The Truth About Silent Hill 2 Remake's Maria Ending
October 15, 2024
James Sunderland's journey through Silent Hill culminates in a moment of reckoning. He confronts his reality, accepts the painful truth, and finally overcomes the guilt that has haunted him. How exactly James overcomes that guilt will vary based on what ending the player gets.
The Maria ending, on the surface level, appears to be something of a "good" ending for James. He comes into Silent Hill with a hole in his heart, but he leaves with a reborn manifestation of his wife. Through confronting his deepest pains, the town has given James a second chance. But that's just one way to look at it. The beauty of Silent Hill 2 and its remake is that its endings can be interpreted however you want. If you look at the Maria ending from all different kinds of angles, though, it's actually a fairly sinister ending to the game.
Major spoilers ahead, so do keep that in mind!
Is Maria Even Real?
Everybody in Silent Hill interprets the town differently. This becomes most apparent in James' final conversation with Angela, where she's intrigued by the fact that James can see what she's seeing. Knowing this, it brings Maria's existence into question, especially because she never interacts with any other character. She could very well just be an illusion of the town.
Maria is tangible — James can feel her touch. He can see her. He can hear her. In essence, she is real. But all of that also holds true for every monster in Silent Hill 2, as well. They're real. To James. But could they exist outside of Silent Hill? Probably not.
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Maria may have some semblance of autonomy, but her existence does seem to be entirely dependent on James. After all, she is made in Mary's likeness, even retaining some of her memories. She is clearly not of this world, as she has the ability to keep coming back from death. Entirely human, she is not. In some ways, Maria is closer to being a ghost.
This raises doubts about whether Maria can truly leave Silent Hill. Would she remain as a mere figment of James' imagination or could the two actually live a life together? The Maria ending provides no answers there, cutting away before the two can even attempt to leave Silent Hill. Following the logic of Silent Hill, she would presumably vanish outside of the town. Then again, if Maria is all that remains in Silent Hill for James, then there just might be something different about her. It's fun to think about.
James Really Didn't Learn Much
To get any of the endings, James has no choice but to confront his emotions. He has to deal with his guilt head-on. In some endings, James finds a sense of closure through remorse for his actions. He truly feels sorry. In the Maria ending, James doesn't exactly express that sentiment. He isn't honest with himself. He isn't honest with Mary.
His natural reaction when confronted with his deceased wife is to lie about his reasons for killing her. Unfortunately for James, this manifestation of Mary knows why he did it; he's not fooling anyone. James' defeat of Mary in Silent Hill can be seen as an internal rationalization of his actions. Mary was the bad guy before. She's the bad guy now. James' triumph allows him to absolve himself of any guilt for the murder he committed.
Leaving with Maria isn't an act of goodwill on James's part; it's him claiming his prize, getting what he believes he deserves. He is filling the void in his heart with someone that he might even interpret as being better than his wife — better for him.
At his very core, James Sunderland might be a good person, but that aspect of him isn't at the forefront of the Maria ending. He shows little signs of personal growth. He has forgiven himself for murder, but he still can't let the idea of his wife go. Maria is an unhealthy solution to his problem, but James is incapable of seeing it that way.
There are also doubts about whether or not James would even treat Maria better than Mary. One line from the ending stands out: "You better do something about that cough." James says it in such a cold tone that it's difficult to determine his intent behind the statement. Ultimately, it's up to the player to interpret whether James' words convey concern or annoyance. Is James destined to suffer the exact same fate with Maria, as he did with Mary? Would he react any different this time around? There are just so many ways for it to go all wrong. Maria might be what James wants, but she's certainly not what he needs.
If you've beaten the Silent Hill 2 Remake and gotten the Maria ending, you might have felt a bit underwhelmed. Narratively speaking, it's not the kind of conclusion that really fits James. Or at least, it's not the kind of conclusion that players would want for James after going through Silent Hill. Having almost no sense of growth after all that he went through just seems unrealistic, but that's under the assumption that James is redeemable.
Not to sound like a broken record, but this is what makes Silent Hill 2's endings so fascinating. They characterize James in all different kinds of ways. Who he really is as a person isn't anything definitive. His personality changes from ending to ending. You can view him however you want. The same applies for the endings themselves. They all add their own unique value to the story and you can take away whatever you want from them. Silent Hill 2 is such an incredibly well-designed game on the thematic side. Hopefully, this discussion of the Maria ending made that just a little bit easier to digest.
