I still don't think Angela's end was ascendance to heaven. I always felt that from her behavior on the staircase was indication that she decided to turn away from her truth. She says, "Will you protect me? Will you love me? That's what I thought." and "For me, it's always like this." which are definitely not something someone who finds peace would say. Climbing the stairs into the fire is her condemning herself to her hell.
Clarie011791 yes. I wouldnt ever call her " confident" in here either. In the mirror room shes listless, depressed, cant remember names or what she talked about.
AND she misses a crucial detail in her own example. Before the light of acceptance were the monsters and "dark" themes, only through recognition of truth did the darkness change and monsters revealed to be angels. We never see that for angela. It is still fire and darkness, its "always like this" suggests NO change. Silent hill usually wants two things from those it summons: recognition of truth, and ability to accept it and let go of the obsession. Eddy niether accepts nor releases his obsession: its always someone elsrs fault and hes happy to keep on killing. Angela almost gets there. She recognizes what she did, but she cant let go of her obsession. She remains crippled by the guilt and the need to be punished. She will continue the cycle again until she dies or accepts. Unlike james, who managed to reconcile (ending dependant) the merciful and terrible reasons he did it, and lets mary go
CrimsonAlice In regards to what Silent Hill wants and who it summons I respectfully disagree. Silent hill doesn’t usually summon people at all. Sh 1 dahlia summoned them, in sh3 Claudia brings it to heather, and in 4 Walter brings it. 2 is the only one to summon someone if it did at all. Silent hill was actually built on a place of great power and usually just mirrors the people inside it. I don’t think it really has a will at all, it’s just nature twisted by the human mind.
IDK how thegamingmuse thought it was a happy ending for her. It definitely wasn't meant to be: she was fully admitting that her life was shit and there was nothing she or anyone else could do that could change that. Just listen to Angela's last words before she walks up the staircase: It's the words of someone who is nihilistic about life and can't feel anything but pain.
The reason I found it difficult to belive that Angela found peace and ascended to heaven is that visual effect with the camera work they added to the stairway. To me it gives the illusion that she could be descending as well as ascending. It's pretty in theme with Angela's duality, and leaves her end open to interpretation, depending on how you chose to view the stairway.
yes i disagree with this video. to me angela was always conflicted between her own jugdgement and her mothers who blamed her for trying to stand up for herself. She could never place blame on her mother and instead placed it on herself. In the end i believe she ascends in a sense she found her truth, but ascends to hell. Her truth, is that she deserves hell. Wether or not one believes she deserves that, doesn't matter, she believes that, and she made her choice.
@@Petroschka1979 SH2 had the best ending selection methods. My favourites to get are the Maria and Rebirth endings and they're quite instinctively easy to remember how.
For me, it wasn't her appearance, it was her voice. Hopefully I'm remembering this genuinely and it's not just something someone said, but I believe they hired a VA significantly older than the character. I'm sure it was done for a reason, but I don't know what. Wasn't for her voice acting prowess (sorry, Angela's VA). Speaking of characters seeming much older, I was always wildly thrown by Mary and James, that they were supposed to be in their mid-20's.. They look my age, which is a decade older than that.
@@nadaalr3492 That's awesome, and makes a lot of sense for her character. She's dealing with such heavy shit, of course she'd be aged beyond her years.
I knew someone who was a victim of child abuse, and believe me Angela's behaviour is shockingly accurate to the point that I'm certain the game creators are familiar with victims of childhood sexual abuse
Angela has always been one of my fav characters in the series and all this stuff about her really just makes me more sad. but i hope that she did find peace in the end.
Brendan Wingrove she never found the peace tat she was twying desreitly tu obtain becuz she ends up being killd in S.H 3 as shes the victom we see wen heather 1st meets the closer in the mall as the figure the closers "eating" (if 1 can remove the blood textures tat ish) ish indeed angela :(
Hedgie The Umbrehog ya, this game is up there with all the great work of literature nerds always brag about and mentally masturbate about. But this game is way deeper and real than any book ever.
The game makes this conclusion seem very final, but it's not. If you're struggeling with something, call a help line, talk to a friend or try online counseling. You don't have to suffer trough traumas alone.
Remember the end is never the true end, when the ashes are left of the fire it’s what you do with the ashes and it’s meanings, your never over till you feel it is mentally and spiritually. Help lines exists and the are there to help you see what to do after that fire turns you memories and mind to ashes. Ashes can help a new life flourish by growing a tree where new life flourishes
People arent supposed to really die in silent hill they're supposed to repeat it over and over until they accept their wrongdoings. I know Masahiro Ito confirmed that Angela did die but to think that silent hill was basically just aiding and pushing her to commit suicide makes it so cold. I hope you consider the In Water ending when you talk about James, the Normal ending for SH3, Lisa's drugs are what killed her (Because for some reason I keep seeing people take her final words out of proportion and say that the only reason she was still alive was because she "didn't know she's a nurse and once she realized it she transformed into one", since Masahiro Ito also said that those endings make the most sense to him (plus PH was designed by Ito to lead to the in water ending and when he killed Maria that didnt mean he just moved past her and went back to his dead wife it also symbolized his own ending)
Melon Dick act. angela dies at the beging of S.H 3 wen the closer ish seen "feeding" on her corsp as for lisa.s death it depends on witch lore chu go by becuz in the game she overdoses witch turns her intu 1 of the nurses but in the 1st S.H movie she gets turnd intu a monster by alessa as the nurse tat we see wen DARK alessa reveals the truth 2 rose tats act. lisa :/
Hold on, Silent Hill "aiding and pushing her to commit suicide"? More like the town made her see the truth, she may chose death, but that's not the only thing she could've done. Here you have to get in her mindset: Angela was tormented by her own family, if you can't even trust in the people who should love you, then, who can you trust? when what you know of life is just pain and suffering and think you deserved it, it's hard to see any other choices, you lose connection with the world cause you don't know if they're going to let you down too or abuse you again. When Angela confuses James with her mother perhaps implies she saw some of the good in James, which at first cofused her, remember Laura can't see any monsters, while James and others see manifestations of their nightmares, this time Angela view James as her mother. She was told "she deserved it" and thought wasn't even worth of being pitied. What i get from "maybe you think you can save me? will you love me? take care of me? heal all my pain?" seems at first like a taunt, but that's because she wants to be save, she wants to be love, someone who takes care of her and over all heal all her pain she's feeling cause for her "it's always like this" as if she was surrounded by fire, a living hell where her mother was the only one she felt a little safe with. So maybe she wanted to be loved, but there wasn't someone up to it, she got tired of constant pain. Of course you can't guaranty her happiness with the help of someone else, but she couldn't wait much longer to confirm if the world isn't always a living hell. For me the town didn't push her, she just couldn't get over it since she was alone.
