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Memento symbolism.

Posted: 06 Jan 2010
by Arsonist
Can’t believe this thread wasn’t already made. I obviously haven’t put that much thought into this, but here it is from the top of my head:


A winter beacon: It depicts a woman in pink, standing in front of the lighthouse. I figure this was a foreshadowing, Dahlia waiting for Cheryl in front of the lighthouse clinic. The psalm written in the bottom has me confused though.

Hidden fire: Unsure.

Frozen waters: Probably symbolizes being frozen in childhood, or in Cheryl’s case, childhood memories. Or it relates to the two brothers who died in the wood from hypothermia. Both on different occasions.

Movable feast: Unsure.

A broken ward: Probably represents that Cheryl doesn’t feels safe anymore. Her father was the one that made her feel secure before, but now he’s gone. Alternatively, it could symbolize Cheryl being “in the dark” about Harry’s passing.

Pinned beauty: It is found in the car of a boy who took advantage of Cheryl. The pinned butterfly could represent Cheryl being forcefully penetrated. It could also represent Harry however, the butterfly is as beautiful as ever, but, it’s isn’t alive anymore.

Suffocated forever: It probably represents Harry. He isn’t allowed to die in Cheryl’s mind. He is stuck in a limbo. Again, the ant like the butterfly is actually dead, however it is unable to disappear and rot away due to the passage of time, much like harry can’t, because of Cheryl.

My plastic perfect girl: Teenie, pigtails. I imagine it has something to do with the Pigtails substory. Perhaps Cheryl wanted to be like that, a perfect little schoolgirl, so that her daddy would love her like the pigtails’s father loved her.

Heavenly protection: Saint Christopher is a Parton Saint of transportation. Harry died in a car crash.

A Frigid Jewel: Probably related to the frigid storyline. It is possible it was a ring given to Cheryl by her boyfriend, who later leaves her for being "frigid".

An Eternal rose: Same as the ant and the butterfly. Dead, but forever beautiful and present. Preserved in Cheryl's memory, better then he was in life.

Infinite jest: Scull usually symbolizes death, probably Harry’s. What I find interesting is the name engraved on the inner side of the ring; “Ophelia”. In “Hamlet” Ophelia was a character who was very attached to her father, because she had lost her mother in early age. Her father used that, and disallowed her to see hamlet again, the man she loved. Hamlet treats her coldly after, but Ophelia still clings to the memory of the times when he was kind. In the end, her father is murdered and she looses her mind from grief, much like our Silent Hill heroine.

Synthetic Femur: This one is kind of funny. We find this dog toy in a copier. Probably representing what happened to Cheryl’s dog. Her father ran her over, and then both another, identical one, to cover it up.

Memories Undeveloped: Probably represents Cheryl hiding the painful memories of her father from herself. Or not dwelling on his flaws.

My Flying Lizard: I see no symbolism, but there is a reference “Lost World Terry” is the name of the pterodactyl. A reference to the “Lost World” and the Air Screamers from SH1.

The Modern Prometheus: I am unsure.

We, Ouroboros: Probably Cheryl’s insatiable hunger for her father’s affection.

Poetry as Precise as Geometry: “Everything one invents is true” refers to Cheryl’s ideal Harry. Even though he wasn’t truly like that in real life, he was and is for her.

A Happy Bond: Probably a bond between father and daughter. I think that the fish we find it in is a koi, the koi fish, in Japan is a symbol of love.

Memories Untaken: Probably represents the things Cheryl doesn’t know about her father.

A Beacon, A Key: The lighthouse. It is the key of the whole story, isn’t it?

Your Diamond Heart: "Journeys end in lovers meeting" A reference to the ending. “Lovers” being Harry and Cheryl.

The Dragon: Unsure. Perhaps the significance is that it’s in a box, similar to the one where Cheryl stores all of her memories. Dragon represents danger, a menace to the princess. So basically, the one, true menace that puts Cheryl in danger are her memories of which she refuses to let go.

Eve: A picture of Dahlia, the first woman in Cheryl’s life. The inscription, “True happiness” signifies that Cheryl should look for the parental love she craves in Dahlia, rather than in her dead father, to achieve happiness. *note: getting three harts in the jack-pot machine gives you the Eve pendant, signifying that true happiness is in loving Dahlia.

