Three Paintings

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

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
skinthesun1251
Just Passing Through
Posts: 79
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: PA

Three Paintings

Post by skinthesun1251 »

I couldn't find anything in the quicklinks or using the search, so I'm really sorry if this has been asked before...

Anyone know what the deal is with the three painting you find in the Prison? The ones that say "Burning Man", "Woman in Flight" and "436 People at a Recital" respectively?

They didn't seem to really connect to the story at all, so I'm a little lost.
User avatar
Enika
SHH Staff Writer
Posts: 1124
Joined: 15 Feb 2008
Gender: Female
Location: A place between here and there
Contact:

Post by Enika »

I have a related question...

In all seriousness, has anyone ever counted all the circles and confirmed that there are indeed 436 people at the recital? A friend and I tried counting, but it was very easy to lose track.
User avatar
Sionnan
Gravedigger
Posts: 490
Joined: 04 Mar 2007

Post by Sionnan »

There was a huge thread done about this, and all three of the paintings have been explained. But the search isn't working right now for some mysterious reason. :/

436 people are one of the ceremonies done I believe for the Yellow God, it had to do with the Rebirth ending. Woman in Flight is the martyred saint Jennifer Carrol, and I think it was postulated that Burning Man was the Lakeview Hotel burning. Remember the heater that had a note attached to it that said, "I'm Johnny, one hot guy,"? That's the Burning Man.
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

>436 people are one of the ceremonies done I believe for the Yellow God
What?

The "436 People at a Recital" are witnessing Xuchilpaba's conjuration. Note that in the Book of Crimson Ceremony, allegedly written by Xuchilpaba (the god the natives worshiped), the second paragraph reads, "Believers hearken to me! Twenty score men and seven thousand beasts."

A score is 20 units. Thus, 20 score = 400.

There were, then, approximately 400 people who witnessed Xuchilpaba's conjuration.

>"I'm Johnny, one hot guy,"? That's the Burning Man.
That doesn't make sense. Toluca Prison has been closed down since the turn of the 20th century; Lakeview Hotel burned 2 years after James and Mary visited (one year before the game begins).

Though the drawing clearly depicts Lakeview Hotel ablaze, I don't believe the title is an allusion to "Johnny."

Note. The Japanese script doesn't call the painting "Burning Man," but rather "Burning Person."
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.
User avatar
Sionnan
Gravedigger
Posts: 490
Joined: 04 Mar 2007

Post by Sionnan »

>That doesn't make sense. Toluca Prison has been closed down since the turn of the 20th century

And I'm sure what James sees is exactly what the Toluca prison looked like all those years ago. Hey! I bet it had those ridiculous holes, too! But seriously, saying that the paintings don't make sense being in the jail cell is like saying it doesn't make sense for the boiler that caused the burn-down to have the memo attached to it like that.

I very much doubt if the paintings in the jail cell are a fixed to a literal point in time, any more than the memo is.
__

Although thanks for the clarification on the Xulibara thing. I had read the thread a while ago, and I couldn't find it for reference because of the broken search function.
User avatar
skinthesun1251
Just Passing Through
Posts: 79
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: PA

Post by skinthesun1251 »

Ahh, thanks. Makes a little more sense now. So you don't think there's any particular reason they're in the prison cell?
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

Mockery will get you nowhere.

>Hey! I bet it had those ridiculous holes, too!
During James' journey through Toluca Prison he only encounters one hole: the body dump. I'm willing to bet that hole is really there, however differently the bottom is.

>saying that the paintings don't make sense being in the jail cell is like saying
That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that for the drawing "Burning Person" to be a reference to the Lakeview Hotel fire of the year before, someone would have had to break into the prison through the Silent Hill Historical Society and made the drawings.

Unless, of course, the drawings were done precognitively before the prison was closed.

>the boiler that caused the burn-down to have the memo attached to it like that.
Well, considering the boiler doesn't have a "burn-down" memo, I'd say your comparison is irrelevant. If you're talking about "Johnny," then that's just a little heater in the employee lounge—not the boiler.
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.
User avatar
Sionnan
Gravedigger
Posts: 490
Joined: 04 Mar 2007

Post by Sionnan »

>Mockery will get you nowhere.

Sorry, I was just teasing a little- I didn't mean to be malicious.

>During James' journey through Toluca Prison he only encounters one hole

So... nevermind the two, maybe three, other holes he jumped down? One whole he jumped down brought him to the cafeteria, another brought him into the well that you had to break the wall to get out of, and the third brought you to right before the meat locker section with Eddie.

