of self-flagellation, which is what PH comes across as.

Depending on who you ask, Conscience and the Super-Ego are the same construct.

Otherwise, I agree.

[GrievousGarland]

ahh... I agree completely. Makes perfect sense. Though it does make me feel bad for Maria. She didn't ask to be born, and she was only trying to preserve herself. It's sad that the only ending that ends in her favor has to be the bad ending of the game.

Even then... the Maria ending isn't even a good ending for Maria herself. James is just going to kill her like he did Mary, because he learned nothing from his romp in Silent Hill. In 3 more years he'd just be back in SH with a new letter and photo in hand. What a terrible cycle...

Plus, every time I hear James say "You better do something about that cough", I get chills. So creepy.

[AuraTwilight]

Maria doesn't have a soul; she's not worth your sympathy, no matter how "real" she seems.

[GrievousGarland]

Maria doesn't have a soul; she's not worth your sympathy, no matter how "real" she seems.

I disagree.

I believe that Maria was bore into flesh as soon as James walked into Silent Hill. She is just as real as any other person in that town.

[alone in the town]

Does this imply that she is a real, honest human being, or that everyone else in town is a soulless automaton?

Maria is most definitely not a real person. Real people tend to stay dead.

[GrievousGarland]

Does this imply that she is a real, honest human being, or that everyone else in town is a soulless automaton?

Maria is most definitely not a real person. Real people tend to stay dead.

No, I suppose that we disagree on that point. I think that when James walked into that town, it fed on James's desires and bore Maria into a living, breathing body and constructed her mentality.

Maria isn't Mary. Maria says so herself. Mary is still dead, though her presence of sorts is still in the town.

Anyone who played Born from a wish would come to this conclusion I would think. Maria is a living, calculating human being.

[Video Gamer]

Anyone who played Born from a wish would come to this conclusion I would think. Maria is a living, calculating human being.

That dies, comes back to life, dies, then comes back to life again?

[GrievousGarland]

Anyone who played Born from a wish would come to this conclusion I would think. Maria is a living, calculating human being.

That dies, comes back to life, dies, then comes back to life again?

Yep, isn't the first time SH has revived people. As long as James wishes her to be, she'll be back, just as real as she was the first time. Remember, James is able to walk out of the town with her in the Maria ending, coughing no less. If she was a figment, she should have disappeared long before reaching the area where James parked his car.

[Video Gamer]

Anyone who played Born from a wish would come to this conclusion I would think. Maria is a living, calculating human being.

That dies, comes back to life, dies, then comes back to life again?

Yep, isn't the first time SH has revived people. As long as James wishes her to be, she'll be back, just as real as she was the first time. Remember, James is able to walk out of the town with her in the Maria ending, coughing no less. If she was a figment, she should have disappeared long before reaching the area where James parked his car.

Silent Hill revived people...when?

[alone in the town]

Remember, James is able to walk out of the town with her in the Maria ending, coughing no less. If she was a figment, she should have disappeared long before reaching the area where James parked his car.

Ah, but we never know this for a fact. After all, they may very well still be in the otherworld at this point. You are led to assume that they make it out, but the game is clever in not confirming that it happens. Same deal with the Rebirth ending--you assume James successfully completes the Ritual of Assumption--but assumption is all you can do. Even the Leave ending is ambiguous in this matter. I assume that James really does Leave town in this ending (and this ending ONLY), but it's only the name of the ending that serves as solid confirmation in my eyes.

It's not the only time a 'resurrection' has taken place in the series. There are two other such occurrences. However, both of them involve extenuating circumstances that cannot apply to Maria.

Heather is the reincarnate of Alessa, and this rebirthing involves a nearly-Godlike creature and the soul of a unique, magically-inclined person.

Walter lives beyond the grave because he too appears to possess supernatural abilities, including the ability to partition his soul and successfully complete the Ritual of Assumption on himself.

James has no supernatural abilities, nor does he ever perform magical rites on Maria. Maria's existence (and persistence) is wholly due to the nature of the Otherworld. I believe that, removed from this environment, nothing that comes from a mundane, regular mind such as James' can survive. I have no way of confirming this, given that Silent Hill 2's outcome is entirely unverified, but I suspect this caginess exists for a reason.

[AuraTwilight]

Also, real people don't constantly have their minds, personalities, and memories reworked on the fly. Maria has no control over her own thoughts and actions, no matter how sapient she may be. A real person wouldn't be subconsciously compelled to avoid a building because someone other than James was in there.

[GrievousGarland]

Also, real people don't constantly have their minds, personalities, and memories reworked on the fly. Maria has no control over her own thoughts and actions, no matter how sapient she may be. A real person wouldn't be subconsciously compelled to avoid a building because someone other than James was in there.

No... I have disagree again. Maria is always herself, her demeanor changes after reuniting in the prison however. She is simply pissed and wants to fuck with James. Whatever the process was that brought her back, has revealed to her the truth that James is hiding. She knows she's a construction based on his wishes, and she knows about the videotape, and she also knows that James dispelling the delusion would result in a permanent death for her.

and humans have subconscious things compelling us also. Maria just had special ones that help her fulfill her purpose (she was "born" with them).

This is very much up to our own interpretation though. The game is very vague in this respect.

EDIT: and AITT, what I'm trying to say is that the town literally gave birth to her. Kinda like when Cheryl was born. She was completely real, and could have walked out of the town like any other person (the way her mentality worked prevented that though). The town had to intervene once in making her, and then Maria could stand on her own feet without further help from it.

She even tells James she's real in the prison. Remember?

[alone in the town]

Maria is a psychological projection of a skank ho whose entire reason for existing is to confuse and manipulate James until he accepts that his own lies are reality.

Forgive me if I don't take her words at face value. D=

Furthermore, Maria transforms her entire physical appearance to resemble Mary by the end of the game. No other real person in the series is capable of anything like that.

Also, the 'town' didn't give birth to her. James's Wish gave birth to her. Heather's manifestation benefited from the intervention of a potentially divine being with an agenda. James had no such ally. If Maria's real, all of the monsters he encounters in the game must be real.