James Sunderland is the protagonist of Silent Hill 2 and he’s one of the most discussed characters amongst fans of the Silent Hill video game franchise. The complex & somewhat decaying psychological state of James makes him endearing & disgusting as well, some fans despise him while some believe that there’s a redemptive quality about him. We have addressed both sides of the spectrum i.e. Why James is a good person & Why is he a bad person. As a bonus, we have also described the evil side of James Sunderland.
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Why James Sunderland is a Good Person ?
James’s turbulent mental state in Silent Hill 2 is a result of his wife Mary’s shocking demise. From a moral standpoint, James is a nice person as he is deeply saddened and still thinks that Mary could be found in the dark & dreary town of Silent Hill. He encounters countless creepy monsters while being on the lookout for his dear beloved Mary. Despite being a heart-poundingly haunting survival horror game, Silent Hill 2 felt like a romance novel in bits and pieces – it’s all because of James’s intense emotional attachment to Mary and the haunting sense of abandonment he feels post-Mary.
Other than Mary’s angle, James could be seen trying to help other characters survive Silent Hill’s murderous creatures. He meets a character named Angela at the beginning of the game and wishes her luck as she’s also trying to find her mother in Silent Hill town – it shows that James has a compassionate side to him. James even mentions the fond memories of Mary to some characters he meets during the game – it’s undeniable that James Sunderland is a true romantic at his heart. Another great quality of James’s is that he is fearless and would go undeniable distances for his loved ones – he can fight an entire army of lethal opponents for his loved ones like John Wick does.
What makes James Sunderland a Bad Person ?
James Sunderland gets attracted to Mary’s lookalike named Maria – she’s a seductress who wears sexy outfits and talks with a sultry voice that no man could ignore. Is James a bad person, yes he is for mentioning his wife Mary to Maria and still getting swept away by Maria’s seductive charms – James is not resisting his sexual urges while talking to Maria as his brains are fogged by the clouds of lustful thoughts. He has all the inner makings of an unfaithful husband. Maria’s face and voice bear an uncanny resemblance to Mary – it metaphorically symbolizes the fact that James is trying to replace all his playful & romantic memories of Mary by pursuing new sexual encounters with strange women.
Maria looking like Mary but dressing way bolder than her, is a metaphor for James’s sexual frustration that he felt while Mary was on her death bed – it’s disgustingly selfish of James to even think about not getting his sexual needs met in a relationship during deeply saddening times. James’s insatiable lust and loose character make him a bad & frivolous person.
The Evil Side of James Sunderland
James Sunderland killed his wife Mary by suffocating her with a pillow while she was on her deathbed – this heinous crime of passion is what makes James Sunderland an evil person. He became frustrated seeing Mary looking weak, pale and sexually undesirable during her last days, so he decided to smother her – the sense of control James Sunderland wanted to achieve over others indicates his serial-killer-like psychopathically twisted psyche. Even while being confronted by Maria over killing Mary, James does not feel any guilt during the moment. He is the true definition of evil – James’s psyche matches the famous serial killer Ted Bundy’s demented psyche as both of them wanted to control women in their lives.
Another evil aspect of James Sunderland’s personality is his god complex – he thinks that he can just kill his wife one day & start dating the next day. His confidence stems from a place of patriarchy and not from love. James doesn’t abide by the laws of society and has a dark superiority complex that even justifies taking someone’s life.
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