James Sunderland
Age: Last seen, 29. Current Age: In his 40s.
Gender: Male
Status: Fine
Hair color: Blond
Eye color: Green
Occupation: Clerk
Biography:
Due to the player's actions during gameplay and their own interpretation of James, his personality can be viewed differently. Mary describes James as a little surly sometimes and someone who doesn't laugh much, but also states that underneath, he's really a sweet person.
According to the Konami publication "Book of Lost Memories", James was a clerk prior to his arrival in Silent Hill. His known family includes Frank Sunderland, from Silent Hill 4: The Room who is revealed to be his father. Not much information about James before Mary came into his life is known. James and Mary had met at a house party held by a mutual friend. Their affection evolved from a blazing passion to a peaceful and stable relationship. Before Mary and James were married, James would listen to Mary play the piano. Mary liked to play the piano and even though she wasn't very good at it, James still loved to hear her play anyway.
Prior to the events of Silent Hill 2, Mary and James decided to take a vacation in Silent Hill after reading a brochure for the town. They stayed in the Lakeview Hotel, where James recorded a videotape of Mary. Mary stated in the videotape that she loved the town and would love to go to Silent Hill again one day. James accidentally forgot the videotape in the hotel and the couple left Silent Hill.
Three years prior to the game, Mary was struck with a terminal disease, and she eventually deteriorated to the point of having violent mood swings. This led James to drinking alcohol, in order to get away from his pain and loneliness, but it never changed anything. James questioned Mary's doctors about her illness and voiced his disbelief about them letting Mary die. He would often search through medical books for information about Mary's illness, but would never find anything useful. James rarely visited Mary in the hospital because the disease caused Mary to lash out at him. James eventually felt sexual frustration (which is later expressed by several creatures during James' quest in the town). The emotional pain and emptiness left James in a constant state of mourning. Eventually James snapped and walked to Mary's bed at their house and kissed her on her forehead, but suddenly suffocated her with a pillow because she had become a burden to him and he "wanted his life back". James later repressed the memory of his wife's murder.
James then receives a mysterious letter in Mary's handwriting, stating that she is alive and waiting for him in their "special place," somewhere in Silent Hill. James is disturbed and confused about this letter and questions if Mary is alive, or if someone is playing a hoax on him. Later in the game, the handwriting on Mary's letter disappears, revealing itself to be a piece of blank stationery (it becomes an empty envelope and then finally vanishes from James' inventory completely). This is because the letter never existed and was only a creation of James' delusion.
James drives to Silent Hill, with Lost Memories suggesting he came to kill himself in the town they cherished. James is not the only one called to Silent Hill; two others, Eddie Dombrowski and Angela Orosco, have been drawn to the town by similar forces. However, before he arrives, his mind snaps from the trauma of killing Mary and he represses the memory. Instead, he becomes convinced not only that Mary has been dead for three years but that he has received a posthumous letter from her. It is at this stage that the player takes control of James, to discover the real events leading up to this point during gameplay.
James discovers the main road to Silent Hill is blocked and takes a stop in the Observation Deck's restroom. He takes a moment to stare deeply at his own reflection in a mirror. He exits the restroom, reminds himself of Mary, and then enters the town via a hiker's path, a trail the designers created to be purposefully long in order to increase the player's sense of isolation. On the way he meets a young woman named Angela Orosco, who has also just arrived in Silent Hill. James disregards Angela’s warnings about the town and reaches the main roads only to discover that the entire area is covered in fog and infested with grotesque monsters. He tries to find the "special place" mentioned in Mary's letter, where she is waiting for him.
James' first guess as to Mary's "special place" happens to be his first destination, Rosewater Park. Because all direct routes are destroyed or barricaded, he must cross through an abandoned apartment complex, where he meets Eddie Dombrowski. The apartments are also the scene of James' first encounter with Pyramid Head, a relentless persecutor who hunts down and attacks him at several points in the game. James also repeatedly runs into a mysterious little girl named Laura, who knows of Mary's name, leaving James curious as to what she knows.
