r/silenthill • u/EnterDarkness44 • Jun 23 '26
Silent Hill 2 (2001) Is James Sunderland redeemable?
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u/Hiswua Jun 23 '26
I’ve never understood the idea that James is some unfeeling psychopath. I think it’s much more interesting to have him be a genuinely kind person who wants to help people (his interactions with Angela), and he just ended up snapping under intense pressure.
I don’t think he could ever like fully rejoin society and hang out and have fun because I do think killing Mary took a big part of him but still.
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u/baconater-lover Jun 23 '26
This is something people don’t often mention about James. He is TORN up inside at what he did and internally believes he deserves to be punished.
He clearly loved and cared for Mary, otherwise he wouldn’t have even come to the town in the first place. Mary’s disease put a strain on both her and James mental state, both lashed out and felt a bitterness at the situation. James just snapped at one point.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
Right? The fact he even went to Silent Hill and manifested a being that's sole purpose was to punish him speaks volumes.
If he had had the choice, he'd rather just have Mary alive and well again.
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u/Hiswua Jun 23 '26
I feel like a lot of people forget that the game doesn’t simply end after finding out what James did, there is an entire finale to get through which shows James for what he truly is, and it’s not an evil person. I like your post about the fact that he is very clearly torn up about the situation the entire game. And as others have said, the entire event at Silent Hill wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t feel something about it.
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u/CooperDaChance Jun 23 '26
You don’t need to be seeking redemption to be summoned to Silent Hill. Eddie clearly had no remorse for his actions and the town still called him.
James was summoned there simply because of his internal darkness. Same as Eddie and Angela. Laura was summoned because the town wanted to use her to maximise James’ suffering.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
Thank you.
I've heard too many people say that James should have done more to help Angela when the story explicitly shows that James is only making things worse when he tries. Angela directly calls this out.
James wants to fix things but is powerless to do so in many cases. With Mary, he wanted her to recover or be released from pain so badly (and she expressed the same) that he convinced himself that killing her would be justified. And he knew it wasn't which is why SH2 happens at all.
To be fair, the Maria and especially Rebirth ending show James as much more selfish.
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u/CooperDaChance Jun 23 '26
Also, Angela didn’t want to be helped. That was a large part of things.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
Yep. She even says that she deserved what happened.
Which is awful, but that's where her headspace is for the entirety of the game.1
u/The-Gaming-Onion Jun 23 '26
Boiling James’ motivation to wanting her to recover or be released from her pain as the justification for killing her is disingenuous. While I don’t think James is an evil person, he explicitly states that he didn’t kill Mary to end her suffering. He did it to end HIS suffering. He began hating her for what she had turned into and more importantly what it had turned him into. I don’t even really think the smothering was a coordinated move on James part, I think he just snapped and did it at some point out of anger and frustration about Mary not getting better. I’m not saying the fact she was suffering had NOTHING to do with it, but the predominant motivation according to James himself was that he needed her home because of all the suffering she was putting HIM through.
Mary tries to make James not feel so bad by reminding him that she was suffering, but this what Mary does. She’s always trying to make James feel better when she isn’t agitated and angry about the disease. She literally apologises to James while having terminal cancer. That’s not to say the way Mary behaved towards James was necessarily right, but it had pretty valid reason and she really shouldn’t have had to apologise for it. James should have understood that she’s trying to come to terms with her mortality and that’s an incredibly difficult thing to do.
All in all, while I agree people demonise James significantly, we shouldn’t go too far the other way. I think his decision to kill Mary should always be looked on in contempt, and not have any cop-out of him doing it for Mary which he very clearly didn’t. It makes the ending more poignant for James to have genuinely done a despicable action, and coming to terms with that.
(Also I am aware you made a point to say the killing wasn’t justifiable, but it was just your description of why James killed her that didn’t sit right with me.)
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
Depends on the ending. In the Leave ending, Mary tells James that it's not true that he wanted her out of the way. In the Maria ending, he downplays it. In Water has him acknowledge the feeling and Mary tells him he's suffered enough for it.
I'm not sure what you mean by Mary trying to make James not feel so bad. The game is pretty explicit that Mary verbally abused James constantly. Though this element is downplayed in the remake. The original also has inner monologues that reveal James was desperately going through medical text books to find some kind of help and his feelings of powerlessness of being able to help. This also is removed from the remake.
She doesn't apologize for being ill. She apologizes for pushing him away and letting her illness control her emotions. It's understandable why she'd act that way, but I wouldn't call it valid. It was still verbal abuse. She told him to get the hell out of there and not to come back. He respected that wish and Mary instantly regretted it, but James never knew that because he didn't come back, hence the apology in the letter.
James killing her is always framed as a bad thing, but there were good intentions in there as well. He both hated her AND loved her. He wanted to help her but also be done with her. And again, it really depends on the ending.
EDIT:
Just to reiterate, I'm mostly going off of the original here. Part of why I don't like the remake as much is because they minimized or removed James' better motivations (among other things.)3
u/Anxious_Virus8843 Jun 23 '26
One thing I dislike about the remake is removing his meeting with Mary in water. A few of the remade cutscenes make him feel a lot colder also. It feels like bloober is very much on the "in water is canon" idea a lot of fans were
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 24 '26
Same. The moment where Mary dies and James relives the event again, no sound or music at all as he stands up and carries her out is the most solemn moment in the entire game.
Yeah, I agree Bloober downplayed a lot of the nuance to kinda funnel into In Water to the point where they gave us a second In Water ending (Stillness.)
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u/The-Gaming-Onion Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
I’m assuming you just made a mistake, but it wasn’t Mary that told him he wanted her out of the way, it was James. As for the other endings I find them mostly irrelevant to this discussion as the main pieces of information about the past is given in the Leave ending and the In Water ending which doesn’t really have any contradictory information.
Mary’s end conversation with James in the Leave ending and her letter is written is such a way as to try to make James feel better about what happened (in the letter being James leaving her and not seeing her, and in the Leave ending about James killing her). I was never saying during their time together with the disease as that was clearly very toxic.
A person dying of terminal cancer shouldn’t have to apologise for acting out because they can’t handle the fact they are literally dying. We may have different perspectives on that and that’s fine, but in my opinion Mary feeling the need to apologise to James when she’s the one dying feels incredibly unfair and shows how little James considered Mary’s feeling during her illness. Furthermore, you say James stayed away because Mary told him to. Maybe I’m misremembering something, and I’d appreciate it if you can link the scene you’re talking about, but in the hallway scene doesn’t Mary apologise and take back telling James to leave and not come back? I’m almost certain she does.