Silent Hill does not make you repeat things over and over. In Downpour it is implied that the town traps you in a loop, but that game was made by an entirely different studio and has nothing to do with the vision team silent had for the first four games. The town also does not "push" you to do anything, it has no conscience on its own and is merely a reflection of your own psyche; how you choose to move on from the experience is entirely up to you. James is a good example of this. Throughout his adventure in Silent Hill, he always meets the same characters, fights the same bosses and learns the same truths, but there are four possible endings to his story: He may either kill himself like Angela, choose denial like Eddie and leave with Maria, redeem himself and go home with Laura, or attempt to revive Mary. The only thing that changes is how James reacts (which items he examines, how often he heals, if he lets Maria get hurt etc.) Also, Angela does not appear in Silent Hill 3. They reused her model, that's why the corpse the Closer is eating looks just like her. They did the same thing in Silent Hill 4 where they recicled Claudia's character model for one of the patients Walter is seen dismembering in the hospital. They look exactly the same, but they are not meant to be the same person. Angela very obviously commits suicide right after the last time we meet her in SH2, that is why she wants her knife back.
I think Silent Hill forces you to confront what you have done, your guilt, your sin, your past etc., but it never forces your hand in how you handle that. Eddie has to confront that he killed people, but chooses to embrace his violence and refuses to accept responsibility, which causes him to attack james (resulting in his death). Angela is forced to remember what she repressed, the abuse and violence in her childhood, and (likely because of a lifetime of abuse that destroyed her self worth) chooses that to mean she is a fundamentally unlovable and a bad person, thus choosing to die. She is implied to be suicidal throughout the entirety of the game, and she chooses death without anyone forcing her to. The town doesn't force james to do anything he does in the endings, it is simply the way in which he chooses to deal with the truth of his actions. Silent Hill is a mirror that forces you to see the truth, and for some that is so unbearable they choose destruction because it is easier to bear.
Abuse victims are never to blame especially as children. If you are struggling w/ this like Angela, picture yourself abusing other children in the same or similar way as you were and you’ll see, it’s always the perps fault
By the way, I think she supposes James is guilt of the same abuse 'cause we can see and be attacked by abstract daddy (but not by the smaller ones) which made me think that James may have been guilty of some kind of sexual harassment or witnessed it once and did nothing about it.
@@taramathews7391 if that's true then I believe what we are seeing in the abstract daddy fight is actually what Angela sees, not James. Similarly to how James cannot actually see the flames in the staircase scene because we the player are in Angela's Silent Hill. James would be wildin out if the stairs and walls were engulfed in flames around him.
This is excellent! The way that Silent Hill 2 stands out in delivering this subtle inner struggle from each of the characters and their own minds' manifestations of their struggles into the real world is done in such a borderline genius way, makes it a far more harrowing experience than any of the other games at the time and since (in my opinion). It shows the purest care and attention to how fragile the human mind can be after a trauma, whether you experience it in a way the makes you believe you brought it on yourself, or it making you outright destructive. As a result, it isolates you from anyone and everyone who would perhaps otherwise be there with you. This mental state held within for too long can become irreparable and darkness is all you can see. It's absolutely gorgeous, but also terrifying in the same way.
Excellent analysis, one thing though mentioning Jacob's Ladder. There are tiny clues that time is moving forward and in a sort of purgatory rather than Jacob died in Vietnam. Namely the Richard Nixon reelection campaign button inside a taxi in one scene, that didn't happen until 1972, a full year after Jacob had died. It makes me wonder if some stories and characters in the Silent Hill games already died or commit suicide and Silent Hill has taken them in.
That honestly adds so much more strangeness to silent hill as a whole. The timeline has always been a bit of a mess, whether intentional or unintentional. adding onto your theory, people are trapped in the town to help newcomers move on, while trying to move on themselves, is a fascinating thought. I instantly thought about the train conductor in downpour, and Murphy. He could have already been dead, and in repeating a negative ending of himself, he met the protagonist. Kudos for thinking of that!!!
That's correct another big inspiration of Silent Hill is The Shinning, the town claimed for souls, This also explained why Heather survived, because she has the shinning.
So thought-provoking. When I play this game in particular, my emotions are all over the place. So it's really nice to have this complete analysis to look through. Excellent job!!!
Wow as I listened to this at work it made me realize how my personal trauma and and abuse growing up affected me and created my self loathing. I've always said I just want peace :(
Silent Hill 2 is team silent magnum opus. Too bad konami doesnt give a flying shit and they want to make spas and casino machines. SH3 is visually great and The Room is probably one of my favorites.
nineteenfiftysixyo lol I remember when I played a slot machine and I saw a “Konami” logo on it! I was like “isn’t that game studio that made my favorite series” at first I didn’t think of it until I found later on in life that Konami did make slot machines lol.. that was mind blown moment right there
Really interesting material in this video. Great work. However I dont believe that her climbing the firey staircase at the end was her ascending to Heaven. To me it plays out more like the exact opposite of the scene from Jacobs Ladder. Rather than finding peace and ascending to Heaven she has accepted her fate and is condeming herself to Hell. This seems more in-keeping with Angela's dark and tragic story arc.
The original Script dealt with dualities and aspects of that theme still carried over into the final game. That’s why there’s two Marys(one in the form of Maria) and the article featuring Walter talks about there being another Walter. James was supposed to have a direct double as well in the form of Joseph, who is mentioned in Brookhaven. Of course that was changed, because Phead worked well enough on its own.
This video was great!!! I never noticed the boarded and white door before in my play throughs. Maybe its time to revisit the special place. Amazing video as always! Looking forward to whats next!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I had a fight with my girlfriend last night 2 days before her birthday, now I feel I may have been unfair towards her in a moment of need; she's very much like Angela in some ways, but I do not wish for her to share the same fate. I appreciate for helping me remember that my purpose in this life is not to make her life harder, but easier. Great video, hope you don't give up on them :)
@@LordMalice6d9 U would be surprised how far she has come :) She still has her issues, but since 2 years ago weve managed to pull through them, i never gave up on her, and through her own persistency and now the new friends we have made, shes now in a much better state!
The pistons in the room are second to the monster. They can represent how many times she was abused, the body over time just reacting and the shame that brings, and just omg any time I play this Angela breaks my heart.
She's the saddest video game character of all time. I can relate to her, so it makes me even more sad.😢 I wasn't sure she descended into piece by going up those stairs, but is trapped into a flaming purgatory.
I took it more of her knowing full well she just wants someone to care about her, never given that by her family, and meeting James by chance, which could be an indirect way of Silent Hill playing off her traumas, culminating in the staircase in what could be interpreted as a last attempt to find someone that could show her care and love out of desperation and false hope, even if only in a bitter sarcastic way. Wanting someone to care for her, but like meeting a stranger, what could James possibly do? He surely realized no doubt that she was also in agony, but he also has his own issues. Knowing the reality of trying to heal someone else's pain isn't as easy as it sounds, something he experienced harshly with Mary in the past. In the end, they were strangers bound only by Silent Hill. So I would say the notion of finding solace is not entirely the case, more so she just accepted the harshness of her life, and completely defeated, gave up. Which only makes everything about her even more tragic.