When James reaches Rosewater Park's lakeside observation deck, he thinks he sees his wife, but is mistaken when the woman introduces herself as Maria. James agrees to let Maria accompany him for safety's sake. He remembers his other "special place", the Lakeview Hotel. While tracking Laura to Brookhaven Hospital, Maria stops to rest in a patient's room, claiming to have a mild hangover. James eventually finds Laura, who then convinces him to get a letter from Mary in a room. She then locks the door, trapping James in the room with creatures called Flesh Lips. After defeating the monsters, James quickly finds that the hospital has been horribly transformed to the Otherworld. He finds Maria and they try to find a way out of the hospital. In the basement, Pyramid Head reappears behind both of them, and Maria is killed by the creature's spear while James is helpless to save her. James is saddened by her sudden death and refocuses on finding Mary.
After leaving the hospital and exploring the town, he finds a key that lets him into the Silent Hill Historical Society, which according to the map is also a port to get to the Lakeview Hotel. However, he soon finds a series of disturbing secret entrances and bizarre holes that lead him into Toluca Prison. Eddie resurfaces again in the cafeteria, now armed with a revolver and once more sitting in close proximity to a human corpse. James attempts to reason with Eddie, but his reasoning has no effect on him.
As James explores the empty prison facility, he finds himself within a maze. James finds Maria, locked inside a cell, alive and unscathed following her death in Brookhaven Hospital. Maria comes onto James and beckons him to find a way into her cell. She undergoes a change in personality, switching between Mary and Maria's personalities at random. Maria also drops clues regarding Mary's "special place" and a videotape she and James made together. James soon relocates Angela, who is about to be attacked by the Abstract Daddy, a creature representing Angela's abusive father. After injuring the monster, Angela finishes it off in a series of violent attacks and has a tense confrontation with James.
Eventually, James locates an alternate route to Maria's cell, but upon entering, finds Maria lying dead on the bed. James exits the cell, and jumps through a hole representing his future grave. He stumbles upon Eddie surrounded by bullet-ridden corpses. Eddie gleefully admits the solution to his problems is killing. When James protests, Eddie says that James is making fun of him too and attacks him. Eddie reveals that both he and James were summoned to the town for a similar reason. James is then forced to kill Eddie in a gun battle inside a meat locker.
Emerging at an old pier at the edge of Toluca Lake, James sees a bright light that is visible from the northern shore; he boards a rowboat and makes the journey to the opposite side. The light is emanating from the Lakeview Hotel, which looks exactly the same as when he stayed there with Mary. James finds Laura there and she hands him a letter that was written by Mary. It states that Mary and Laura became friends one year ago and James realizes that Mary couldn't have died three years ago. Laura then leaves him again to find the other letter.
James reveals the truth to Laura
James locates the old videotape mentioned earlier by Maria, and finds his way to Room 312, where he and Mary had stayed on their vacation. Inserting the tape into a player, James watches a static-ridden video of himself as he smothers Mary to death with her pillow. Laura enters the room and asks James if he has found Mary yet and James tells her the truth, causing Laura to yell at him and run out of the room. Exiting the room, James finds the hotel flooded and burnt-out and eventually comes across Angela on a stairwell surrounded by fire. Angela and James speak for the last time and despite James’ pleas, Angela proceeds up the stairs and walks into the flames.
Entering what was once the lobby, James finds Maria, alive and tied down, screaming for James as she is surrounded by two Pyramid Heads. For a third time, Maria is killed and James finally understands what Pyramid Head and Maria are. The Pyramid Heads are a part of James himself, created subconsciously to punish him for his sins. Refusing to flee from his opponents, he turns and attacks the Pyramid Heads. With James now seeking vengeance as opposed to punishment, the Pyramid Heads cease to function and they deliberately impale themselves on their spears.
James finally meets a woman who resembles Mary before the final boss fight. The outcome of this encounter is determined by the player's actions during the game.