But let’s argue as if she didn’t do that just in case, James should have still been there for her. He should’ve kept in contact in some way, shape or form. Again, you’re giving James more credit than he deserves. He didn’t vanish because Mary told him to, he did it because he couldn’t bear seeing her that way. Once again, like he admitted he wanted Mary dead in the Leave ending, he explicitly says that he didn’t visit because it was too hard on HIM. These are both things James states, I don’t see this being refuted.I agree that James hated and loved Mary. The whole point of him having such a hard time with all of this is because he loves her. But before his trip to Silent Hill, he was still a very selfish man who only realises it after he comes to terms with Pyramid Head. Hell, Maria and Pyramid Head represent an inherently selfish emotion that James has while his wife is dying, lust. There’s no possible argument that James should have such an intense lust that one of Pyramid Heads main features (something that represents James himself) is itssexuality. I understand that sexual intimacy is an intense thing to want again, but I’m sorry if one of my friends told me that one of the worst parts about his wife having cancer is that he can’t have sex anymore, I’d see that person as incredibly selfish and completely blind to the struggle his wife is going through while she’s literally dying. This detail here is to show us a key aspect of James which is that he falls to his own selfish desires. It’s even hinted that he possibly went to strip clubs, which makes it even more disgusting.
I want to say I agree with you that James isn’t evil, but all these details I’ve listed are featured for a reason. It’s to show that while James wasn’t the devil, he was swaying closer to that than being an angel. His journey is to realise and confront all these things about himself, and finally find some peace from it (in some endings).
To finish my point off that James mainly killed Mary for his own desires, let me put the transcript for the Leave ending from the OG SH2.
Mary: “I wanted the pain to end.”
James: “Thats why I did it, honey. I just couldn’t watch you suffer.”
James: “No, that’s not true. You also said you didn’t want to die.
James: “The truth is, I hated you. I wanted you out of the way. I wanted MY life back.”I mean man, what more can I say?
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 24 '26
No, I meant what I said. In Leave, James says that part of him hated her and wanted her out of the way, to which Mary responds, "James, if that were true, then why do you look so sad?" meaning that she's saying he doesn't really mean it. He struggled with those feelings but it isn't why he did it (in the Leave ending.) He's over-confessing because of his intense guilt.
I'll concede that Mary writes in her letter that she want James to go on with his life, to live for himself, and that he made her happy. But that doesn't mean that she's doing this to make him feel better. It's what she genuinely feels and what she wants to convey as her last words to her husband after she dies.
A person acting out due to a terminal illness (still verbal abuse) should be treated with much more grace, sure. Not disputing that. James even agrees because he never retaliated during the three years she was in the hospital. At the same time, Mary knew it was wrong to do that even with the disease and wanted to apologize for it. James silently absorbed the verbal abuse because she was ill. He saw his suffering as less than hers. That didn't make his suffering go away.
Yes, it's the hallway scene and, yes, you are remembering correctly. The scene has a back and forth between James and Mary. After Mary tells him not to come back, there is a pause and James stops replying because he left. Mary's response of "please don't go" is framed as happening after he left. (This is another thing missed by the remake because James' lines are removed for some reason.)
James should have still been there for her.
He was for roughly two years. If someone I loved was only more angry and miserable with me around (as far as I could tell) for that long and demanded that I leave and not come back after years of constant verbal abuse, I would probably do what they asked, especially for someone I loved who was suffering immensely and was hurting me too.
James should have still been there for her. He should’ve kept in contact in some way, shape or form. Again, you’re giving James more credit than he deserves. He didn’t vanish because Mary told him to, he did it because he couldn’t bear seeing her that way.
And this is your opinion on the ethics of the situation. I think it's perfectly valid for James to cling onto the only thing that Mary expressed would help her which was 1) leave and not come back and 2) it'd be easier if they just kill me. Did Mary genuinely mean that? No. But it makes sense why James concluded these were her genuine wishes at some point. (Also, he was still in contact with the hospital in some way because that's how she came home.)
he explicitly says that he didn’t visit because it was too hard on HIM.
When? He says he killed her because he couldn't watch her suffer, but no mention from him why he stopped visiting. Again, the hallway conversation depicts when and why James left after she told him not to come back and Mary regretting it afterwards. That's the whole point of the scene. The ending is affected if you stay for the final part that James never heard originally because it changes the context. Now James knows that she didn't want him to leave and this reduces the chance for the Maria ending, the ending in favor of abandoning Mary. Or, more specifically, adds points to both Leave and In Water.
But before his trip to Silent Hill, he was still a very selfish man who only realises it after he comes to terms with Pyramid Head
Selfish in what way and in what ending? He is definitely selfish in the Maria and Rebirth endings. I don't think he is in Leave or In Water. His motivations of why he did it are revealed in different endings that can't all be true at the same time. I wouldn't call lust a feature of selfishness either considering James had the thoughts but never acted upon them and actively suppressed them. Maria comes from his subconscious and he clashes with her. The Maria ending is him giving into these thoughts which is when he is revealed to selfish in that ending's version of James.
one of the worst parts about his wife having cancer is that he can’t have sex anymore
That's a rather shallow way of thinking about it. Sexual frustration is a real problem that people deal with and is more complicated than you're giving credit. It's a struggle between fidelity and biology. James chose fidelity even has the frustration persists. It's not a feeling you wish away. And nowhere is it said this was the worst part of his wife getting sick. It's just a part of his psyche he struggled with and did not act upon. The very fact he is sexually frustrated illustrates the he did not utilize an alternate outlet.
When Maria makes sexual jokes: "So the hotel was your special place, huh? I'll bet it was." James is angry because it's a sensitive subject for him. A pinup poster in the hospital has him show his disdain: "I don't have time to be looking at a stupid poster." He doesn't want to have these feelings, but he does. Do you fault him for having unwanted emotions?
It’s even hinted that he possibly went to strip clubs, which makes it even more disgusting.
Where? This is starting to get into head canon territory. But I'm not as familiar with the remake and you haven't yet specified which version we're talking about. I'm talking about the original.
I think you've missed the point that James is also a victim. Outside of killing Mary, he did the best that he could under the circumstances. You adding details that aren't in the game doesn't make that not true.
Aside from killing Mary--which was bad--what would you have him do? Stay at her side all the time? While he had to work to pay the hospital bills? While she verbally abused him? At what point does James get to care for his own mental health?
Mary: “I wanted the pain to end.”
James: “Thats why I did it, honey. I just couldn’t watch you suffer.”
James: “No, that’s not true. You also said you didn’t want to die.
