The Significance Of The Flashlight

James got a letter. From a dead person. Oh dear.

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KingCrimson
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by KingCrimson »

Yeah? Well, that sucks. So much for that theory. When does it die, specifically? The first time I noticed it (after the dumb bug room puzzle, is that what you mean?) is in the flooded hotel. I'm not counting the bug room since that was just a gameplay/puzzle element.
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by AuraTwilight »

It never dies in the flooded hotel. I'm pretty sure it's because you had to put all your shit in a trunk to use that fucking elevator.
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by The Adversary »

You're misremembering a lot of things. . . .

The light dies after the tape, and James puts his inventory on a shelf.
This post is the property of its author and is not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from the author.

. . . AND THAT'S THAT.
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by AuraTwilight »

Trunk, shelf, whatever. When I made that post it was fresh from describing Henry's TOTALLY OBVIOUS schizoid personality disorder.
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by Silent_Storm »

LeriSuccubus wrote:Because the light was shining at my vision, I think that I thought the mannequin was a person at first. Maybe the intention was to make it seem like it was a person, but it's nothing more than a mannequin
Thought it was person who was alive?
In the same way James thinks Mary is alive.
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by Squarehead »

At first i thought that this was meaningless, but come to think of it, the place you find the light in is very meaningful indeed.
lain of the wired wrote:^Whooooo... good one. Maybe it's also her way of sending a message to him (or his way of saying that she'd send this message to him if she could): "I want you to see the light and survive." It's easier to play the game when you can see the enemies, after all.
And the mannequins are attracted to that light like moths. Hmmm...

The lifeless mannequin that looks familiar holding the light, and the mannequin monster that is like an extremely cruel joke, but hey at least it appears to spring to life when you take the light from the mannequin. It's like the light is the desperate (and dead) hope, the wish, whether it be originating from Mary or James, and the "mannequins" attracted to that light are symbolic of Maria who can only exist through that hope/wish like a parasitic moth exists through another organism.
paladin181 wrote:And as a basis to the story, James takes the light from "Mary" to continue his trek, much like he took the light of life from her to get on with his life.
That too... the mundane larva got "wrapped in [it's] cocoon of pain and loneliness". When the light was taken from it, it allowed for it to be reborn as a beautiful butterfly...
I can't believe i earned 10 Silent Hill cash for this.
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Post by MariaRising »

Well, the first time it dies yes, but we have a battery to replace it. But the flashlight dies for the final time after seeing the video tape, doesn't it?
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by PoemOfTheLastMoment »

it's at this point that the fogworld starts to become unstable, his delusions have been disproven and the truth has been revealed to him. This leads him to his final act in the Nowhere world of the game....strangely enough, he meets his final test in the shape of Maria (or Mary, depending on whether you aim for the Maria ending) in a courtyard no less. At this point, he is tasked with coming clean once and for all. To atone for his sins by killing his most dangerous foe in the game..Maria....
i guess the game truly ends at Room 30x....James finally comes to terms with his sins..and the consequences of his actions throughout this journey determine his fate at the end of this tragic tale...The actions of course are determined by the player...and what ending you get is what you would have probably done if you were James Sunderland...
Now I Know, The Real Reason Why I Came To This Town....I Wonder....What Was I Afraid Of? Without You..I've Got Nothing...Now, We Can Be Together Again.....Mary.....
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by PoemOfTheLastMoment »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucrBcW7W ... ideo_title

At the end of the video, the narrator points out something even i hadnt noticed before....
Now I Know, The Real Reason Why I Came To This Town....I Wonder....What Was I Afraid Of? Without You..I've Got Nothing...Now, We Can Be Together Again.....Mary.....
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mikefile
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by mikefile »

Silent_Storm wrote:In the same way James thinks Mary is alive.
He doesn't think Mary's alive. He's hoping, really.. His subconscious is aware of the crime he committed.
PoemOfTheLastMoment wrote:i guess the game truly ends at Room 30x....James finally comes to terms with his sins..
Although, he doesn't confront them there.
* room 312

+ U can use the EDIT option, instead of doubleposting. :D
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by AuraTwilight »

He doesn't think Mary's alive. He's hoping, really.. His subconscious is aware of the crime he committed.
Consciously, he thinks she's alive. Unconsciously, he knows better.
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by mikefile »

AuraTwilight wrote: Consciously, he thinks she's alive.
Not really.

James: " A dead person can't write a letter. It's ridiculous, couldn't possibly be true... "
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by alone in the town »

mikefile wrote:
AuraTwilight wrote: Consciously, he thinks she's alive.
Not really.

James: " A dead person can't write a letter. It's ridiculous, couldn't possibly be true... "
The obvious codicil to this unfinished thought comes a few moments later:

"Could Mary really be there? Is she really alive... waiting for me?"

It's obvious that he considers it a possibility that she's alive, otherwise nothing that happens in this game makes any sense.
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mikefile
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by mikefile »

alone in the town wrote: It's obvious that he considers it a possibility that she's alive, otherwise nothing that happens in this game makes any sense.
Exactly. So, he considers it a possibility, he doesn't think it, he doesn't know that but he neither negates it.
That's all about the mysterious atmosphere. It's not: "Mary's alive and she's waiting for me.", but: "Could Mary really be there? Is she really alive... waiting for me?".
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by Sergiy »

May Mary's heart light your path.

The flashlight is hanging in the heart area as far as i remember..
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by RMOB »

Silent_Storm wrote: ...do you think its an early sign of his fear that Mary hates him and is watching over him with wrath not forgiving hom for killing her,...Thoughts please
I think is James who hates himself. I don’t believe he could fear for Mary hates him so early in the game, because he is blocking the reasons for Mary hate him:
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
He killed her.
The flashlight was interpreted by me in two ways:
-the flashlight is his feelings (the good ones) about Mary who guide him through the darkness of his heart.
Or/and
-The flashlight is the feelings of Mary for him, to guide James to her encounter.
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
By her letters that is exposed in the many ends of the game.
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. "
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Re: The Significance Of The Flashlight

Post by GeneralSubject »

It's where you have to take a tool for further going. It's just a flashlight, could be in the drawers, could be someone else's. But here it is put on and turned on. A scene, staged by somebody. But you really do need a flashlight. Reminds of a doll from game 4, that killer left, you take it to the room and then it brings in bad spirit. But a doll is not a tool.
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