Age: Last seen, 29. Current Age: In his 40s.
Gender: Male
Status: Fine
Hair color: Blond
Eye color: Green
Occupation: Clerk
Biography:
Due to the player's actions during gameplay and their own interpretation of James, his personality can be viewed differently. Mary describes James as a little surly sometimes and someone who doesn't laugh much, but also states that underneath, he's really a sweet person.
According to the Konami publication "Book of Lost Memories", James was a clerk prior to his arrival in Silent Hill. His known family includes Frank Sunderland, from Silent Hill 4: The Room who is revealed to be his father. Not much information about James before Mary came into his life is known. James and Mary had met at a house party held by a mutual friend. Their affection evolved from a blazing passion to a peaceful and stable relationship. Before Mary and James were married, James would listen to Mary play the piano. Mary liked to play the piano and even though she wasn't very good at it, James still loved to hear her play anyway.
Prior to the events of Silent Hill 2, Mary and James decided to take a vacation in Silent Hill after reading a brochure for the town. They stayed in the Lakeview Hotel, where James recorded a videotape of Mary. Mary stated in the videotape that she loved the town and would love to go to Silent Hill again one day. James accidentally forgot the videotape in the hotel and the couple left Silent Hill.
Three years prior to the game, Mary was struck with a terminal disease, and she eventually deteriorated to the point of having violent mood swings. This led James to drinking alcohol, in order to get away from his pain and loneliness, but it never changed anything. James questioned Mary's doctors about her illness and voiced his disbelief about them letting Mary die. He would often search through medical books for information about Mary's illness, but would never find anything useful. James rarely visited Mary in the hospital because the disease caused Mary to lash out at him. James eventually felt sexual frustration (which is later expressed by several creatures during James' quest in the town). The emotional pain and emptiness left James in a constant state of mourning. Eventually James snapped and walked to Mary's bed at their house and kissed her on her forehead, but suddenly suffocated her with a pillow because she had become a burden to him and he "wanted his life back". James later repressed the memory of his wife's murder.
James then receives a mysterious letter in Mary's handwriting, stating that she is alive and waiting for him in their "special place," somewhere in Silent Hill. James is disturbed and confused about this letter and questions if Mary is alive, or if someone is playing a hoax on him. Later in the game, the handwriting on Mary's letter disappears, revealing itself to be a piece of blank stationery (it becomes an empty envelope and then finally vanishes from James' inventory completely). This is because the letter never existed and was only a creation of James' delusion.
James drives to Silent Hill, with Lost Memories suggesting he came to kill himself in the town they cherished. James is not the only one called to Silent Hill; two others, Eddie Dombrowski and Angela Orosco, have been drawn to the town by similar forces. However, before he arrives, his mind snaps from the trauma of killing Mary and he represses the memory. Instead, he becomes convinced not only that Mary has been dead for three years but that he has received a posthumous letter from her. It is at this stage that the player takes control of James, to discover the real events leading up to this point during gameplay.
James discovers the main road to Silent Hill is blocked and takes a stop in the Observation Deck's restroom. He takes a moment to stare deeply at his own reflection in a mirror. He exits the restroom, reminds himself of Mary, and then enters the town via a hiker's path, a trail the designers created to be purposefully long in order to increase the player's sense of isolation. On the way he meets a young woman named Angela Orosco, who has also just arrived in Silent Hill. James disregards Angela’s warnings about the town and reaches the main roads only to discover that the entire area is covered in fog and infested with grotesque monsters. He tries to find the "special place" mentioned in Mary's letter, where she is waiting for him.
James' first guess as to Mary's "special place" happens to be his first destination, Rosewater Park. Because all direct routes are destroyed or barricaded, he must cross through an abandoned apartment complex, where he meets Eddie Dombrowski. The apartments are also the scene of James' first encounter with Pyramid Head, a relentless persecutor who hunts down and attacks him at several points in the game. James also repeatedly runs into a mysterious little girl named Laura, who knows of Mary's name, leaving James curious as to what she knows.