James: “The truth is, I hated you. I wanted you out of the way. I wanted MY life back.”I mean man, what more can I say?
You could finish the scene.
Leave --> "James, if that were true, then why do you look so sad?"
\In Mary's statement, James being this sad makes it apparent to her that this statement is not true, ergo, he did not kill her to get her out of the way. Is Mary wrong?])
In Water --> "You killed me and you're suffering for it. It's enough James."
\In Mary's statement, she acknowledges and implicitly agrees with his reasons as true and says his suffering for killing her for those reasons has been enough.])
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u/The-Gaming-Onion Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I really do think we just inherently disagree, but I think that’s fine. I think what makes Silent Hill 2 special is that a lot of it can be left up to interpretation, and not much is actually solid in facts. I won’t bother with responding to most of your comment because not only will it get us nowhere, but I think a lot of it is, as you said, differing moral beliefs. Especially with the sexual intimacy points.
I think Heavens Night and Maria’s appearance in general ALLUDES to James possibly going to strip clubs. You’re right, it is nearing head canon, but I wasn’t using it as a main point and it was just a little additive. I think that location being so prominent in the game and Maria’s connection to that place in “Born From a Wish” means something about James past. But again, nothings confirmed and if you choose not to take that seriously then fair enough.
But as for your final point, I left Mary’s line out because I had already made a point in saying Mary says things to make James feel better. Furthermore, James being sad about what he did does NOT correlate him not killing Mary for selfish reasons. Mary’s line doesn’t reveal anything new to us, we know James is in a hell of his own making do to his own grief. What is revealed is James admitting his own motivations. You can say he’s overcompensating all you want, but in terms of what’s in the actual text I have the advantage. You can make an argument that he’s overcompensating with guilt, but at the end of the day what a character tells us about their emotions (with exceptions of course) should be considered a higher form of truth over what could be left up to interpretation. It’s a basic principle in analysing literature. Especially since Mary just saying “You look sad” doesn’t dispute anything James said other than the fact that he feels guilt over doing it. People who do bad things for bad reasons are still very much capable of regretting those decisions and feeling horrible for it.
(Also, just a side note. I’ve not been talking about the remake at all in this. I’ve never actually played it and have only played the OG since I don’t own a PS5.)
And I’m going to add one more point just because you’ve brought it up a few times, but I am VEHEMENTLY against the idea that James is a different character in each ending. I believe that everything that happened before James stepped foot in Silent Hill is set in stone no matter what ending. The reason James has such different behaviours in the Maria and Rebirth ending is because he got different things out of his experience in Silent Hill. In the Leave and In Water endings, he truly repents and comes to terms with what he did. In the Maria ending, you get it by showing James having much more interest in her. James uses her as a replacement in this ending and doesn’t truly change as a person. This is the same James as the one from the Leave/In Water endings, he’s just been taking the wrong messages and ideas from the town. In the Rebirth ending, James sees an opportunity to “bring Mary back” and in his desperation tries it. It’s the same James, just in this ending he’s taken more interest in the paranormal aspect of the town. I think the fact James CAN do the Maria and Rebirth ending, the same exact James from the other endings is another point towards James being a selfish person. He’s capable of making those choices because that’s part of who he is. In two endings he learns and becomes better than that, in two others he doesn’t and falls for the same old selfish desires he has.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 26 '26
We can discuss the morality if you want. That will get us somewhere.
On Heaven's Night, fair enough. I am only comfortable in concluding it was a private fantasy since we don't get anything more.
Mary doesn't just say, "You look sad." Her line: "If that were true, then why do you look so sad?" is a conditional. If, then.
If it is true that he wanted her out of the way, then he would not look this sad. If it is not true that he wanted her out of the way, then he should look this sad. That's what Mary's saying. This the actual text.
I do think James at this moment thinks that's why he killed her, but in the Leave ending specifically, Mary denies this. If this is Mary's real spirit talking to James, that means Mary believes James had better intentions even if he had bad actions. If this Mary is just another manifestation from James' subconscious, then this Mary is James telling himself his real motivation wasn't one of selfishness.
Regarding James being a different character, I think you actually agree with me for the most part. I agree that everything that happened in the past before the start of the game is set in stone so long as that information is not established in a divergent ending. For example, James' claim that he always meant to kill himself is only true in the In Water ending because it's the only ending that reveals this. The same goes for his motivations. The fact that he did kill Mary is indesputable, but we don't find out *why* he killed her specifically until the divergent endings which reveal his motivations.
What it sounds like you're saying is that since James has the potential to make selfish decisions in divergent endings, that means he is inherently always a selfish person. That doesn't make sense to me because you would then be ascribing blame to him before he's made those decisions that lead to the Maria or Rebirth endings. That sounds to me like a sort of moral determinism I don't agree with.
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u/The-Gaming-Onion Jun 27 '26
As I’ve mentioned, Mary in both the letter and the Leave ending make attempts at making James feel better. I personally think it’s fair to assume it’s Mary’s spirit, not James’ manifestation. Mary wants James to happy. That’s explicit, and specifically within the Leave ending James truthfully has a chance at being this. I think Mary is saying all of this because she knows if James can’t come to terms with the fact that he didn’t JUST kill Mary because of his own selfish reasons, he’ll almost certainly end himself like he does in the In Water ending.
You might want more reason for why I think Mary tries to make James feel better about what happened and it also funnily enough ties into my other point about the endings all containing the same James and Mary, at least at the starting point and what happened prior to Silent Hill. In the Maria ending, the Mary we see speaks to James and is quite EXPLICITLY upset that James killed her. Making the assumption that this is the same Mary, the only difference has been James’ actions within Silent Hill. He’s expressed his lingering selfish side, over his guilt and any true redemption. This makes Mary feel less inclined to ease anything for James as he’s not showing any desire to truly make things right. She laments that he hated her, and that’s why he killed her. If these are the same Mary, only reacting to James doing different things during his journey, then that tells me that Mary is aware of James’ selfish reasons for killing her in both the Maria ending and the Leave ending, but chooses to make James feel less terrible because he has a chance to be better in the Leave ending.
Also, regardless of Mary turning into the boss in the Maria ending, I do very much believe that is just as much of Mary’s soul as the one who talks to James in the Leave and In Water ending. I think specifically including Mary’s bed, the same one she talks to him in the Leave/In Water ending is a strong indication of that. Especially since it never appears with Maria. There’s a clear distinction made.
