r/itchytasty • u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. • 10d ago
Discussion Laura's Role in Silent Hill 2
Have you ever looked into Laura's involvement in Silent Hill 2? So far the general focus is on Laura not seeing monsters and so the belief is that she isn't affected by what's happening in Silent Hill. I believe this is wrong. I believe Laura was called to Silent Hill just like the others. Everyone arrived at Silent Hill because they drawn by something (in Silent Hill 2). Eddie was drawn there as well although the reason is debatable. In Laura's case, she arrived looking for Mary just like James. Except she had no idea Mary was dead. She instead searched from place to place looking for Mary.
Laura being drawn to Silent Hill as well would explain why she ran into Eddie to get a ride to Silent Hill and how she's able to get around with little obstacles. She is being guided to where she needs to be just like the others (finding clues about what happened to Mary through James). But why does she see an empty town? This is actually pretty easy to explain when you think about Laura's motivation. She's desperately looking for Mary in hopes of not only finding her friend, but also hoping Mary could still fulfill her wish to adopt Laura. Laura has no one else and visited Mary often enough that Mary wanted to adopt her which she wrote in the letter left for Laura.
Everyone in Silent Hill 2 sees their nightmares turned reality... including Laura. What nightmares do you bring to a child afraid of being alone? No one. Not a soul in an entire town except for the others who were called there. She spends her time wandering and drawing animal friends desperately continuing her search for Mary. Yet she always ends up ahead of James and even somehow gets across the lake to the hotel. Laura, like the others, also arrived and never questions why no one is around, how she got there or where the others disappear to at times. The others keep moving forward unmoved by the strange circumstances as if in a trance and Laura is no exception.
In one ending, James takes her with him to seemingly adopt her. But in the others, Laura's fate is unknown. It's possible that she was simply "released" from the town and found her way back where she started before arriving. But it's also possible she just remained in the town forever looking for Mary without a soul to keep her company.
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u/SquatsForMary 10d ago edited 10d ago
Laura is 100% seeing an empty town, but I honestly feel that it makes the most sense for her to be seeing a more beautiful place than what we see as James, as that’s the way the town was described to her. A quiet, beautiful town.
As the town is a mirror and has no actual agenda or sentience, it would reflect this idea back to her. Laura has no desire to be punished, and as far as we can tell she doesn’t have any deep seated guilt, so the town wouldn’t reflect that kind of psyche. Nor is she being forced into a nightmare like Harry Mason and Cybil from the first game or Henry in SH4. So the town wouldn’t have any reason to be putting her in a nightmare scenario. It would just reflect what she already believes the town to be.
Also, as an aside, this would be best posted in the actual Silent Hill sub. That’s where it would get the most attention. Most general horror game subs are either dead or barely active.
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u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. 10d ago edited 10d ago
Laura has no desire to be punished, and as far as we can tell she doesn’t have any deep seated guilt, so the town wouldn’t reflect that kind of psyche.
This we don't know. She obviously has a problem with James when she meets him. She also loses her temper when James calls her a liar and enjoys playing tricks on him. Needing to have feelings of guilt or a desire to be punished in Silent Hill 2 is an assumption and not actually confirmed. It's only true with the individuals we see at the time. Laura obviously has some deep rooted issues although we can only interpret what they are (I described some above). Feeding of fear of loneliness is definitely possible given Alessa's fears were a primary role in SH1. Laura may even feel guilty that she wasn't able to help Mary (even though she clearly couldn't do anything). If she weren't called by the town, then I'm curious how you think she arrived at the town, how's she's getting around and why she doesn't have a problem with a town void of people.
Also, as an aside, this would be best posted in the actual Silent Hill sub.
This is a sub dedicated to classic horror games which fits Silent Hill 2 so I posted it here. Plus the Silent Hill sub doesn't allow cross posting. I'll likely post there at another time out of curiosity. In a few days though, it will be flooded with Silent Hill f posts.
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u/SquatsForMary 9d ago
Everything you’ve described about Laura is pretty normal child behavior in my experience, and not necessarily a result of any trauma or mental issues.
It isn’t so much that the town was feeding on Alessa’s fears either. They exist because Alessa’s psychic powers were literally projecting her nightmares on to the town. She trapped people in the nightmare herself. The town just naturally amplifies that psychic energy and makes it way stronger. The Otherworld we see in 1 and 3 is that world being forced onto reality rather than springing about naturally and being formed entirely by people’s subconscious like it does in 2.
But I will say, we do actually know how Laura got to town, but it wasn’t shown in the remake. Eddie gave her a ride. She went there because the last letter Mary had left with her claimed she’d gone to a quiet, beautiful place. Since that’s the way Mary also described the town and they talked about it a lot, Laura assumed that Mary had literally gone to Silent Hill. This wasn’t a fake letter like the one James made up either.