My point being is that the matter of the jail is changed from what the actual jail is like. There's no chance that it exists exactly in the real world the same way James experiences it. I have a hard time believing that the paintings are there as of a time-accurate representation of what the prisons were like before they shut down. Basically, because the geography is so magnificently screwed up in the prison, I'm taking the appearance of the paintings with a grain of salt.

>Unless, of course, the drawings were done precognitively before the prison was closed.

There's nothing to suggest when the paintings were done and/or placed there. Given the fact there was this whole black arts thing going on in the cells, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that they were done precognitively or through visions, or what have you.

I find it a longer stretch to say that someone broke into the jail to place the paintings there.

>If you're talking about "Johnny," then that's just a little heater in the employee lounge—not the boiler.

Pardon my misunderstanding, I thought it was a fairly big boiler.
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

>So... nevermind the two, maybe three, other holes he jumped down?
Those holes aren't in the prison. They lead James into the prison he experiences, but they're not a part of the prison. There's a hole leading James into the prison and another hole leading James out of the prison: none in the prison.

>Given the fact there was this whole black arts thing going on in the cells
The books weren't in the cell w/ the drawings, so making a connection between the 2 is tenuous and unnecessary.

>I find it a longer stretch to say that someone broke into the jail to place the paintings there.
Yeah, that's exactly my point.
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.
Empyrean
Cafe5to2 Waitress
Posts: 211
Joined: 12 Aug 2008

Post by Empyrean »

>So... nevermind the two, maybe three, other holes he jumped down?
Those holes aren't in the prison. They lead James into the prison he experiences, but they're not a part of the prison. There's a hole leading James into the prison and another hole leading James out of the prison: none in the prison.
James walks down a stupid long hallway to where he enters the prison then finds the first hole that leads to the well, then jumps down another one to enter the cafeteria, then jumps down a hatch to where the bodies are, thne jumps down that hole just to jump down another hole to find himself exiting via an elevator to the labyrinth. So Sionnan is right about there being a few holes in the prison.
The Follower
Just Passing Through
Posts: 80
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Post by The Follower »

Empyrean wrote:
>So... nevermind the two, maybe three, other holes he jumped down?
Those holes aren't in the prison. They lead James into the prison he experiences, but they're not a part of the prison. There's a hole leading James into the prison and another hole leading James out of the prison: none in the prison.
James walks down a stupid long hallway to where he enters the prison then finds the first hole that leads to the well, then jumps down another one to enter the cafeteria, then jumps down a hatch to where the bodies are, thne jumps down that hole just to jump down another hole to find himself exiting via an elevator to the labyrinth. So Sionnan is right about there being a few holes in the prison.
Dude, it's metaphorical. The holes aren't literally there, they're a manifestation of James' mind.
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

>he enters the prison then finds the first hole that leads to the well
The area at the bottom of the descending hallway isn't a part of the prison, nor is the bottom of the well.
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.
Empyrean
Cafe5to2 Waitress
Posts: 211
Joined: 12 Aug 2008

Post by Empyrean »

it looks like the prison, it has prison bars seperating the the rooms, as well there is a note there about a prison cell on the same type of desks that are found through out the prison. so if it is not part of the prison what might you say it is.
Last edited by Empyrean on 09 Dec 2008, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

Please rewrite coherently.

>if it is not part of the prison what might you say it is.
Not a part of the prison. James has the map of Toluca Prison—and those areas aren't there.
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.
Empyrean
Cafe5to2 Waitress
Posts: 211
Joined: 12 Aug 2008

Post by Empyrean »

wow way to give a non answer.

Any way, it is the prison.
User avatar
SHF
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2301
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Gender: Trans male

Post by SHF »

The holes he jumps down represent his descent. His subconscious. One more leap downward, toward the truth. Its symbolic, not a physical structure to anything.
[img]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/silentfog/signature.jpg[/img]
User avatar
simeonalo
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 3535
Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Gender: Male

Post by simeonalo »

That doesn't make sense. Toluca Prison has been closed down since the turn of the 20th century; Lakeview Hotel burned 2 years after James and Mary visited (one year before the game begins).


I believe Johnny is actually the heater that caused the hotel to burn down.
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

You should probably read the rest of the thread. Maybe even the rest of my initial post, and to what I was responding.
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.
User avatar
SHF
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2301
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Gender: Trans male

Post by SHF »

the hotel burned down a year prior to the games events. but, who knows how much time has passed since then, and when james actually finds the memo stating this.
[img]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/silentfog/signature.jpg[/img]
User avatar
The Adversary
RESPECT
Posts: 20086
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Location: #lfk
Contact:

Post by The Adversary »

>who knows how much time has passed since then
I do. A year.
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.
Post Reply