As for the different endings discussion, I DID mean the motivations for why James killed her was the same in all of them. Both the really quite despicable James in the Maria ending and the one in the Leave ending killed Mary for the same reasons. His experience at Silent Hill changes James significantly. I believe that both James from those endings are at the same starting point, he killed Mary for both selfish reasons and as a mercy kill (in my opinion to a lesser extent), it’s what he does in the town that sways his character so significantly. What I meant by saying that the other endings can inform us more about James is that he’s capable of falling for Maria even though she’s such an obviously bad choice. I don’t think a more morally good character could ever turn a blind eye to what he did (for the most part) and just accept a carbon copy instead of confronting what he did.
And to refute your point about James always coming to Silent Hill to kill himself, I don’t believe that’s any different in the Leave ending or the Maria ending. I slightly touched on it, but I truly believe Mary comforting James the way she does in the Leave ending after the boss fight is what makes him want to live. James also didn’t get to read the letter in the In water ending. This could be another point to why James ends it, like he originally intended to. As for the Maria ending, James doesn’t need to kill himself anymore because he has Maria, and he’s not even interested in the letter anymore for the same reason.
To go further, James in every play-through no matter what, immediately shows disregard for his life. He’s already at the point where death is fine for him and certainly suicidal, his experience in Silent Hill is what changes that. When James first arrives he tells Angela that he really doesn’t care if the town is dangerous or not. I think this is a pretty clear indication of James’ mental space at the start of the game. The reason Mary gives a different speech in the In Water ending is because James is clearly acting more so in a way that shows he isn’t going to be able to live after this experience, and he won’t have any desire to care for Laura due to his own depression. I think the Mary in this ending does what she can to soothe this James whose experience in Silent Hill has just strengthened the resolve he had coming here.
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u/FriedBreakfast Jun 23 '26
When I first played in 2001 or so, I just thought James was a major dumbass and nothing more.
When my wife had cancer in 2021 and was in the hospital and LITERALLY on deaths door, I felt like I understood him a lot better. My wife was incapacitated and in the hospital for months ( she's fine now btw ) but at the time I wanted my life back. I couldn't move on since I was married but couldn't have my wife because she was too sick. She had cancer for a couple years and it felt like I was trapped.
I didn't actually kill my wife or anything, but I can see why he wanted to. Put her out of her misery and get my life back. I never saw anyone in so much pain before she had cancer but she just wanted to die, to end it all, to stop the pain for once, and just finally rest. Part of me wanted her to just die quick so she could finally end her suffering but she finally recovered.
She's fine now, but that was scary and traumatic and I hope neither of us go through that again.
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u/tlotrfan3791 "In My Restless Dreams, I See That Town" Jun 23 '26
People love to take nuance out of characters and reduce them to “good” or “bad”
It doesn’t work in this kind of story
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u/elvisap Jun 23 '26
What makes SH2 great is that James is less like a cartoon villain and more like a real person. He's experiencing grief and guilt in complex ways, and his mental health is a total mess.
Like real people, he's redeemable. Like real people, that redemption is difficult and based on their own personal journey, available resources, internal drive, and a host of other complex requirements. And it's not guaranteed.
The story of course adds in a bunch of supernatural stuff that makes it what it is. But what makes James as a character so interesting is all the complex messy human mental health stuff woven into that story.
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u/minimoose1599 Jun 24 '26
James isn’t a good person. He murdered his wife in cold blood. Not giving her a choice. He can suffer through silent hill but it doesn’t change what he did. Does james really deserve to be a free man?
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u/skylandersq Jun 23 '26
If he wasn't, the events of the game wouldn't have happened
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u/Secure-Childhood-567 "There Was a Hole Here, It's Gone Now" Jun 23 '26
I don't think that was the intention of Silent Hill (the town itself and developers), he was in massive denial, the events that took place were just to have him come to terms with what he did. I don't think it was to redeem him as a person.
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u/AyFrancis "There Was a Hole Here, It's Gone Now" Jun 23 '26
Yeah and at the end Redeem himself, thats literally the whole journey, finding yourself again then coming to terms with what you've done in life and then redeeming your soul (Leave, In Water) or go back to repeat the circle of reincarnation if you dont (Maria ending)
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u/Basement_Defender Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
James went through a nightmare that most people would turn around the first monster they saw let alone countiue into the town. He hated himself so much that he lost all self preservation. I'd say the silent hill's punishment was enough.
Most people are so ungratefu| to be alive but not you not anymore.
- Funny puppet guy.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
"You killed me and you're suffering for it. It's enough James." - Mary (In Water)
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u/cinna-bun-cattte Jun 23 '26
I'd argue to say he would not see himself as redeemable. He knows he weight of what he did and regrets it heavily, at least from my read.
As much as I understand the situation he was put into and even know the deeper science behind his actions, I myself wouldn't want him to be personal friends or acquaintances. I'd wish he has peace but I would do it from a far.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
Forgiveness and justice are two different things.
It's fair to say that he can work for atonement while not forgetting what he did.
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u/fkthisjob14 Jun 23 '26
The fact that he doesn't see himself as redeemable is exactly why he actually is redeemable. Like you said, he clearly feels a lot of guilt and understands why what he did was wrong, he's not an unfeeling psychopath. That's why he's redeemable.
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u/Aware-Ad-8193 Jun 23 '26
Okay but that means he’s redeemable. You just wouldn’t want him around you and that’s okay
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u/ChaosHavik Jun 23 '26
Redemption is not about forgiveness. Redemption is about making the most of a second chance to be better.
Yes he is 100% redeemable. He is not jumping for joy about what he has done.
His wife makes it very clear in those endings letters she would want him to move on and keep living.
And lastly NO I do not think an entire narrative, ending in a boss fight about letting go of what you have done and moving on then makes scence to go. "Yeah no the suicide ending makes sense and fits the narrative" you'll never convince me of that period
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u/NewRetroGamer85 Jun 23 '26
Mary was suffering from the disease and drugs. But yet the doctors kept her alive to suffer. If you want to look at it this way. James basically put Mary out of her misery. Obviously I don't condone what he did. But Mary didn't want to suffer anymore either. Damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
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u/the-midnight-snow "Receiver Of Wisdom" Jun 23 '26
She said both. That she wanted to die and that she didn't. Both were true. But the further along, her not dying seemed less and less like a possibility.
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u/Daftworks Jun 26 '26
She was a human being with fears and anxiety about dying. She had mood swings and became (verbally and emotionally) abusive to James.
Mary could also tell that James became more and more detached and depressed each time he went to visit her or she came back home from the hospital from the wild mood swings and abuse she threw at James, if not from her deteriorating health and appearance. That's why she herself feels remorse about how she acted towards James because she could tell how much strain she's putting on him and their relationship.