I also noticed recently that, in the mirror room, Angela seems to be laying in a blood stain if sorts. It's right when she's turning twoards James. The strain seems to be the same size as her upper torso. Seemed as if it's a reference to either another timeline where she died in that room from the knife.
A part of me wonders what wouldve changed Eddie and Angela's outcomes? If we were to assume that a person's life is full of different possibilities and outcomes and not guided by fate what possibilities could have saved them both while in Silent Hill. Is there any possibility they could've won over their demons if they met each other or never interacted with James or even all three teaming up together?
I assume Eddie game ending is Maria ending, where he embraces his sin and decides he's going to kill anyone looking at him funny. His water ending would be putting a bullet in his head, and his leave ending would be turn himself in and accept he's done wrong Angela in game ending is water, Where she accepts what she did but cant deal with guilt and decides to take her own life. Her Maria Ending would be fully accepting her actions were justified. Never let anyone step on her ever again not matter how much she loves them (even her mother). While eddie decided he would just kill people, is up to you to decide what would Angela Do. Her Leave ending would be accepting what she did was wrong, but she had no option she had to do it and it was self defense, probably getting away from her family and helping people in her situation.
I appreciate how much research you put into interpreting the visual queues SH2 gives us, especially the comparisons the game makes between Angela and Justice. SH2 definitely has a lot to say about the nature of justice. I'm not sold on the conclusion you reach at about 13:40, that, "The truth [Angela] comes to accept is that she is guilty of being deserving of abuse." This interpretation conflicts with the notion that she ascended... If you want to argue that Angela leaves hell at the top of the stairs, I have an alternate interpretation of what Angela gains from the solitude of Silent Hill. Like James, Angela is her own tormentor. She tortures herself by seeking the love of a mother who blames her for her own abuse. Over the course of SH2, Angela gradually claims the agency she didn't believe she deserves. Angela is initially incapable of defending herself from Abstract Daddy, but she manages to defeat the memory of her brother's abuse by the time James finds her on the flaming stairs. (The flayed body in the stairwell is Angela's Abstract Brother.) When James confronts her, Angela muses that Mama is "the only one left" and that (looking back to the Abstract Brother) "maybe then....maybe then I can rest!" Note that Angela is standing above James, who she's mistaken as "Mama." The implication, of course, is that maybe if she kills Mama she's be able to rest. This isn't the case, as it wouldn't resolve what Angela has wanted since she arrived in Silent Hill: someone to "take care of [her]" and "heal all [her] pain." When she asks James if he'd be willing to do these things for her, she's acknowledging what she's been searching for. James doesn't give it to her, and her mother DEFINITELY can't. Angela ascends when she realizes(or fails to realize?) that what she WANTS is not what she NEEDS. Angela got justice, but did it save her? Can victims of trauma lead normal lives or does their trauma leave behind something indelible? Angela wanted absolution from her mother, but would it have helped? The fact that SH2 creates a space where people can seek answers to these questions is what makes it so amazing. Thanks for furthering the conversation by making this video! :)
Angela's path is very similar to psychotherapy. I'm getting psychotherapeutic treatment, so I understand what I'm talking about. When we have traumas received as a result of the abuse of our close environment, because of the lack of love from them, we try to get this love, over and over, through all our acts, although this is firstly impossible, and secondly, not what we really need, as you said. When we admit that trying to get their love is a path to nowhere, that this is not what we need - this is the beginning of the path to salvation, the beginning of the path to recovery. Thank you for your comment
My perspective differs from yours when you say Angela is acknowledging to James that she wants to be saved. She isn't speaking only to James. She stares directly into the camera and speaks to us to the player too. She is intentionally being condescending and taunting us/him for thinking we could help her.
Excellent redux, though I did love the original as well ^^ On another note, when you redo Henry Townshend's, I think you should look into the possibilities of social anxiety and/or autism spectrum disorder
you've missed a very important detail ,before leaving and climbing the stairs she tells James ,her world is "always like this" meaning the otherworld we see time and time again in SH is nothing but the depiction of the way traumatized people percieve the world around them , what SH (the town) offers to the ones suffering is the possibility to confront said traumas and make the decision wether to fight it or give up ,Angela clearly chooses the latter
Very well made, again. I love dweling back into these games, ever since they came out back then when I was a kid. I discover more and more with your videos. Thank you. You deserve more recognitions.
This is great, I can't wait for the next ones. I've always been too much of a scaredy cat to play the game myself, but i absolutely adore it, i've watched countless gameplays and read so many wiki pages. Thank you for this.
I just came across these videos you made and I love them. It is my favorite game, it has always been my favorite game because of how deep it is. I feel mildly annoyed when friends play it and dont pay attention to the symbolism or deeper meaning 😂 Notice this games beauty and mental gift nuggets.
Theres a reason why Silent Hill 2 is my favorite of the series and one of my all time favorite games ever. Angela Orosco is the only fictional character i've ever been able to identify with this much. We've lived similar lives and everytime I watch those cutscenes I can't help but cry.
I'm so sorry to hear it. I hope you've been leading a happier life since then, stay strong and cling to hope. Angela is also my favorite character, and her story/scenes make me tear up every time.
Oh my god, this video is awesome. Can't wait to see the rest of the Silent Hill Symbolism redux!! Already subscribed, what an awesome way to analize Angela, a unique and incredible character.
Angela went to silent hill to find and kill her mother. She says as much on the stairs. That she maybe could have peace if her mother joined her father and brother. Angela forgets this I belive at the gravestones where you first meet her and only remembers that she wants to find her mother, just as James came to silent hill to be with mary 'forever' and kill himself in the lake with Mary in the backseat. But the town wipes James mind clean while he's looking at himself one last time in the bathroom mirror where the game begins. He only knows he's there to be with Mary. They are given another chance to come to terms and interpret their trauma for better or for worse as silent hill shows them in it's own way who they are and the truth about their past.
That epilogue you´ve made explaining Angela being a fallen angel is outstanding, the increase in the sound of your voice sent me shivers to my spine. Great job, keep those videos coming!
I didn't mean to miss your recent uploads! I clicked on that little bell thing so I wouldn't miss any more. Very glad to see you putting out more videos.
Well done my friend I really enjoyed this unravelling of Angela I'm always in tears at the end of silent hill 2. Tho its a sad story there's hope too. Sad but really cool☺
I think the parallel between the ascension of the stairs between Jacob's ladder compared Angela's is very weak for a couple of reasons. She ascends into a dark inferno theres no one going with her, she asks for her knife(instrument of suicide) back. You had it right, she cannot be convinced or saved. Shes been in hell the entire time, and finally accepts that hell by going into it, but that's not a good thing. It's an entire collapse, there is no redemption or healing here. Shes not made whole. There is no Phoenix rising from the ashes. Any reguventive qualities she may had ( marked by her off and on childish qualities) are put to rest. Great video however !