When James reaches Rosewater Park's lakeside observation deck, he thinks he sees his wife, but is mistaken when the woman introduces herself as Maria. James agrees to let Maria accompany him for safety's sake. He remembers his other "special place", the Lakeview Hotel. While tracking Laura to Brookhaven Hospital, Maria stops to rest in a patient's room, claiming to have a mild hangover. James eventually finds Laura, who then convinces him to get a letter from Mary in a room. She then locks the door, trapping James in the room with creatures called Flesh Lips. After defeating the monsters, James quickly finds that the hospital has been horribly transformed to the Otherworld. He finds Maria and they try to find a way out of the hospital. In the basement, Pyramid Head reappears behind both of them, and Maria is killed by the creature's spear while James is helpless to save her. James is saddened by her sudden death and refocuses on finding Mary.
After leaving the hospital and exploring the town, he finds a key that lets him into the Silent Hill Historical Society, which according to the map is also a port to get to the Lakeview Hotel. However, he soon finds a series of disturbing secret entrances and bizarre holes that lead him into Toluca Prison. Eddie resurfaces again in the cafeteria, now armed with a revolver and once more sitting in close proximity to a human corpse. James attempts to reason with Eddie, but his reasoning has no effect on him.
As James explores the empty prison facility, he finds himself within a maze. James finds Maria, locked inside a cell, alive and unscathed following her death in Brookhaven Hospital. Maria comes onto James and beckons him to find a way into her cell. She undergoes a change in personality, switching between Mary and Maria's personalities at random. Maria also drops clues regarding Mary's "special place" and a videotape she and James made together. James soon relocates Angela, who is about to be attacked by the Abstract Daddy, a creature representing Angela's abusive father. After injuring the monster, Angela finishes it off in a series of violent attacks and has a tense confrontation with James.
Eventually, James locates an alternate route to Maria's cell, but upon entering, finds Maria lying dead on the bed. James exits the cell, and jumps through a hole representing his future grave. He stumbles upon Eddie surrounded by bullet-ridden corpses. Eddie gleefully admits the solution to his problems is killing. When James protests, Eddie says that James is making fun of him too and attacks him. Eddie reveals that both he and James were summoned to the town for a similar reason. James is then forced to kill Eddie in a gun battle inside a meat locker.
Emerging at an old pier at the edge of Toluca Lake, James sees a bright light that is visible from the northern shore; he boards a rowboat and makes the journey to the opposite side. The light is emanating from the Lakeview Hotel, which looks exactly the same as when he stayed there with Mary. James finds Laura there and she hands him a letter that was written by Mary. It states that Mary and Laura became friends one year ago and James realizes that Mary couldn't have died three years ago. Laura then leaves him again to find the other letter.
James reveals the truth to Laura
James locates the old videotape mentioned earlier by Maria, and finds his way to Room 312, where he and Mary had stayed on their vacation. Inserting the tape into a player, James watches a static-ridden video of himself as he smothers Mary to death with her pillow. Laura enters the room and asks James if he has found Mary yet and James tells her the truth, causing Laura to yell at him and run out of the room. Exiting the room, James finds the hotel flooded and burnt-out and eventually comes across Angela on a stairwell surrounded by fire. Angela and James speak for the last time and despite James’ pleas, Angela proceeds up the stairs and walks into the flames.
Entering what was once the lobby, James finds Maria, alive and tied down, screaming for James as she is surrounded by two Pyramid Heads. For a third time, Maria is killed and James finally understands what Pyramid Head and Maria are. The Pyramid Heads are a part of James himself, created subconsciously to punish him for his sins. Refusing to flee from his opponents, he turns and attacks the Pyramid Heads. With James now seeking vengeance as opposed to punishment, the Pyramid Heads cease to function and they deliberately impale themselves on their spears.
James finally meets a woman who resembles Mary before the final boss fight. The outcome of this encounter is determined by the player's actions during the game.