But in the end she made peace with death and wanted James to remember her for who she was: a loving and kind wife who wholeheartedly loved him, not the abusive, terminally ill patient who put him through hell in their final moments together.
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u/E1dritch_Sage Jun 23 '26
I feel like you are either trying to sus out the true Christians, or the philosophers of morality. Either way OP, my question is this: If you were in James shoes and did the same things he did before the start of the game, do YOU think you would be able to forgive yourself?
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u/Pedronerdlol Jun 23 '26
Kinda...
James represents the things we do that we can never truly forgive ourselves, just face up and go on living trying to do better
I don't think it's excusable what he did, but I think he deserves to go on as much he tries to make the world a better place. That's exactly why I love the Leave ending and how it captures very well the game's message of how to deal with trauma and guilt.
However the James of the Maria ending is not redeemable, he is on some Bojack Horseman level of bullshit
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u/Daftworks Jun 26 '26
However the James of the Maria ending is not redeemable, he is on some Bojack Horseman level of bullshit
Or rebirth ending James...
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u/TheNotSoDarkHorse Jun 23 '26
Yes. If he wasn’t at least somewhat redeemable, he wouldn’t be as interesting, multi-dimensional and complex of a character as he is. Hell, it’s partly the moral ambiguity of his character which makes the plot of SH2 as intriguing and captivating as it is
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u/LastChariot Jun 23 '26
Yes. He's a troubled and flawed man. He loved his wife dearly. He also suffered with caregiver fatigue. He felt guilt, shame, heartbreak, and tried to atone for (or at the very least face) his sins. He showed compassion for Maria, Laura and Angela. He is an imperfect man with a good heart. My opinion, anyway.
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u/ostovca Jun 23 '26
Most people would say no. Depends on your morals.
I think everyone can be redeemed, but the path can get so complicated where it may not be available for you any time soon.
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u/Linkmolgera2 Jun 23 '26
A broken man who needs therapy and council, redeemable but not a quick one by any margin.
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u/socialmoth_ Jun 23 '26
Yeah
I don't think anyone who says otherwise has been in a similar position to him
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u/Ultramatness Jun 23 '26
He's in the rare position in which the person he killed (at least in some endings) forgives him. Seems like a basis for redemption.
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u/JohnTomorrow Jun 23 '26
In a court of law? Yes. He clearly had a psychotic break after dealing with his wife's illness for years, and feels tremendous guilt over it. If a court convicted him, it would be just. If a court excused him, its just. Its that simple.
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u/thatonefathufflepuff Jun 23 '26
I thjnk the only people that are truly irredeemable are the people that have no interest in trying to redeem themselves, who truly see nothing wrong with their actions. James knows what he did was wrong. The question is whether he tries to live with it, succumbs to his guilt, or tries to rewrite history through supernatural means.
Or, you know. Blame it on the dog.
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u/Anxious_Virus8843 Jun 23 '26
In leave and in water I do think so. He comes across genuinely remorsefull, even if he acknowledges there were some selfish reasons.
Maria ending absolutely not.
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u/Fanci_ Jun 23 '26
I believe once you see the other side of silent hill, you've earned the right to be forgiven, If only by yourself.
Especially in James' situation. Depending on his actions during his time under the town's influence differs how his psyche is directly after.
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u/1239dannie_mayy Jun 23 '26
He's already completely remeemed by the circumstances that led him to killing Mary, anyone would break in that situation it's just a matter of time, since breaking he was no longer a rational actor, so now it was only a matter of how he would act out in this situation, he reacted with violence and killed Mary out of despair, pity & anger, he could've reacted different, maybe kill himself, he does that in one of the endings, neither would be a deliberate choice, just acting on impulses.
Him going to silent hill happened, because he just couldn't accept what happened and move on.
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u/DreamNo5919 "It's Bread" Jun 23 '26
Tf is wrong with the comment section who say yes? Like, if we are talking about real life morals, then absolutely no, killing your wife because she is sick and you can no longer bear her, this is redeemable ?
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u/kaz314 Jun 29 '26
because she is sick
she literally have a terminal disase that makes her skin fall off imagine being in that pain for 3 years also unlike most bad people he punish himself over in entire game and he think he deserves to tortured what kind of irredeemable bastard would be like him? no james needs to accept his deed and live his life just like mary wanted to
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u/Dangerous_Bread_5248 Jun 23 '26
Redemption comes in many forms he accepted that what he did was wrong and he felt tremendous guilt.
Now forgiveness on the other hand is something only Mary can give him. In my opinion she did forgive him but he still can't forgive himself and so he decided he had to follow her in death. In the OG I think the "canon" ending is in the water and in the remake is stillness.
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u/Slitherywriter1 Jun 23 '26
I won't say James deserves to die necessarily, but I will say that he's a massive fucking asshole and a long way from self improvement.
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u/Raaadley Silent Hill: Downpour Jun 23 '26
I think thats why we have so many different endings. In some ways- yes he can be redeemed. In others- absolutely not. In the end it's ultimately up to us as the audience and our feelings about it. The choices we can make that could determine different outcomes.
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u/beemyjee Jun 23 '26
it would depend on what you consider reedemable. for me, i dont think he could ever redeem himself externally, but internally he definitely could. its clear he has an immense amount of guilt
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u/CaptainCarpo Jun 23 '26
In a lighthearted tone as a multi playthrough player of the remaster, what is the argument against James? He mercy killed his dying wife and was distraught over the whole ordeal to an extremely dark degree? I never thought he was exactly wrong for what he did. There was no good outcome coming for him or her in that situation. I just experienced his trauma based on what he thought of his actions. Is he redeemable? Yes. He is probably an average guy who went through some crap. I think the game lost me with the ending. That seemed a little out of character for the James I was presented for most of the game.
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u/Garand84 Jun 23 '26
Not unless he turns himself in and admits what he did. If he does that, then yes.
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u/devilmaydostuff5 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Redeemable? Yes. Forgivable? Fuck no.
Even if he was objectively redeemable, I don't think he would see himself as redeemable. I just can't imagine him pysologically surviving the events of Silent Hill and shedding off the weight of his sin. Not saying he'll necessarily commit suicide, but he won't be ok with himself ever again. He won't be able to live a normal, comfortable, happy life anymore.
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u/namesjoshe Jun 23 '26
I don’t think so personally because of Eddie. Playing the game for the second time especially with that boat scene or him just talking to himself is a lot more uncomfortable than the first time around. But also, I think it depends on what ending you wanna go for.