Well, but the stairs in this game usually mean someone is going deeper into their subconcious or comming out of it usually after completing a level/mental hurdles. So if Angela goes up the stairs she's going out of her subconcious with some kind of conclusion. “ For me, it's always like this.“, could mean she's accepted, that her past will always be a part of her and it's unlikely someone will help her overcome it, but she still goes up the staircase anyway with new resolve to live. Then it would also make sense why James can't follow her up the staircase, instead going back down through a door.
I think in literature or other media like movies , those who are wronged often get justice or peace towards the end of the story, which in some ways relieves the reader or watcher because it tells them that there is hope in society. This is evident even in Silent hill 1, 3, and 4, where the cannon endings are good endings where the characters who were wronged get some sort of justice and resolution. Silent Hill 2 stands out by doing the opposite, instead of relieving the player by telling them that everything turned out ok after the ordeal, it reminds them of the harsh truth that in many cases of abuse in reality, even if justice is served, the victims of abuse would be tormented with their trauma forever. I think Angela's ascent up to the fiery stairs is a representation of that-she did justice by punishing her abusers, but her pain and guilt would never be relieved. Same with James' cannon ending, even if Mary's spirit forgives him, he cannot forget his pain and guilt. In a way, it's these cold reminders that things don't just become "ok" after justice is served or forgiveness is given, that makes all the characters' of Silent Hill 2 stay so poignant in our minds for so long. Angela, Eddie, and James are everyday people, and the abuse they suffered from are common everywhere, and we would like to think that all abuse victims would find peace just by giving them justice and psychological care, but Silent Hill 2 shows clearly shows that trauma cannot be resolved so easily, and for many, they would never find peace. So in a way, I think Silent Hill 2 wants to make players be aware that abuse is a severe issue that may never be healed, so if they see cases of abuse, they should try to do something to stop it as soon as possible.
I thought the staircase was a pretty obvious metaphor, especially with the extreme angle and the end not being in sight. It's the struggle of living with trauma. After James denies assisting her with her suicide she keeps living her life which to her is ascending an endless steep staircase on fire. The imagery was pretty clear imo.
One other friendly criticism... The volume of your voice seems to fluxuate a bit. I had to turn the volume up to hear you in the beginning of the vid and way down towards the end
And I'm here to pay vigil to one of the greatest video game analysis channels the platform could offer. I find great solace from your amazing works. Thank you.
OMG! I never realised that Pyramid Head only started carrying his own great knife once James received the knife from Angela. I swear, after all these years i'm still learning something new about this game. I love it!
I remember when I watched your first Angela symbolism video I teared up. That was the first time I found out about Angelas abuse. Sexual abuse is the worst kind of abuse like in her case, her whole childhood was taken from her by people who should have been protecting her and loving her. She would never be the same again so it makes sense that she killed herself. A person like that could never have a normal life. Everything was taken from her. Silent Hill 2 has so much depth and it brings up things that people are not comfortable talking about, but it is important. It is so much more than just a horror game. Good job btw you did great I can't wait for the rest of the videos
I’ve seen a few videos from you recently and I’ve loved your content. I just subscribed and followed your twitch. Look forward to watching and hearing more.
I still don't think Angela's end was ascendance to heaven. I always felt that from her behavior on the staircase was indication that she decided to turn away from her truth. She says, "Will you protect me? Will you love me? That's what I thought." and "For me, it's always like this." which are definitely not something someone who finds peace would say. Climbing the stairs into the fire is her condemning herself to her hell.
Clarie011791 yes. I wouldnt ever call her " confident" in here either. In the mirror room shes listless, depressed, cant remember names or what she talked about.
AND she misses a crucial detail in her own example. Before the light of acceptance were the monsters and "dark" themes, only through recognition of truth did the darkness change and monsters revealed to be angels. We never see that for angela. It is still fire and darkness, its "always like this" suggests NO change.
Silent hill usually wants two things from those it summons: recognition of truth, and ability to accept it and let go of the obsession. Eddy niether accepts nor releases his obsession: its always someone elsrs fault and hes happy to keep on killing.
Angela almost gets there. She recognizes what she did, but she cant let go of her obsession. She remains crippled by the guilt and the need to be punished. She will continue the cycle again until she dies or accepts. Unlike james, who managed to reconcile (ending dependant) the merciful and terrible reasons he did it, and lets mary go
Yeah, also the fact when James first enters he says "It's hot as hell in here" further cements the idea that she was condemning herself to hell.
CrimsonAlice In regards to what Silent Hill wants and who it summons I respectfully disagree. Silent hill doesn’t usually summon people at all. Sh 1 dahlia summoned them, in sh3 Claudia brings it to heather, and in 4 Walter brings it. 2 is the only one to summon someone if it did at all. Silent hill was actually built on a place of great power and usually just mirrors the people inside it. I don’t think it really has a will at all, it’s just nature twisted by the human mind.
IDK how thegamingmuse thought it was a happy ending for her. It definitely wasn't meant to be: she was fully admitting that her life was shit and there was nothing she or anyone else could do that could change that. Just listen to Angela's last words before she walks up the staircase: It's the words of someone who is nihilistic about life and can't feel anything but pain.
The reason I found it difficult to belive that Angela found peace and ascended to heaven is that visual effect with the camera work they added to the stairway. To me it gives the illusion that she could be descending as well as ascending. It's pretty in theme with Angela's duality, and leaves her end open to interpretation, depending on how you chose to view the stairway.
yes i disagree with this video. to me angela was always conflicted between her own jugdgement and her mothers who blamed her for trying to stand up for herself. She could never place blame on her mother and instead placed it on herself. In the end i believe she ascends in a sense she found her truth, but ascends to hell. Her truth, is that she deserves hell. Wether or not one believes she deserves that, doesn't matter, she believes that, and she made her choice.
James: "I don't get it, why would she just leave this behind? It's a great knife!"
Pyramid Head: "Hmm..."
6:54 How did I never noticed that........this game still amazes me to this day!
When you often inspect the knife in your inventory, this will have an impact on the ending you will get.
@@Petroschka1979 SH2 had the best ending selection methods. My favourites to get are the Maria and Rebirth endings and they're quite instinctively easy to remember how.
It's been confirmed by Ito, Pyramid head knife isn't a knife, in reality is a half of a scissor, and the knife james later picks up is the other half.
@@yusukeelric I do like that, that is very cool. :) I did know it, but I was just joking around anyway.
Abstract Daddy’s boss battle is honestly an artistic masterpiece.
Ugh ikr
holy shit youre everywhere i go. love your videos b
@ScrapChild1979 My experiences aren't as bad as Angela's, but I will say I relate.