Adam: A picture of Harry, the first man in Cheryl’s life. The inscription, “Never forget” signifies that Cheryl shouldn’t forget Harry, all of him, his flaws included, also, it foreshadows that Harry is dead. It is located in the bust’s head, because Cheryl’s mind is the only place in which Harry still lives.


So yeah, post your interpretations and ideas. I’d love to read them.

Posted: 06 Jan 2010
by simeonalo
Wow! Great job :) Especially on the "Adam" one.

Posted: 06 Jan 2010
by AuraTwilight
Hidden fire: Unsure.
A reference to "Heather" of SH3 having a smoking habit, I'm positive.
Movable feast: Unsure.
Hunting Knife. Joel Jr's first kill.
My plastic perfect girl: Teenie, pigtails. I imagine it has something to do with the Pigtails substory. Perhaps Cheryl wanted to be like that, a perfect little schoolgirl, so that her daddy would love her like the pigtails’s father loved her.
I'm positive that pigtails girl WAS Cheryl. A period in her life where she objectified herself.
My Flying Lizard: I see no symbolism, but there is a reference “Lost World Terry” is the name of the pterodactyl. A reference to the “Lost World” and the Air Screamers from SH1.
I want to apply Dragon symbolism, but that's redundant. Maybe another cool SH1 reference.
The Modern Prometheus: I am unsure.
It looks like Frankenstein. Now remember Kauffman's choice of words.

Overall, great thread.

Posted: 06 Jan 2010
by CrypticIdentity
What struck me about the Dragon was that it looked incredibly similar to one of the images Kaufmann has you sort into "Sexual" or "Non-sexual"--I think it may have even been the one he picks up to show you that the knife is on the back. And that session is right before you find the Dragon, so...I know that has to lend something in terms of interpretting it, but at the moment, I don't know where to go with it.

Posted: 07 Jan 2010
by Arsonist
Thanks for the replies, everyone!
A reference to "Heather" of SH3 having a smoking habit, I'm positive.
Possibly, but you’d think it’d be a bit more clear than that.

I thought that maybe the name and location of the cigarettes has some meaning, but I keep drawing blank.
Hunting Knife. Joel Jr's first kill.
I started with a premise that everything relates to Cheryl in some way, so I kind of missed that one. Makes sense.

Hm, echo messages and photos deserve another thread all together. It would take a lot of work figuring them out, as all of them seem to have several versions.
I'm positive that pigtails girl WAS Cheryl. A period in her life where she objectified herself.
I don’t know about that. I mean, if Cheryl was a prostitute, don’t you think we’d known?

Also, in one version the Teenie’s father calls the Pigtailed prostitute “old meat” after her wig falls off. Cheryl is quite young, even if the events happened the day before therapy, she could easily pass for a seventeen, or a sixteen year old. The guy doesn’t seem to be a pedophile in the traditional sense, he lusts after a fifteen/seventeen year-old. I doubt he’d refer to a girl in her early twenties as old meat, or old enough to be his wife.
It looks like Frankenstein. Now remember Kauffman's choice of words.
I completely missed that! Thanks!

What struck me about the Dragon was that it looked incredibly similar to one of the images Kaufmann has you sort into "Sexual" or "Non-sexual"--I think it may have even been the one he picks up to show you that the knife is on the back. And that session is right before you find the Dragon, so...I know that has to lend something in terms of interpretting it, but at the moment, I don't know where to go with it.
Interesting point. It could be a simple mindfuck. Or, maybe, the danger that threatens Cheryl is sexuality? She was described as “frigid” and it is implied she cannot have a healthy sex life with men her age. Instead she slept with older, middle-aged men to compensate for the lack of the paternal figure in her life. Perhaps that’s the real danger? Or maybe it’s the general sexual view of her own father that endangers her happiness?

Hm, thanks for pointing it out! It’s some good thought food.

Posted: 07 Jan 2010
by heroicxspace
I remember thinking that each of the four rings represented a different version of Harry and Dahlia's marriage (as seen in the four endings). During my first play through I missed the one hidden inside the frog in Midwich High's Bio Classroom and when I got to the end with only three rings I found myself wondering why there wasn't one more. It just seemed natural to me to assume that they were wedding rings, and finding the last one in a later play through kind of confirmed it for me. I can't say I've taken a very close look at them though.