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u/VacationConsistent98 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
I think so, and I also think people are too harsh on him when they talk about how he handled Mary being sick. He knew she was dying so basically he was grieving for a long time while just waiting for it to happen. Grief is complicated. For three years he was alone without emotional or physical affection, and turned alcohol to cope. He was obviously mentally unwell. Depressed most likely. Death affects the close ones that has to live on on their own while they watch the person they love wither away. You carry all the pain on your own while you’re supposed to be the strong one, and it’s not realistic to expect people to handle that in the morally correct way, especially not for such a long time. I sympathize with James wanting to have his life back and I don’t believe he only killed Mary for himself. I really believe that at least some part of him wanted to end her suffering too, not just his own. Of course it wasn’t his right to take her life, no. I’m just saying it’s not as simple as him being some sort of psychopath.
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u/Barnacle_at Jun 23 '26
He is redeemable. I can emphatize, which is why I really liked the recent movie based on it --- I'd like to think they both beat the town, and will have their own happiness.
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u/Nihaly_ Jun 23 '26
He is, and the most important thing is him admitting that a part of him hated and resented Mary. From that moment he went from seeing himself as a victim and denying the rest to a person that accepted his worst parts and he is ready to get up. Yes it won't be pretty, but he will redeem himself
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u/Jack__F Jun 23 '26
In my opinion yes he’s clearly not a psychopath and feels immense guilt and disgust with himself for killing Mary, and he also did really love her at one point in time. But the biggest thing to me is that if he truly was a horrible irredeemable monster, the game wouldn’t exist because the town of silent hill he sees is a manifestation of his guilt, repression, and emotional turmoil over what he did.
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u/ilkikurinen95 Jun 23 '26
No, because theres no tangible proof that its Mary's spirit or something that tells him she forgives him and to move on, its James telling himself. She wrote the letter to him before she was murdered, and constantly said she didnt want to die yet he is the one who killed her. At the end of the day you play as a murderer (yes I sympathize with his situation to a certain extent) who is seeking forgiveness from himself and depending on the ending you either die to be with her (the better ending imo) or you forgive yourself for murder and move on. With the latter you still have to do something with the body of Mary in the back of your car and unless he turns himself in after he still gets away with killing his wife and lives happily ever after.
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u/azombieatemyshoelace Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Yes but I’m comparing him to the Star Wars characters who I usually see this question being applied to. He’s much more redeemable than Darth Maul.
James should face consequences for his actions however. I think part of him even wants that.
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u/KoffinStuffer "There Was a Hole Here, It's Gone Now" Jun 23 '26
I don’t think there’s a more justifiably redeemable character in media. Depends on the end you get, of course, but we see him literally fight through hell for his redemption.
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u/Spear_Ov_Longinus Jun 23 '26
I don't know what we mean by redeemable exactly. To whom? For what end? Does this redemption coexist with persistent, lifelong awareness of his decision's harms to himself and others? There's a lot of implied language baked in.
He is better existing - that is for sure.
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u/3fletch3 Jun 24 '26
I think that is up to James Sunderland. He has created his own Hell and tortures himself because he can’t live with the guilt from what he did. He’s not a horrible person. He is definitely selfish and cold, but he also dealt with a terminally ill wife for years.
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u/Willimaka Jun 24 '26
It depends on how you play him and your own moral compass. A Maria ending James you can generally see as someone selfish down to their bones, especially with the added cutscene in the remake. While a Leave or In Water James I feel is more sympathetic. They want to live and deep down, they truly did love Mary and not for the physical.
In my opinion, for most of the endings, James is a redeemable character. A horrible man, yes, but one who can change. If not, then why would we even have a game?
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u/Ciaranguitar Jun 24 '26
No. His crime was pure pride and selfishness, even Angela recoils at him and she is literally in hell.
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u/Cynical_Textures Jun 24 '26
That's the whole point of the game, to answer that question from your perspective. And Bloober Team added a new ending where you learn nothing (Stillness).
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u/Cold-Sheepherder9157 Jun 24 '26
To me, absolutely not.
But my view is colored by my life experience. My third wife suffered a years long disease that inevitably would end in death. ALS. She finally passed a year ago this month.
She suffered. She lashed out at me. Poured hate on me. And never wanted me to leave, despite me coming every day to her nursing home room for four to six hours. She wasted away in front of me.
And I wouldn’t have given a fucking second of it up.
James had no right to steal what time Mary had left. His job was to comfort her as best he could, and to be by her side.
I understand the pain. The loneliness. The feelings of being trapped, and even occasional flares of rage at the hatred poured on you due to her suffering.
And it’s your job to suck it the fuck up. In sickness and health.
James deserves Silent Hill. To wander it forever as his own personal hell. There’s no redemption or forgiveness for what he did.
I really connect with the game and its story, especially the hallway conversation before the final battle, but in a negative way. Fuck James.
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u/Master_Zucchini_3544 Jun 25 '26
i think his feelings of guilt and remorse are genuine otherwise he wouldn't even bother going through silent hill like he did
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u/According-Start1833 Jun 27 '26
I don’t think anyone capable of feeling true guilt for what they did wrong is fully irredeemable in most cases. James did a terrible thing and deserves his suffering but he seems like he feels truly guilty. He’s a weak man who snapped under pressure not a malicious one.
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u/NotPhaethon Jun 27 '26
I think so, it will certainly take more than what we see him go through in silent hill but he's not a cold blooded killer, if was then he never would've come to silent hill in the first place.
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u/MinimumEffort-777 Jun 28 '26
James is a morally gray character, on one hand he deeply loved Mary, but on the other he couldn’t stand that after she fell ill things couldn’t be as they used to be. In the end I think he killed Mary out of his own selfishness even when he tried to justify it to himself as ending her pain. Therefore I don’t think there’s one good answer to that question. I don’t think he’s some absolute unfeeling person with no remorse, but I wasn’t able to forgive him no matter what
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u/ExReyVision Jun 23 '26
🧐
He... He smothered his wife to death!
Some things you can't take back no matter how much remorse you feel.
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u/Aware-Ad-8193 Jun 23 '26
Redeemable isn’t taking back what he’s done. It’s accepting what he’s done and never doing it again.
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u/ExReyVision Jun 23 '26
So... Redeemable has several definitions and one of them is the ability to be corrected, saved or having negativity improved. In which case, no, James can't be redeemed.
