I think, Oddish, that that's the best we can do, because your side's argument does the same thing - present a scenario in which Laura might have seen Mary. I don't think there's conclusive evidence, and to take a page from your book, "if you want us to join you, you'll have to do better".
Doesn't bar either side from presenting our opinions, though. =)
Without emotional closure beyond "She's dead" Laura will just become more bitter and thorny, which is what fed her initial loneliness, and then she'll never leave. Resolving this issue is as simple as, "Yo, Laura, gotta go. Don't hate James for killing me, and give him a chance. I loved him, so you try, too. Very Happy Aight, I'm outtie. Peace, homegirl."
The letter provides what, IMO, Laura needed. I don't think it's necessarily emotional closure in the sense that she needs to have a last talk with Mary, but that she needs to move on from Mary to life. I also really take issue from the idea that Mary simply explaining things to her would do that by itself, but that's really more of a personal opinion, from what I would feel in Laura's situation.
The Mary seen in the Leave and In Water endings is the real spirit of Mary, exemplified by the fact that Lost Memories marks the Maria Ending Mary specifically different as a "manifestation of James." This, and the fact that Maria was compared as Mary's "bodily half" the same way Cheryl is to Alessa, and that Maria possesses memories that James doesn't (such as knowing who Laura is before James ever learns who she is, personally enough to know she liked specific types of teddy bears), is testimony to the heavily implied position that Mary's spiritual presence is real, and not a fabrication like Maria is. Therefore, she can appear to Laura if she damn well pleases, and has no reason to not do so, as it's indeed not in her character.
Bit of a tangential thing, but nothing in LM stated that the Mary of Leave and In Water endings was NOT a manifestation of James, far as I remember. In fact, could you link me to where your quotes came from? I'm always kinda behind on the other materials around, haha... And though Maria and Mary can be compared as such, I don't think it follows that Mary has powers in the way Alessa demonstratively did (and IIRC, Alessa had a very burned physical body of her own and was alive, so I'm not seeing a particularly good comparison, but again, I'm not nearly as acquainted with side-media as you are, so...). I don't doubt that she has some spiritual presence that allows Maria to know what she does, but it seems a stretch to me, given how her and Maria's actions and words correspond so well to the state of James' psyche, that she's an independent being, rather than something manifested out of James' need to confront his guilt.
And further, if Laura exemplifies the "Leave" ending the way Eddie exemplifies "Maria" (embracing madness) and Angela exemplifies "In Water" (self-destruction), it stands to reason that her quest would reach the same resolution as James's: a last meeting with the person she sought.
An equal case might be made that it simply means that she's meant to leave Silent Hill. It's a point of opinion.
Laura was seeking Mary, but her underlying purpose was that she was seeking love, friendship, family, an end to years of loneliness. In her mind, Mary represented these things.
But that interpretation of her purpose runs contrary to the themes of the game. Each of the others there are there to confront their troubles, not there to seek a happily ever after. The draw of Silent Hill is that mental turmoil, not the search of something better - that healing comes after, I presume. You're right, of course, that Mary represented these things, so why would she appear to Laura, being the exact opposite of the loneliness she needs to confront?
After James's revelation in the hotel room, did Laura look very peaceful to you?!
Of course not! I'm often a bad judge of emotion, but I'm not THAT blind, haha! No, she has every reason to still have problems at that moment, as she's suddenly plunged into greater loneliness at not having even anyone to seek. But in the same way, James's journey didn't end at the moment he realized he killed Mary, nor even at the moment he realized why he's going through what he is (punishing himself). It takes time to recover, to ponder over what comes after the anagnorisis in the catharsis stage of the story.
But Laura is not tormented. If the town could weaponize James's guilt and frustration, Angela's self-hatred, and Eddie's rage, it could do the same with Laura's loneliness. By the time James found her, she'd be a whimpering heap on the floor.
Loneliness is an awful mental tormentor - I don't mean "deep dark secret" torment, I mean simply mental turmoil, and loneliness certainly qualifies. Also, I don't think the town weaponized anything (if it, assuming sentience of some kind that I don't support, did weaponize anything, it certainly could have taken down the characters far more easily), but rather confronts the characters with that which torments them. In her case, Laura's torment is in loneliness, hence her blank town of fog. Furthermore, again assuming that the town uses the torment to hurt rather than unbiasedly, what could be more hurtful than stranding her in loneliness, her torment, just as James is confronted by the vision of his guilt again and again?
Then if she has nothing tangible to confront and no tangible goal, why is she even there?
Is guilt a tangible goal? Yet we accept that this is the true reason James is drawn into the alternate planes. Resolution comes when she accepts that she has to move on, though we are not shown the means of this resolution. I simply disagree that it is through Mary because Mary represents the exact opposite of the loneliness Laura needs to confront, while the lack of her is a very fitting representation of it.
I agree with Aura, and you didn't address my last: if Laura received no satisfactory resolution to her quest, why is she leaving town so willingly and resolutely? For that matter, why is she leaving at all?
I figured you did, because your views generally go with the idea that Mary has a great deal of control over James' journey (which I disagree with extending to Laura specifically in this case, and more generally disagree that she does at all). And I did give an answer, but I guess it wasn't clear enough. Laura 1) has no reason to stay in an empty town after finding out that Mary is not there, and 2) did move on through some means. To me, it simply doesn't follow that it was Mary, for the reasons I've given.
She might leave, but she may never really recover. She'll go through life consumed by bitterness and hatred at James for what he took from her. I don't think Mary would choose to leave it at that.
Again, this requires believing that Mary has a great deal of power to exert and a full sentience, which I don't support. However, even supposing that Mary was around, do you really think that Laura would simply be assuaged by Mary saying "Oh, hey, forgive the guy that deprived you of a chance at family and sent you here, 'cause really, he's a good guy"? I think she'd have bitterness regardless (though really, that supports that she may have seen Mary because that'd be an explanation for Laura and James not leaving together). Besides, reading Mary's letter to Laura, the same sentiment is already expressed there, though not the forgiveness part, which IMO, is a lost cause anyway.
But I see where you're coming from - I just happen to disagree, and it may be that we'll have to agree to disagree. Unless, of course, you can do better.
Aight, I'm outtie. Peace, homegirl."