Those pistons thrusting in the walls...SO disturbing 😭
Actually killing a person. Who rapping his family is not wrong
A channel that goes into the symbolism of silent hill? *smashes face into keyboard until subscribed*
Divad ueadan welcome my bro. or sista XD welcome tuu HELL >:3 JKJK welcome tuu the "ORDER" >XD nuu im jk X3 but rwy welcome tu the S.H fan club 😋
*WHIPS OUT FULLY ERECT COCK*
To save future subscribers this pain, theres a button you can just click to subscribe, no need to mangle your faces.
There is no excuse for keyboard abuse.
Divad ueadan That inspired hilarious images in my mind; thank you very much
wow, 19, i thought angela was much older from just looking at her
feck cake if you read the wiki page about her character and played the directors cut demo of Angela you would of known that about her backstory
For me, it wasn't her appearance, it was her voice. Hopefully I'm remembering this genuinely and it's not just something someone said, but I believe they hired a VA significantly older than the character. I'm sure it was done for a reason, but I don't know what. Wasn't for her voice acting prowess (sorry, Angela's VA).
Speaking of characters seeming much older, I was always wildly thrown by Mary and James, that they were supposed to be in their mid-20's.. They look my age, which is a decade older than that.
@@nowhereman748 yeah go watch the making of SH2 they wanted angela to sound and look older than she is
@@nadaalr3492 That's awesome, and makes a lot of sense for her character. She's dealing with such heavy shit, of course she'd be aged beyond her years.
Agree, for some reason they decided to make her look 30. Maybe because she's the exact opposite of "sexy" Maria
I never caught on that Angela was abused by her brother too. How horrible.
I knew someone who was a victim of child abuse, and believe me Angela's behaviour is shockingly accurate to the point that I'm certain the game creators are familiar with victims of childhood sexual abuse
same
i knew a survivor, she's a sex addict because of her father
Can you tell us more about that person?
@@bandarsalh1338 Don't think they will.
Angela has always been one of my fav characters in the series and all this stuff about her really just makes me more sad. but i hope that she did find peace in the end.
Brendan Wingrove she never found the peace tat she was twying desreitly tu obtain becuz she ends up being killd in S.H 3 as shes the victom we see wen heather 1st meets the closer in the mall as the figure the closers "eating" (if 1 can remove the blood textures tat ish) ish indeed angela :(
@@shadowdragonx07 Can you typed that in English please?
scp agent neon rose yeah about that... that wasn't angela's body in sh3. It was a beta model of hers that wasn't supposed to be her.
@@shadowboy2818 oh 0.o idk about tat as konomi enjoys putting lill. easter eggs wike tat in tere games as tey did the same ting wif james in S.H 2
scp agent neon rose nigga what
This made me tear up, like the first time.
Hedgie The Umbrehog ya, this game is up there with all the great work of literature nerds always brag about and mentally masturbate about. But this game is way deeper and real than any book ever.
why do so many people post lies like this ? and it works, it always gets attention.
@@Dadutta because the people who post this are the same ones who are full of bull shit lies
@@Dadutta empathy
@@problematicprincess6270 calm down, problematic princess
I can relate to Angela, it makes me want to cry
The game makes this conclusion seem very final, but it's not.
If you're struggeling with something, call a help line, talk to a friend or try online counseling. You don't have to suffer trough traumas alone.
Remember the end is never the true end, when the ashes are left of the fire it’s what you do with the ashes and it’s meanings, your never over till you feel it is mentally and spiritually. Help lines exists and the are there to help you see what to do after that fire turns you memories and mind to ashes. Ashes can help a new life flourish by growing a tree where new life flourishes
Hope your ok💕
hope you're doing fine
People arent supposed to really die in silent hill they're supposed to repeat it over and over until they accept their wrongdoings. I know Masahiro Ito confirmed that Angela did die but to think that silent hill was basically just aiding and pushing her to commit suicide makes it so cold.
I hope you consider the In Water ending when you talk about James, the Normal ending for SH3, Lisa's drugs are what killed her (Because for some reason I keep seeing people take her final words out of proportion and say that the only reason she was still alive was because she "didn't know she's a nurse and once she realized it she transformed into one", since Masahiro Ito also said that those endings make the most sense to him (plus PH was designed by Ito to lead to the in water ending and when he killed Maria that didnt mean he just moved past her and went back to his dead wife it also symbolized his own ending)
Melon Dick act. angela dies at the beging of S.H 3 wen the closer ish seen "feeding" on her corsp as for lisa.s death it depends on witch lore chu go by becuz in the game she overdoses witch turns her intu 1 of the nurses but in the 1st S.H movie she gets turnd intu a monster by alessa as the nurse tat we see wen DARK alessa reveals the truth 2 rose tats act. lisa :/
Hold on, Silent Hill "aiding and pushing her to commit suicide"? More like the town made her see the truth, she may chose death, but that's not the only thing she could've done. Here you have to get in her mindset:
Angela was tormented by her own family, if you can't even trust in the people who should love you, then, who can you trust? when what you know of life is just pain and suffering and think you deserved it, it's hard to see any other choices, you lose connection with the world cause you don't know if they're going to let you down too or abuse you again.
When Angela confuses James with her mother perhaps implies she saw some of the good in James, which at first cofused her, remember Laura can't see any monsters, while James and others see manifestations of their nightmares, this time Angela view James as her mother.
She was told "she deserved it" and thought wasn't even worth of being pitied. What i get from "maybe you think you can save me? will you love me? take care of me? heal all my pain?" seems at first like a taunt, but that's because she wants to be save, she wants to be love, someone who takes care of her and over all heal all her pain she's feeling cause for her "it's always like this" as if she was surrounded by fire, a living hell where her mother was the only one she felt a little safe with.
So maybe she wanted to be loved, but there wasn't someone up to it, she got tired of constant pain. Of course you can't guaranty her happiness with the help of someone else, but she couldn't wait much longer to confirm if the world isn't always a living hell. For me the town didn't push her, she just couldn't get over it since she was alone.
Silent Hill does not make you repeat things over and over. In Downpour it is implied that the town traps you in a loop, but that game was made by an entirely different studio and has nothing to do with the vision team silent had for the first four games.
The town also does not "push" you to do anything, it has no conscience on its own and is merely a reflection of your own psyche; how you choose to move on from the experience is entirely up to you. James is a good example of this. Throughout his adventure in Silent Hill, he always meets the same characters, fights the same bosses and learns the same truths, but there are four possible endings to his story: He may either kill himself like Angela, choose denial like Eddie and leave with Maria, redeem himself and go home with Laura, or attempt to revive Mary. The only thing that changes is how James reacts (which items he examines, how often he heals, if he lets Maria get hurt etc.)
Also, Angela does not appear in Silent Hill 3. They reused her model, that's why the corpse the Closer is eating looks just like her. They did the same thing in Silent Hill 4 where they recicled Claudia's character model for one of the patients Walter is seen dismembering in the hospital. They look exactly the same, but they are not meant to be the same person. Angela very obviously commits suicide right after the last time we meet her in SH2, that is why she wants her knife back.