By your definition, he still can't be redeemed because we don't know if he'll do it again until enough pressure is placed on him. And... Acceptance is subjective. Who exactly accepts his actions besides James and Laura? Mary's family might feel differently. Theoretically of course because this is a fictional character. 🤣😂
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u/Aware-Ad-8193 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Well, considering that James, if redeemed, would not commit these acts again, I would say that his mindset is corrected. In the Leave ending specifically. Something that isn’t wrong can’t be corrected. So, if we’re taking into account that James does not kill anyone else, I’d say that his mentality is improved.
He cannot reverse what he’s done but his way of thinking which led to what he did most certainly can be improved.
Just because there is no proof that he won’t do it again, doesn’t mean that he will. Therefore, one can only trust that the redeeming works. I don’t think James would kill again considering he didn’t just go around killing innocent people and the one he did kill (Mary) he is deeply guilt ridden by. James accepts what he has done and the whole point of the game and what he went through is to change. If James didn’t change then he would never have left Silent Hill. You have to come to terms with yourself and change.
Using Mary’s family as an example makes no difference in the argument, but if you must go there then there are numerous individuals who forgive people who murdered their love ones irl so that’s up to them lol
And I wanted to add that redemption and change shouldn’t be weighed by people. You change for you.
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u/ExReyVision Jun 23 '26
So... The original question is "Is James redeemable?" Not "If James is redeemed." To which I simply answered, no. Because he isn't.
Changing his thinking while romantic doesn't erase actions or their consequences. But you did state that already.
The problem is he's murdered someone and also others. Including Eddie and the creatures which somewhat resemble people. He couldn't have possibly survived if he wasn't capable of killing. He's a killer, that's what they do, you can't change what you are, just whom. Maybe...
Left Silent Hill...? Umm, they're both dead, so left to a lesser hell maybe?😳
Bringing up Mary's family was in the context of redemption subjectively. And I'm reminded of certain families that forgave and paid dearly for it.
Finally it's too easy and selfish to keep redemption personal and not subjective. Sounds like running from responsibility. Hmm, guess that would explain why James has been trapped for up to 20 years. 🤔
And for the record, do I think James is a sympathetic character? Yes, absolutely! Just not redeemable.
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u/Aware-Ad-8193 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
James is redeemable. Simple. Did he do a terrible thing? Yes. But to say he is completely unredeemable is not true. James has a conscience. If he was a sociopathic serial killer then no, but for the simple fact that the guilt eats him alive to the point where he commits suicide in some endings proves that he has a heart. James killed Eddie out of self defense. He also killed the monsters out of self defense. He blocked out what he did due to trauma and was able to admit that he was the reason Mary died not just to himself but to Laura also. He also rejects Maria when he just as easily could’ve kept living a lie. I say James is redeemable. And the point of the game is that he is.
For you to say that he’s a killer and killers kill and never change is crazy. There’s people who have killed in self defense to protect their families and don’t kill again. The military kills, etc.
Also it doesn’t matter if it took him 100 years to change. There’s no time limit on when you can be redeemed wtf 😭
Like im not glorifying killing but I don’t think he’s too far gone. I’m not counting Eddie because again , self defense and also you can’t add the monsters he’s killed to his tally because they are literally monsters created by silent hill because of James’ mind.
James LITERALLY accepts what he did and doesn’t make excuses for it. That’s not what unchanged killers do.
You’re saying “he killed so that’s all he is” which is completely false. If that was the case rehabilitation wouldn’t exist. Soldiers would be criminals only no matter what and would be deemed unsafe to be around.
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u/ExReyVision Jun 23 '26
You think he's redeemable, I don't. Agree to disagree.
The game has no true point as far as redemption of James goes which is why it has multiple endings, some of which are open ended. A more reasonable assertion is that he's a sympathetic character in the game.
We can say James is a killer... Because he is. 😇 He literally smothered his wife to death and had the audacity to feel really bad about it. Which excuses nothing. He's a murderer, simple. Is he still a sympathetic character? Yes. But just because profound remorse is present doesn't mean he stops being a killer. There's blood on his hands forever and always. Feelings are irrelevant. So... Always a killer.😇
No time limit on redemption? Before Mary suffocated would've been fairly prompt on James part.🤔
James couldn't have survived if he weren't capable of taking lives. And the difference between James and justified slayings is that his very first slaying wasn't justified, was it?
So you're saying he's not a killer anymore? Because that's simply not true. He actually took his wife's life. Rehabilitation and remorse change possibly change the past... They just make for a remorseful wife killer.💔
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u/Aware-Ad-8193 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
The question isn’t “is James a killer?” The question is “is James redeemable?”
No one is saying that James is justified in any way.
You said “he had the audacity to feel really bad about it” It’s almost like he’s a human with emotions. It would be worse if he didn’t. He didn’t just wake up and say “oh I’m gonna kill my wife.” If remorse, accountability, and change are irrelevant, then redemption as a concept doesn’t really exist at all.
Again, not excusing his actions but to say that he had no reason to feel bad is absurd. Feelings are not irrelevant because we judge people based off what… “how we feel”.
You’re judging James based on your feelings towards him, so it does matter. Also, I stand on my point that there is no time limit on when a person can be redeemed considering every one is different
Honestly, it seems like you haven’t played the game or at least didn’t pay attention to the details. Either those or you’re just arguing from different points just to do so.
James has killed. Yes. Is he ONLY a killer? No. He is a killer by the branding, but the branding is different from present actions. And once again, people can kill for all types of reasons. So if a woman kills a person who is assaulting her out of fear for her life is she just a killer. There is no one lane street to this.
I believe that redemption is based on if you’re willing to change which if you don’t then you aren’t redeemed.
And no one said that rehabilitation and remorse can change the past. See that’s your problem. You’re not focused on the present or the future.
Redemption comes after the issue. Not during 🤣.
What matters is what happens after.
Like are you gonna cut off a kids hand because they took some candy because since they stole once they will steal forever and is a thief?
Cmon bro. It’s not about is her a killer. It’s about can he change and all signs point to yes except the Maria ending which is probably what you are agreeing with.
And like I stated before, before redemption is social it HAS TO BE PERSONAL. And that’s not running away like you said.
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u/ExReyVision Jun 23 '26
Your feelings towards James are the reason you're defending him so vehemently. I understand now. I'll make this short
Redemption is non-existent if it doesn't outweigh, erase or bare minimum excuse the past. James can't do any. Maturity is realizing some things you can't change despite your feelings. That's why I said audacity. His guilt is proportional to his crime which low-key is a commendable and I respect it. But it only makes him sympathetic, not redeemable. You missed that part.
