VI : The Lovers

Love

Deciphering the love and hatred behind the terror

   Although the Silent Hill series has consistently come to portray terror as a central theme, the fact that behind this, "love" is invariably depicted is frequently overlooked. One aspect that has become particularly prevalent is the attachment between parent and child. Up to this point in the series, the love between parent and child has brought about a great deal of drama and has even become a great driving force in the development of the story.

In the first and third games, a contrast between each parent and child relationship is portrayed.

In Silent Hill 2 the profound suffering of a man who has killed his wife, which becomes the theme of the game, is a consequence of love.
 from [SILENT HILL] 
A mother who uses her real daughter and a father who loves his adopted daughter

   In the first game, two pairs of parents and children appear: Harry and Cheryl, as well as Dahlia and Alessa. One of these is a parent who has a strong love for his daughter, which is in contrast with the other parent who is unloving and uses her daughter for her own personal gain. It is a point of interest that the relationship between Harry and Cheryl is unaffected by their lack of blood relation, in fact the two of them are tied together by a close bond.

From the start, Harry, the protagonist, primarily acts in accordance with his role as a parent.
 from [SILENT HILL 3] 
A daughter who loves her father and a daughter who detests her father-- each of them are in pursuit of something

   On the other hand, two relationships are contrasted in the third game: that of Harry and Heather with that of Leonard and Claudia. Heather, the daughter who is loved by her father and Claudia, the unloved daughter, become the principal axis of the story. It is a point worth noting that a complete contrast is formed by their respective actions and intentions.

Simultaneously with the love between parent and child, the elements of "life" and "rebirth" are also closely related to the theme.
A relationship between Harry and Cybil, the heroine of the first game?

   In the "Good+" ending of Silent Hill, Harry and Cybil escape the town together. Although one could interpret this in such a way as to envision a connection between the two of them, Cybil doesn't appear in Silent Hill 3...

The alteration of the opening after clearing the game with the "Good+" ending invites various speculations.
C r e a t o r ' s    C o m m e n t a r y

Cybil is not involved with Silent Hill 3. What happens to her afterwards is left to players' imaginations.
(Hiroyuki Owaku)

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