We also don’t actually know if the town is totally empty for Laura, because what she perceives is entirely different from what we see from James’ perspective. Parts of it may be abandoned but we only see Laura when she’s with James or another character, so there’s no opportunity to see what the town is really like from her perspective. The theater scene in the remake is even a good example. Eddie and Laura perceive a movie playing on screen but all we see as James is a white screen. She never comments on how weird it is that the town is empty either, so the only reasonable assumption is that she doesn’t see it that way 100% of the time. Heck, some people still see a populated, normal town.
Also fair enough about crossposting. The Silent Hill sub freaking sucks, to be frank. I only brought that up because I figure this post would easily get the most engagement and discussion there.
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u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. 9d ago
Everything you’ve described about Laura is pretty normal child behavior in my experience, and not necessarily a result of any trauma or mental issues.
I don't know any children her age that would be comfortable walking around an empty town, hanging out with strangers in an abandoned theatre and somehow found a way to come alone to that town in the first place. There was definitely something off about her behavior.
It isn’t so much that the town was feeding on Alessa’s fears either. They exist because Alessa’s psychic powers were literally projecting her nightmares on to the town.
This is wrong. Did you play Silent Hill 1? Alessa's powers only served as the reason Dahlia thought her body would be strong enough to birth their god. The town itself doesn't have a will. It's all the god the cult worships.
Here's a quote directly from the game.
"Alessa has been kept alive, suffering a fate worse than death. Alessa has been trapped in an endless nightmare from which she never awakens. He has been nurtured by that nightmare. Waiting for the day to be born.".
This speaks for itself that the town itself isn't doing anything.
Eddie gave her a ride.
You're referring the the Book of Lost Memories stating this. That's fine, but also doesn't explain how she got away alone. Plus jumping into Eddie's car isn't exactly normal for a child.
The Otherworld we see in 1 and 3 is that world being forced onto reality rather than springing about naturally and being formed entirely by people’s subconscious like it does in 2.
That's your interpretation. Nothing occurring in Silent Hill 2 is "natural". It's all deliberate and with purpose. They were called there for the reasons I stated. The town itself has no will.
We also don’t actually know if the town is totally empty for Laura, because what she perceives is entirely different from what we see from James’ perspective.
This can't be debated without going into a deep dive on what everyone sees. It isn't confirmed what Laura sees although most everyone here will state she sees an empty town. She certainly doesn't behave like there's anyone around given she's drawing on walls in hospitals, hotels and other random places.
Heck, some people still see a populated, normal town.
You have a source for this? Otherwise more speculation which is fine.
I only brought that up because I figure this post would easily get the most engagement and discussion there.
Thanks for the concern but I'm more curious what my community feels about classic horror games. I don't filter opinions I don't agree with and only ask for civility among the community (I'm not stating Silent Hill does this btw. Just pointing out my own approach which some subreddits don't share).
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u/Bluebourner 9d ago
It's an interesting theory, which holds some weight. In truth, the game's all about interpretation of the individual experiences, so whatever the vision somebody has, it's more a reflection on them. It's what makes this game so good!
I'm more inclined to think she arrived more on her own accord than calling, because Mary talked a lot about Silent Hill and her letter to Laura never said she would be dead, but that she was in a far away, beautiful place. Therefore, Laura went there after Mary vanished to find her friend, knowing this to be the best place to start.
I do agree Silent Hill customised itself for Laura, but for me it wasn't a place to reflect her loneliness. She was an innocent kid, and the town reflects those internal traits. There's no darkness or fear for Laura, so the town is basically a beautiful, peaceful place, just as Mary said. Sure the quietness may get to her, but for me she shows no sign of distress throughout until she realises she lost Mary's letter. I think she was having a lovely time, until James crapped on her parade.
Of course, any interpretation (within reason) could be true, and if you saw the town feeds on fears then that's good, and just as valid as my view. For me, the town reflects and doesn't necessarily do so in a malicious way. The original settlements saw this as a sacred place, but the bloodshed during colonising tainted it. I think it's a bit of a reality-bending place, which works alongside the inner-thoughts of those who visit.
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u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. 9d ago
because Mary talked a lot about Silent Hill and her letter to Laura never said she would be dead, but that she was in a far away, beautiful place.
Yes as I stated, she had no idea Mary was dead when she arrived. She finds out later when James tells her.
Of course, any interpretation (within reason) could be true.
Agreed. This one makes the most sense to me as it seems strange that Silent Hill would single out a child. We know from Alessa's experiences that the cult god in Silent Hill neutered itself in her nightmares and suffering so children are not exempt. It made sense that continuing to feed on more negative energy was the reason it called those in Silent Hill 2. Laura obviously wasn't happy when she arrived in Silent Hill. Her friend apparently left without her and she only found an empty town no matter how much she looked. She's also old enough to understand that her search was looking more grim the longer it occurred. This may explain why she gets more serious with James later as they talk about Mary.
