XX: JUDGEMENT
Red Pyramid Thing
Manifested by James' subconscious, it takes the form of an executioner of times
past
The creature known as "Pyramid Head" that appears in Silent Hill 2 leaves behind
a great number of mysteries and has evoked a great response from players. Let's
formally dispose of those mysteries.
Originally, the pyramid head outfit was the guise of Silent Hill's executioners.
Three years ago when James visited this town, that figure overlapped with his own
feelings of guilt, and then later appears as a representation of his desire for
punishment in the otherworld created by his subconscious.
IMAGE: Maria about to be skewered
Pyramid Head persists in tormenting not only James himself, but Maria as well.
IMAGE: the painting of the helmeted executioner
A picture of Pyramid Head from the Historical Society. It depicts the scene of
an execution that was once carried out.
Creator's Commentary: Pyramid Head wounds Maria again and again to reiterate
the actuality of Mary's death and wake James from his delusion. In other words,
something in the depths of James' consciousness is trying to force him to
remember his crime.
-Hiroyuki Owaku
Was the "red devil" that Walter Sullivan saw...?
Walter Sullivan murdered a young boy and his sister, and then took his own life.
The connection between the "red devil" he saw and Pyramid Head has become a topic
of discussion among players. However, Pyramid Head is only a representation of
James' need for punishment. No one besides Sullivan himself can really know what
he saw.
IMAGE: Valtiel before the fight with God
Valtiel is the being that Pyramid Head is modeled after. His form is also seen
differently depending on the person.
IMAGE: the article about Walter Sullivan
Sullivan says that he saw a "red devil." What was it that he saw?
(note: In sections concerning Pyramid Head, the word "jibatsuishiki/
jibachiishiki" is used frequently, and I think it's hard to translate perfectly
into English. Ji = self, batsu = punishment, and ishiki = consciousness, or in
the way it's used here, "sense of," so the meaning is that Pyramid Head comes
from James' "sense of self-punishment," or "self-punishment-mindedness.")
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