So it's like Izanami
I think Silent Hill forces you to confront what you have done, your guilt, your sin, your past etc., but it never forces your hand in how you handle that.
Eddie has to confront that he killed people, but chooses to embrace his violence and refuses to accept responsibility, which causes him to attack james (resulting in his death).
Angela is forced to remember what she repressed, the abuse and violence in her childhood, and (likely because of a lifetime of abuse that destroyed her self worth) chooses that to mean she is a fundamentally unlovable and a bad person, thus choosing to die. She is implied to be suicidal throughout the entirety of the game, and she chooses death without anyone forcing her to.
The town doesn't force james to do anything he does in the endings, it is simply the way in which he chooses to deal with the truth of his actions.
Silent Hill is a mirror that forces you to see the truth, and for some that is so unbearable they choose destruction because it is easier to bear.
It a credit to this game that it still can be analysed and discussed nearly twenty years later.
Abuse victims are never to blame especially as children. If you are struggling w/ this like Angela, picture yourself abusing other children in the same or similar way as you were and you’ll see, it’s always the perps fault
By the way, I think she supposes James is guilt of the same abuse 'cause we can see and be attacked by abstract daddy (but not by the smaller ones) which made me think that James may have been guilty of some kind of sexual harassment or witnessed it once and did nothing about it.
The producer said the abstract daddy looks different to James then Angela and us so maybe she sees something completely different
You can’t always do something about sexual harassment. You also will be screwed over even if you did have the ability
@@taramathews7391 if that's true then I believe what we are seeing in the abstract daddy fight is actually what Angela sees, not James. Similarly to how James cannot actually see the flames in the staircase scene because we the player are in Angela's Silent Hill. James would be wildin out if the stairs and walls were engulfed in flames around him.
This series is just utterly amazing, so nice that you're willing to put forth content like this Muse! You deserve all of the accolades!
I could picture the people who almost made Silent Hills created a DLC game set during Angela's storyline.
This is excellent!
The way that Silent Hill 2 stands out in delivering this subtle inner struggle from each of the characters and their own minds' manifestations of their struggles into the real world is done in such a borderline genius way, makes it a far more harrowing experience than any of the other games at the time and since (in my opinion). It shows the purest care and attention to how fragile the human mind can be after a trauma, whether you experience it in a way the makes you believe you brought it on yourself, or it making you outright destructive. As a result, it isolates you from anyone and everyone who would perhaps otherwise be there with you. This mental state held within for too long can become irreparable and darkness is all you can see.
It's absolutely gorgeous, but also terrifying in the same way.
I've actually never found that photo of Angela and her family.
Excellent analysis, one thing though mentioning Jacob's Ladder. There are tiny clues that time is moving forward and in a sort of purgatory rather than Jacob died in Vietnam. Namely the Richard Nixon reelection campaign button inside a taxi in one scene, that didn't happen until 1972, a full year after Jacob had died. It makes me wonder if some stories and characters in the Silent Hill games already died or commit suicide and Silent Hill has taken them in.
That honestly adds so much more strangeness to silent hill as a whole. The timeline has always been a bit of a mess, whether intentional or unintentional. adding onto your theory, people are trapped in the town to help newcomers move on, while trying to move on themselves, is a fascinating thought. I instantly thought about the train conductor in downpour, and Murphy. He could have already been dead, and in repeating a negative ending of himself, he met the protagonist. Kudos for thinking of that!!!
Lisa died before the Silent Hill incident, It's not known if what Harry speaks with is her soul or a fantasy of Alessa manifesting as her.
That's correct another big inspiration of Silent Hill is The Shinning, the town claimed for souls, This also explained why Heather survived, because she has the shinning.
I’m so pumped for the rest of the videos to get a new redux. Keep up the fantastic work! :D
So thought-provoking. When I play this game in particular, my emotions are all over the place. So it's really nice to have this complete analysis to look through. Excellent job!!!
I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE UPDATING THIS SERIES! It's one of my favourite things on youtube! ❤
Baby you mine my favorite thing on youtube 😘
@@secredeath Oh god... not more cat callers
But ... Am the only one here 😕
Wow as I listened to this at work it made me realize how my personal trauma and and abuse growing up affected me and created my self loathing. I've always said I just want peace :(
Hope your ok💕
@@alexandria_aesthetic Hey I see you commenting this a lot and just want to say thank you for making the world a better place.
@@bydreaminc 💙💙💙
Angela's analysis is my favorite. This is awesome!
Silent Hill 2 is team silent magnum opus. Too bad konami doesnt give a flying shit and they want to make spas and casino machines. SH3 is visually great and The Room is probably one of my favorites.
nineteenfiftysixyo lol I remember when I played a slot machine and I saw a “Konami” logo on it! I was like “isn’t that game studio that made my favorite series” at first I didn’t think of it until I found later on in life that Konami did make slot machines lol.. that was mind blown moment right there
Really interesting material in this video. Great work. However I dont believe that her climbing the firey staircase at the end was her ascending to Heaven. To me it plays out more like the exact opposite of the scene from Jacobs Ladder. Rather than finding peace and ascending to Heaven she has accepted her fate and is condeming herself to Hell. This seems more in-keeping with Angela's dark and tragic story arc.
The original Script dealt with dualities and aspects of that theme still carried over into the final game. That’s why there’s two Marys(one in the form of Maria) and the article featuring Walter talks about there being another Walter. James was supposed to have a direct double as well in the form of Joseph, who is mentioned in Brookhaven. Of course that was changed, because Phead worked well enough on its own.
This video was great!!! I never noticed the boarded and white door before in my play throughs. Maybe its time to revisit the special place. Amazing video as always! Looking forward to whats next!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I had a fight with my girlfriend last night 2 days before her birthday, now I feel I may have been unfair towards her in a moment of need; she's very much like Angela in some ways, but I do not wish for her to share the same fate. I appreciate for helping me remember that my purpose in this life is not to make her life harder, but easier. Great video, hope you don't give up on them :)
Sunder logic fucking dumb
Kind of a stretch.
Your Girlfriend sounds like a lost cause.
@@LordMalice6d9 U would be surprised how far she has come :)
She still has her issues, but since 2 years ago weve managed to pull through them, i never gave up on her, and through her own persistency and now the new friends we have made, shes now in a much better state!
@@Klef_Takis Respect bro stay positive and stay strong for you and your girlfriend!!
The pistons in the room are second to the monster. They can represent how many times she was abused, the body over time just reacting and the shame that brings, and just omg any time I play this Angela breaks my heart.
She's the saddest video game character of all time. I can relate to her, so it makes me even more sad.😢
I wasn't sure she descended into piece by going up those stairs, but is trapped into a flaming purgatory.
Your outro was so beautiful!
Wow i never thougjt about the coins. I always learn something new about this fantastic game.