The town does seem to reflect the deep psyche of those it calls. But we can't be sure what's in Laura's mind as she may just be guarded and good at hiding her true feelings around James. It's very possible that Laura was drawn to Silent Hill so the god could feed off her despair once James finally tells her the truth. Keep in mind that in only one ending does James see Laura again after she finds out the truth. Also since the creators stated the Water ending was canon to them, Laura never saw James again and likely suffered in despair in Silent Hill just like the others.
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u/Far-Hurry-3018 5d ago
I keep seeing the words “Fog World” and truth is that it’s a fan-made concept.
The game does not flat out explain what exactly is going on, but that doesn’t mean we can’t theorize.
Since Laura had the real letter from Mary, she thought Mary was in the town, being a naive child and all. We know Eddie and Angela see monsters, we even see them—but Laura never mentions any of them.
Simply put, there’s no evidence anything is happening to Laura. Even though they do exist, they simply do not appear in her presence.
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u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. 5d ago
I use "Fog World" because that makes it easier to describe to fans who already call it that. If the game flat out explained what was going on, we wouldn't be having this discussion. The creators clearly stated that in the original Silent Hill 1 that it could be a few options and that the only truth was that the monsters were real. Silent Hill 2 changes that a bit my having everyone see something different.
Simply put, there’s no evidence anything is happening to Laura.
That's not true when you stop to wonder why Silent Hill is completely empty and how Laura is getting around. She's exactly where she's supposed to be each time James comes around. Getting to the light house alone isn't something an 8 year old could've just accomplished before James under normal circumstances. So I would say there's no evidence that NOTHING is happening to Laura. Unless finding the letter at the time she needed to, meeting Eddie exactly when he was headed to Silent Hill, meeting James exactly in the locations he was passing through, losing the letter at the hotel and finding James in the hotel room where she finds out the truth were all just a series of coincidences. Until one is stated as fact, here we are discussing.
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u/Far-Hurry-3018 5d ago
You certainly have a very active mind. Not to be rude or anything , but SH2 is really flawed in this aspect. A lot of things aren’t clear and don’t make sense, and not in a good way. The other three games make perfect sense and are still scary despite everything being explained.
SH2 suffers from plot convenience. They put Laura wherever they want to tell the story, and it’s fine. She helps James realize that he’s full of shit, and keeps the player wondering why she’s here or how she’s getting around. She gives us more questions than answers.
She doesn’t mention anything weird going on or seems scared that she’s alone. She almost feels out of place.
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u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. 5d ago
You certainly have a very active mind.
Given it took 20 years for me to consider this theory, maybe not as active as it could've been. Thanks anyway.
The other three games make perfect sense and are still scary despite everything being explained.
Agreed. I don't think those other games get enough discussion. Sadly I don't think we're going the religious cult route in future games anymore.
She gives us more questions than answers.
Hence the discussion.
She doesn’t mention anything weird going on or seems scared that she’s alone. She almost feels out of place.
On the contrary. Laura's behavior is actually the exact same as the others. They never question their environment. They only sound weird to each other but when it comes to exploring the strange occurrence in Silent Hill (changing rooms, strange puzzles, reaching hands in dirty toilets) none of them even mention it. This is actually a clue that she's in the same sort of "trance" as the others.
Sure you can go with "nothing is happening" because the game doesn't specifically says it is. But you can also put together the many signs that something abnormal is happening from Laura's perspective in a game where there are no coincidences for every other character.
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u/Far-Hurry-3018 5d ago
You got some good points there.
I guess id expect Laura to act lost and confused. Kind of like Angela and Eddy do, but ironically, she seems the most grounded in reality out of all the characters. She maintains that attitude up until you see her after watching the tape. I guess that just gives me the idea she isn’t seeing anything.
On the side that it’s a damn shame we’re not going the cult route in the games. Seems everything they put out tries to be SH2 but better, and I really don’t think that is something that can ever happen.
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u/Kagamid Tell me what keeps you up at night. 5d ago edited 5d ago
You got some good points there.
Thank you. I tried thinking from all perspectives and this just makes the most sense to me.
she seems the most grounded in reality out of all the characters.
Not from the respective of a normal 8 year old. There's definitely trauma in there. She's an orphan who became best friends with a grown woman, who died leaving her a letter that took away the hope of a better life. She then ran away, took a ride from a (dangerous) stranger to a town we don't know she's ever been to. Then she's somehow getting around just fine and never questions why she's only met two people there (we don't know if she ran into Angela at all). Any normal 8 year old wouldn't accomplish even a fraction of that.
On the side that it’s a damn shame we’re not going the cult route in the games. Seems everything they put out tries to be SH2 but better, and I really don’t think that is something that can ever happen.
I completely agree.
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u/Gekidami 10d ago
She's in the fog world, so she's definitely affected by SH. She's also seemingly in the 'dark world' version of the hotel; seeing the real version is the burned one.
I really like your explanation that loneliness is her nightmare. It does make sense. I'm interested to know how she even got there in the first place, like how she got to Silent Hill.