Posted: 07 Jan 2010
by X-rust
Hidden fire:
Reference to Silent Hill: Zero. A poster on the road 'You're Never Alone With a Hemingway' and ashtrays 'Hemingway'
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
Image

Posted: 08 Jan 2010
by AuraTwilight
I don’t know about that. I mean, if Cheryl was a prostitute, don’t you think we’d known?

Also, in one version the Teenie’s father calls the Pigtailed prostitute “old meat” after her wig falls off. Cheryl is quite young, even if the events happened the day before therapy, she could easily pass for a seventeen, or a sixteen year old. The guy doesn’t seem to be a pedophile in the traditional sense, he lusts after a fifteen/seventeen year-old. I doubt he’d refer to a girl in her early twenties as old meat, or old enough to be his wife.
Cheryl's been fucking people that remind her of her father. She probably hooked right up with Mister Daughter Fucker. I mean, unless we go with the "Cheryl has ESP" theory, it HAS to be Cheryl.

As for "old meat", maybe the guy just got tired of fucking her. It doesn't need to be anything about how old she was. Or maybe he only likes high school chicks.
Reference to Silent Hill: Zero. A poster on the road 'You're Never Alone With a Hemingway' and ashtrays 'Hemingway'
Okay, fucking seriously, between you and PJ, I'm really glad that Shattered Memories was designed to bring in new fans.

Posted: 08 Jan 2010
by yahwehorhighway
There's got to be something to the name 'modern Prometheus' for the frankenstein toy, too. Prometheus was a titan who brought fire to ancient man as a beacon of light and reason. He was a protector of mankind, of sorts.

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by Apocali
Modern Prometheus was actually a part of the title of the original Frankenstein novel as well.

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by sumcaker
Wasnt Prometheus the Titan who gave the humans fire stolen from the Gods or something along those lines, then the Gods punished him for helping out the humans and punished him by having him bound to a mountain or rock and everyday have his liver eaten by an eagle until one day hercules came and killed the eagle and set Prometheus free.

I think thats how the story goes :mrgreen:

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by yahwehorhighway
Modern Prometheus was actually a part of the title of the original Frakenstein novel as well.
That would explain it. I was overthinking and trying to read into the flare and lighthouse imagery :)

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by AuraTwilight
Prometheus represents Foresight. He was the patron of humanity who gave us the gift of knowledge and truth (which is what the fire was metaphorical for), and ended up "dying" for it.

The Modern Promethus, Frankenstein's Monster, was created using this divine fire (science), and was likened to being a man-made god. An invincible, beautiful, perfect figure created by a man's mind. However, the modern Prometheus turned out to be no such thing, and was a falliable, flawed, imperfect thing that didn't belong in the world, and eventually was lost.

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by yahwehorhighway
Thanks for the clarification. The tie-in to Frankenstein makes a lot more sense from your reading.

Another comment, on the pinned beauty. In a more immediate sense, it's Cheryl's loss of innocence. Harry mentioned that she liked butterflies, and a pinned one is one that has been literally crippled.

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by Escapist
AuraTwilight wrote:Prometheus represents Foresight. He was the patron of humanity who gave us the gift of knowledge and truth (which is what the fire was metaphorical for), and ended up "dying" for it.

The Modern Promethus, Frankenstein's Monster, was created using this divine fire (science), and was likened to being a man-made god. An invincible, beautiful, perfect figure created by a man's mind. However, the modern Prometheus turned out to be no such thing, and was a falliable, flawed, imperfect thing that didn't belong in the world, and eventually was lost.
I'm amazed how it actually matches Harry pretty well o.o

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by AuraTwilight
That's because it was intentional, Escapist. That's...why they used it. >_>

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by Escapist
^I know, I just haven't realized before xD

Posted: 09 Jan 2010
by DarkMatter
Wow, this is a great thread. Some really interesting theories here, and they make perfect sense. :o Good job!

Posted: 04 Feb 2010
by ShadowBaby
Has anyone played through without collecting momentos? Does it affect the end any? I started to, but I got sidetracked replaying the originals.

Posted: 04 Feb 2010
by cascade88
My last playthrough, I didn't pick up a single momento. In the end, Harry didn't turn to ice. He tells Cheryl he's "just a ghost" or something like that, then she hugs him, and cries, but he never freezes.