I took it more of her knowing full well she just wants someone to care about her, never given that by her family, and meeting James by chance, which could be an indirect way of Silent Hill playing off her traumas, culminating in the staircase in what could be interpreted as a last attempt to find someone that could show her care and love out of desperation and false hope, even if only in a bitter sarcastic way. Wanting someone to care for her, but like meeting a stranger, what could James possibly do? He surely realized no doubt that she was also in agony, but he also has his own issues. Knowing the reality of trying to heal someone else's pain isn't as easy as it sounds, something he experienced harshly with Mary in the past. In the end, they were strangers bound only by Silent Hill.
So I would say the notion of finding solace is not entirely the case, more so she just accepted the harshness of her life, and completely defeated, gave up. Which only makes everything about her even more tragic.
I didn't know Angela was so young damn :(
I also noticed recently that, in the mirror room, Angela seems to be laying in a blood stain if sorts. It's right when she's turning twoards James. The strain seems to be the same size as her upper torso. Seemed as if it's a reference to either another timeline where she died in that room from the knife.
It fits with James being dead in the hotel despite being right there.
A part of me wonders what wouldve changed Eddie and Angela's outcomes? If we were to assume that a person's life is full of different possibilities and outcomes and not guided by fate what possibilities could have saved them both while in Silent Hill. Is there any possibility they could've won over their demons if they met each other or never interacted with James or even all three teaming up together?
I assume Eddie game ending is Maria ending, where he embraces his sin and decides he's going to kill anyone looking at him funny.
His water ending would be putting a bullet in his head, and his leave ending would be turn himself in and accept he's done wrong
Angela in game ending is water, Where she accepts what she did but cant deal with guilt and decides to take her own life.
Her Maria Ending would be fully accepting her actions were justified. Never let anyone step on her ever again not matter how much she loves them (even her mother). While eddie decided he would just kill people, is up to you to decide what would Angela Do.
Her Leave ending would be accepting what she did was wrong, but she had no option she had to do it and it was self defense, probably getting away from her family and helping people in her situation.
"He either finds peace, continues the cycle of tragedy, or ends his life."
Or gets abducted by aliens. Or meets a strange dog.
I appreciate how much research you put into interpreting the visual queues SH2 gives us, especially the comparisons the game makes between Angela and Justice. SH2 definitely has a lot to say about the nature of justice.
I'm not sold on the conclusion you reach at about 13:40, that, "The truth [Angela] comes to accept is that she is guilty of being deserving of abuse." This interpretation conflicts with the notion that she ascended... If you want to argue that Angela leaves hell at the top of the stairs, I have an alternate interpretation of what Angela gains from the solitude of Silent Hill.
Like James, Angela is her own tormentor. She tortures herself by seeking the love of a mother who blames her for her own abuse. Over the course of SH2, Angela gradually claims the agency she didn't believe she deserves.
Angela is initially incapable of defending herself from Abstract Daddy, but she manages to defeat the memory of her brother's abuse by the time James finds her on the flaming stairs. (The flayed body in the stairwell is Angela's Abstract Brother.) When James confronts her, Angela muses that Mama is "the only one left" and that (looking back to the Abstract Brother) "maybe then....maybe then I can rest!"
Note that Angela is standing above James, who she's mistaken as "Mama."
The implication, of course, is that maybe if she kills Mama she's be able to rest. This isn't the case, as it wouldn't resolve what Angela has wanted since she arrived in Silent Hill: someone to "take care of [her]" and "heal all [her] pain." When she asks James if he'd be willing to do these things for her, she's acknowledging what she's been searching for.
James doesn't give it to her, and her mother DEFINITELY can't.
Angela ascends when she realizes(or fails to realize?) that what she WANTS is not what she NEEDS.
Angela got justice, but did it save her?
Can victims of trauma lead normal lives or does their trauma leave behind something indelible?
Angela wanted absolution from her mother, but would it have helped?
The fact that SH2 creates a space where people can seek answers to these questions is what makes it so amazing. Thanks for furthering the conversation by making this video! :)
I did enjoy your thoughts on the matter.
Angela's path is very similar to psychotherapy. I'm getting psychotherapeutic treatment, so I understand what I'm talking about. When we have traumas received as a result of the abuse of our close environment, because of the lack of love from them, we try to get this love, over and over, through all our acts, although this is firstly impossible, and secondly, not what we really need, as you said.
When we admit that trying to get their love is a path to nowhere, that this is not what we need - this is the beginning of the path to salvation, the beginning of the path to recovery.
Thank you for your comment
My perspective differs from yours when you say Angela is acknowledging to James that she wants to be saved. She isn't speaking only to James. She stares directly into the camera and speaks to us to the player too. She is intentionally being condescending and taunting us/him for thinking we could help her.
Excellent redux, though I did love the original as well ^^
On another note, when you redo Henry Townshend's, I think you should look into the possibilities of social anxiety and/or autism spectrum disorder
I love this!! I’ve been obsessed with this story since I first played it well over a decade ago. Thanks for making these.
you've missed a very important detail ,before leaving and climbing the stairs she tells James ,her world is "always like this" meaning the otherworld we see time and time again in SH is nothing but the depiction of the way traumatized people percieve the world around them , what SH (the town) offers to the ones suffering is the possibility to confront said traumas and make the decision wether to fight it or give up ,Angela clearly chooses the latter
Very well made, again.
I love dweling back into these games, ever since they came out back then when I was a kid.
I discover more and more with your videos.
Thank you.
You deserve more recognitions.
This is great, I can't wait for the next ones. I've always been too much of a scaredy cat to play the game myself, but i absolutely adore it, i've watched countless gameplays and read so many wiki pages. Thank you for this.
I just came across these videos you made and I love them. It is my favorite game, it has always been my favorite game because of how deep it is. I feel mildly annoyed when friends play it and dont pay attention to the symbolism or deeper meaning 😂 Notice this games beauty and mental gift nuggets.
Theres a reason why Silent Hill 2 is my favorite of the series and one of my all time favorite games ever. Angela Orosco is the only fictional character i've ever been able to identify with this much. We've lived similar lives and everytime I watch those cutscenes I can't help but cry.
I'm so sorry to hear it. I hope you've been leading a happier life since then, stay strong and cling to hope. Angela is also my favorite character, and her story/scenes make me tear up every time.
Loved it. Gave a new perspective on Angela for me. Thank you!
Oh my god, this video is awesome. Can't wait to see the rest of the Silent Hill Symbolism redux!! Already subscribed, what an awesome way to analize Angela, a unique and incredible character.
Angela went to silent hill to find and kill her mother. She says as much on the stairs. That she maybe could have peace if her mother joined her father and brother.
Angela forgets this I belive at the gravestones where you first meet her and only remembers that she wants to find her mother, just as James came to silent hill to be with mary 'forever' and kill himself in the lake with Mary in the backseat. But the town wipes James mind clean while he's looking at himself one last time in the bathroom mirror where the game begins. He only knows he's there to be with Mary.
