The Little Boy in St. Maria's
Posted: 11 Feb 2014
I apologise if this has been covered before; I've searched a bit to see if anyone else had this idea and haven't found anything, but I may have missed things. It's been a little while since I've posted.
Anyway, the little boy in St. Maria's (I see it called an orphanage, but there are notes that explicitly mention the kids writing to their parents) is usually interpreted as being a representation of Charlie (this is explicitly stated as fact at the Silent Hill Wiki), or of Murphy as a kid, or even Frank Coleridge, but I get the impression that the boy is actually Napier as a child. There are a few (admittedly incidental) reasons for this:
1) The boy doesn't look like either Charlie or Murphy. The fleshiness of his face and the expressions he makes remind me more of Napier.
2) He speaks in an odd manner and cadence that, while it may be a result of bad acting or making the kid appear creepier than he otherwise would be, could also indicate early development of psychopathy, sociopathy or some other personality disorder.
3) The boy is playing with a toy car, and while Murphy remarks that his son liked cars, the toy car collectible found nearby is said to resemble Napier's van.
4) The voice in the gingerbread house (which I initially thought to be a girl's, but at that age a boy's voice would also be high-pitched when upset) depicts a childhood abuse scenario committed by a parent, which often leads to deviant behaviour in the child. This is not likely to be Ann's voice because it's implied she had a loving relationship with her father.
If my theory is correct, when the little girl (who I agree is a young Anne) accuses Murphy of killing the boy, it represents Anne's incomplete understanding of prior events in which she thinks Murphy killed Napier, without necessarily knowing of Murphy's history with Napier.
Because of these details, I think St. Maria's is as much about Murphy acknowledging Napier's humanity as it is about taking responsibility for his role in Napier's death. Forcing Murphy to see Napier as a child, in an environment that can foster problems with psychological development, adds weight to the perception that did not kill a monster but murdered (or, depending on the ending, caused the murder of) a person, albeit one who has done terrible things.
Anyway, the little boy in St. Maria's (I see it called an orphanage, but there are notes that explicitly mention the kids writing to their parents) is usually interpreted as being a representation of Charlie (this is explicitly stated as fact at the Silent Hill Wiki), or of Murphy as a kid, or even Frank Coleridge, but I get the impression that the boy is actually Napier as a child. There are a few (admittedly incidental) reasons for this:
1) The boy doesn't look like either Charlie or Murphy. The fleshiness of his face and the expressions he makes remind me more of Napier.
2) He speaks in an odd manner and cadence that, while it may be a result of bad acting or making the kid appear creepier than he otherwise would be, could also indicate early development of psychopathy, sociopathy or some other personality disorder.
3) The boy is playing with a toy car, and while Murphy remarks that his son liked cars, the toy car collectible found nearby is said to resemble Napier's van.
4) The voice in the gingerbread house (which I initially thought to be a girl's, but at that age a boy's voice would also be high-pitched when upset) depicts a childhood abuse scenario committed by a parent, which often leads to deviant behaviour in the child. This is not likely to be Ann's voice because it's implied she had a loving relationship with her father.
If my theory is correct, when the little girl (who I agree is a young Anne) accuses Murphy of killing the boy, it represents Anne's incomplete understanding of prior events in which she thinks Murphy killed Napier, without necessarily knowing of Murphy's history with Napier.
Because of these details, I think St. Maria's is as much about Murphy acknowledging Napier's humanity as it is about taking responsibility for his role in Napier's death. Forcing Murphy to see Napier as a child, in an environment that can foster problems with psychological development, adds weight to the perception that did not kill a monster but murdered (or, depending on the ending, caused the murder of) a person, albeit one who has done terrible things.