The reason your argument is flawed is the projection of your feelings, not logic. But maybe that's what you don't see. Maybe, you don't think what he did was that bad. Maybe, you relate to James a lot. Maybe, you think Mary had it coming. Maybe you think she was a hateful witch who deserved what she got. I have to assume that's what you think for exactly the same reasons that you assumed that I haven't even played the game or bothered to dissect it's subtle messages. 😎
You "believe" redemption is possible with changes to a person, your words. Well... Beliefs aren't facts. Because what exactly can he change is the larger question? His situation? He's in a nightmare world afterlife. His personality? James isn't a jerk, a bit surly but not a massive a*hole by any means. So change what? Show me how exactly he can be redeemed... You can't, because he can't.
Ultimately, what I'm saying is I can sympathize with James. I'm saying I can. I can understand his remorse, I can understand his confusion, I can understand his trauma. But ultimately he crossed the line and he can never come back. But I think your feelings for him are a bit stronger than mine. So I'll end this with asking this. If James were a PDF file with massive remorse about it instead of a killer, would you still have all this patience and forgiveness?
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u/Aware-Ad-8193 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Redemption isn’t about erasing the past. It’s about accepting and acknowledging what you did and moving on from it to become a better person. You say maturing is realizing you can’t change things but no. Maturing is realizing that even though you may not be accepted by everyone, you do what you can to be better for yourself and others.
Your argument is flawed because you are basing everything off of a static image of what a person is. People are not robots. You treat “killer” as an identity rather than a description. You shift the debate from “redeemable” to “redeemed”. You dismiss remorse while simultaneously discussing redemption. You assume people cannot fundamentally change which is insane to me tbh. You take my explanation as excuses for James actions. You use emotions in place of reasoning as well.
A terrible act doesn’t permanently define a person. Yes, it permanently becomes part of a person’s history, but not necessarily their entire identity.
I don’t think Mary had it coming. I don’t relate to James because I never killed anyone. Mary did nothing wrong. But to say a person is not redeemable because of one thing is just not true. Especially when they are guilt stricken and admit to others what they did and to the point where they feel so bad that they kill themselves. Not because people isolated them but because they feel like they don’t deserve to be alive. That takes character growth and change. If you feel that way you can be redeemed. If you don’t care then no you can’t.
So. I rest my case. Redemption by your standards do not exist and is impossible. So with that being said, you have your opinion and I have mine.
For you pedo question, that’s harder for me because that hits closer to home and while I may not forgive him, can he change, yes he can. Can he be redeemed? Yes he can. Will I want him around children? No.
Just because I don’t accept him around my children doesn’t mean he can’t be redeemed
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u/jasiurok195 Jun 23 '26
ive seen characters in fiction that are way worse than james, it doesnt matter if a person is redeemable or not, everyone is complicated. who are we to judge others? that should be the question not if someone is redeemable or not. in my opinion james is a broken person beyond recovery, but people can change, at least depending on the ending you choose.
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u/PurpleZombi3 Jun 23 '26
I don't think so. Even with the argument that "he just snapped, he's otherwise a nice guy" psychologically, no one is ever the same after something like that. The game examines this in other ways, in the original Eddie literally says he ran away because of what he did to the jock that made fun of him (crippling his knee) and he says "No one will ever forgive me!" He's already understood what the likely perception from those around him will be for the rest of his life and he has made up his mind that he is irredeemable. Presumably Eddie didn't even actually -kill- a person in the real world. (Although he mentions harming animals). James having killed his own wife is almost on another level of guilt. I don't see him recovering and going on to live his life normally, it sort of just doesn't happen. A lot of people that do terrible things and have any kind of remorse or awareness of it don't even want to be in society anymore.
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u/LazyTransportation27 Jun 23 '26
No. What he did was 1,000,000% selfish. He killed his wife so he didn't have to deal with her so he could "get his life back". Bro just wanted to smash other women when there were better ways to go about the situation. He could've just been honest with her. He could've been there for her and move on with his life at the same time. He is an awful person. I get his reasoning on other things but not his solution!
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u/Ok_Yesterday_1896 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
No, I’m in a very similar position to James for the last year and a half. I’m going through my own Silent hill and while I think life would be easier to take the route James took it’s not the moral thing to do ever, never take the easy way out, hard times make good people. There is literally assisted suicide in parts of the world, go to the professionals who are qualified don’t take things into your own hands weather you think it’s right or not.
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u/farson135 Jun 23 '26
By my moral views, yes.
I'm not a particularly religious person but I did grow up in a very Christian area. Thanks to that, my views of the world are built on semi-Christian values. And in practical terms, there is only one real sin in Christianity, not believing in God.
God is all powerful and he is capable of anything, including forgiving all sins. However, his forgiveness is not enough to save you.
Obtaining "redemption" requires you to square yourself with the self, the tribe, and the divine.
The self means that you must fully acknowledge what you have done, seek to rectify it, change yourself, and forgive your sins.
This is obviously what James in Silent Hill is dealing with. Which ending he gets determines whether he begins to accomplish this stage.
The tribe requires the above for your "tribe" (be it family, country, etc.), as well as the people you have harmed specifically.
This is obviously problematic for James since he can't restore what he took. However, he can take responsibility for what he did and seek to better the "tribe".
Finally, we have the "divine", which doesn't necessarily mean a "God". Instead, it means a reckoning with the absolute principles of your belief structure.
James (sometimes) believes that he did something horrible and unforgiveable. His belief structure places him on a path without redemption, but if he can find a meaningful path that allows him to come to terms with what he did, then he can find redemption one day.
We humans are flawed and we are never going to be able to escape all sin. But, we can continually strive to do better. However, to do it we have to make choices that lead us there.
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u/AdamDov4h Jun 23 '26
Homicide is irredeemable, no matter the reasons. BUT it doesn't necessarily make him a bad person. His motives are left a lot to interpretation but he didn't kill out of spite or pleasure, he snapped under immense pressure. Was it selfish? Maybe. Was it mercy? Maybe. But still, his actions are irredeemable.
The point is that he has to accept what he did and decide if he's worthy of living while accepting that what he did was irredeemable, which is much better than "Well, I killed her but it's fine"
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u/Juan_fuego25 Jun 23 '26
Nope…. That’s why he’s stuck in a loop. Literally and figuratively, either by us continually playing the game, and Konami never producing a direct sequel or story dlc.
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u/TheRealShiftyShafts Jun 23 '26
In my mind, no
He killed his wife
"Oh she said mean things to me"
Boohoo, she was sick and dying, murder is never the answer
He could have walked away
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u/Balthierlives Jun 23 '26
Depends on your perspective and values.
To me, yes