They are given another chance to come to terms and interpret their trauma for better or for worse as silent hill shows them in it's own way who they are and the truth about their past.
NEVER stop voicing your videos! Your voice is so AWESOME!!!❤️☺️
Thank you so much for this video essay on a tragic figure. Angela as Justice is my favorite take on her - not only a victim, but a justified avenger.
That epilogue you´ve made explaining Angela being a fallen angel is outstanding, the increase in the sound of your voice sent me shivers to my spine. Great job, keep those videos coming!
Thanks for this video. Awesome analysis.
Dope job, it's clearly made with love! Can't wait for the rest of the redux. =)
Silent Hill just gets better and better with time. So amazingly deep, twisted and beautiful. Cool video
Thank you for these wonderful and thoughtful videos. I enjoy all of them.
beautiful analysis on a game with so many questions. keep up the good work!
It's so good to have you back. This redux was really well done. I also like the intro movie, it just get's my heart thumping.
Great video, you have potential to blow up on TH-cam.
Just finished Silent Hill 2 and jumped right to your videos. Love your work here!! Thank you!!!!
I didn't mean to miss your recent uploads! I clicked on that little bell thing so I wouldn't miss any more. Very glad to see you putting out more videos.
I had no idea she was 19. I thought she was 30-40 years old due to her appearance and voice.
We should give her a big hug, she's my favourite charachter in here💖
Well done my friend I really enjoyed this unravelling of Angela I'm always in tears at the end of silent hill 2. Tho its a sad story there's hope too. Sad but really cool☺
I think the parallel between the ascension of the stairs between Jacob's ladder compared Angela's is very weak for a couple of reasons. She ascends into a dark inferno theres no one going with her, she asks for her knife(instrument of suicide) back. You had it right, she cannot be convinced or saved. Shes been in hell the entire time, and finally accepts that hell by going into it, but that's not a good thing. It's an entire collapse, there is no redemption or healing here. Shes not made whole. There is no Phoenix rising from the ashes. Any reguventive qualities she may had ( marked by her off and on childish qualities) are put to rest. Great video however !
ur content existing is my favorite thing everrrr
my god, this is a masterpiece, top quality video
apenas me encontre este canal y wao, la voz, los clips, las explicaciones de uno de mis juegos favoritos, creo el que mas me gusta es genial...
Aww yeah! So glad you remade this! I love your SHS series and I'm glad you're back at it
Another wonderful video! Thanks so much for your efforts.
Well, but the stairs in this game usually mean someone is going deeper into their subconcious or comming out of it usually after completing a level/mental hurdles. So if Angela goes up the stairs she's going out of her subconcious with some kind of conclusion. “ For me, it's always like this.“, could mean she's accepted, that her past will always be a part of her and it's unlikely someone will help her overcome it, but she still goes up the staircase anyway with new resolve to live. Then it would also make sense why James can't follow her up the staircase, instead going back down through a door.
This game alone stands a masterpiece. No one can ever change my mind about that.
I think in literature or other media like movies , those who are wronged often get justice or peace towards the end of the story, which in some ways relieves the reader or watcher because it tells them that there is hope in society. This is evident even in Silent hill 1, 3, and 4, where the cannon endings are good endings where the characters who were wronged get some sort of justice and resolution. Silent Hill 2 stands out by doing the opposite, instead of relieving the player by telling them that everything turned out ok after the ordeal, it reminds them of the harsh truth that in many cases of abuse in reality, even if justice is served, the victims of abuse would be tormented with their trauma forever. I think Angela's ascent up to the fiery stairs is a representation of that-she did justice by punishing her abusers, but her pain and guilt would never be relieved. Same with James' cannon ending, even if Mary's spirit forgives him, he cannot forget his pain and guilt. In a way, it's these cold reminders that things don't just become "ok" after justice is served or forgiveness is given, that makes all the characters' of Silent Hill 2 stay so poignant in our minds for so long. Angela, Eddie, and James are everyday people, and the abuse they suffered from are common everywhere, and we would like to think that all abuse victims would find peace just by giving them justice and psychological care, but Silent Hill 2 shows clearly shows that trauma cannot be resolved so easily, and for many, they would never find peace. So in a way, I think Silent Hill 2 wants to make players be aware that abuse is a severe issue that may never be healed, so if they see cases of abuse, they should try to do something to stop it as soon as possible.
Oh yes, I can’t wait for the redux Heather vid X333
Coraline Kozun ikr same here 2 :3 her & the bck story of alesaa
I truly love your videos
Keep it up! ❤️
Thank you for these
Your videos are a masterpiece keep up the great work!
I just found this channel and I have been glue to the screen watching your videos keep up the amazing work :)
Once again I think your voice is so perfect for this kind of videos 💜
I finally understand some of angela's story and I like how silent hill uses religion and myth symbols and link it with the character
So now that I found you I'mma need to have you pretty please do more of these whether they are redos or not. Please please please.
I thought the staircase was a pretty obvious metaphor, especially with the extreme angle and the end not being in sight. It's the struggle of living with trauma. After James denies assisting her with her suicide she keeps living her life which to her is ascending an endless steep staircase on fire. The imagery was pretty clear imo.
awesome, you just made silent hill more interesting.
That was an awesome video!
One other friendly criticism... The volume of your voice seems to fluxuate a bit. I had to turn the volume up to hear you in the beginning of the vid and way down towards the end
Wow, this game is a lot deeper than I thought...
And I'm here to pay vigil to one of the greatest video game analysis channels the platform could offer. I find great solace from your amazing works. Thank you.
Great vid! Please more of this ;)
OMG! I never realised that Pyramid Head only started carrying his own great knife once James received the knife from Angela. I swear, after all these years i'm still learning something new about this game. I love it!
You do an amazing job!Very excited to hear the other videos when you put them up
I absolutely love this new rendition of the Silent Hill Characters analysis
Yaaaaas! I love your silent hill analysis videos 😍😍😍
THE Z truly appreciates your contributions and I hope you appreciate all the exposure we've given you.
Is there a Silent hill 2 novelization?! I'd read that.
There is, there's an audiobook on TH-cam
Good video !
you analyze greatly 👌🏾❤️
This was fantastic.
I remember when I watched your first Angela symbolism video I teared up. That was the first time I found out about Angelas abuse. Sexual abuse is the worst kind of abuse like in her case, her whole childhood was taken from her by people who should have been protecting her and loving her. She would never be the same again so it makes sense that she killed herself. A person like that could never have a normal life. Everything was taken from her. Silent Hill 2 has so much depth and it brings up things that people are not comfortable talking about, but it is important. It is so much more than just a horror game. Good job btw you did great I can't wait for the rest of the videos
I’ve seen a few videos from you recently and I’ve loved your content. I just subscribed and followed your twitch. Look forward to watching and hearing more.
Great video! I can't get enough SH2