Mandarin
Description:
They hang from the mesh grating floors, commonly found in the Otherworld, by the tips of their arms. They reach out to attack with tentacles that sprout from the lip-like openings in their arms. They are trapped below the floor and James Sunderland never encounters one above the floor he's currently standing on. They appear to be distorted, female figures with grotesquely large arms, and a straight-jacket-like garment covering their upper body. Their legs dangle uselessly below them.
Method of Attack:
They reach out to attack with tentacles that sprout from the lip-like openings in their arms. They are uncommon and not very dangerous. The only method in which to kill one is to use firearms, as the character cannot reach them with any melee weapon. The best tactic to deal with them is to not waste much-needed ammo and to instead run past them. They are very easily avoided so long as the player doesn't stand still above them for too long.
Symbolism:
The Mandarins symbolize feelings of overwhelming incomprehensible anguish and helplessness. They mirror helplessness because they are doomed to hang onto the metal grating, and should they fall, they will disappear into the unknowable blackness below, much like how James' psyche is hanging from the proverbial thread, and should he lose his remaining sanity and the will to live, he too will fall into the darkness (i.e death) and never return. The fact that they are underground and only appear in places that are dark point to repressed emotions, more notably guilt. This is because, as the memory of Mary's murder was suppressed, so was his guilt. The black tentacles that jut from their lips should James walk over them are really the pangs of his conscience, calling him to remember his crime.
Another possible explanation is that they represent perversion: men who stalk women, always underfoot and always peering under their dresses. Like most of the monsters in Silent Hill 2, the Mandarins also share the theme of sexual frustration, as their form is inherently female. They could also point to James desperately missing Mary. Their tube-shaped heads are similar to retractable lipstick cases, and their lips could represent how James misses Mary's kisses. Their lips also emulate vaginal imagery, which touches more on his sexual frustration.
Reasons for Manifestation:
• Any of the reasons similar to James' plight illustrated above.
Area:
• Labyrinth
• Lakeview Hotel
• Otherworld
~Taken originally from the Silent Hill Wiki
Description:
They hang from the mesh grating floors, commonly found in the Otherworld, by the tips of their arms. They reach out to attack with tentacles that sprout from the lip-like openings in their arms. They are trapped below the floor and James Sunderland never encounters one above the floor he's currently standing on. They appear to be distorted, female figures with grotesquely large arms, and a straight-jacket-like garment covering their upper body. Their legs dangle uselessly below them.
Method of Attack:
They reach out to attack with tentacles that sprout from the lip-like openings in their arms. They are uncommon and not very dangerous. The only method in which to kill one is to use firearms, as the character cannot reach them with any melee weapon. The best tactic to deal with them is to not waste much-needed ammo and to instead run past them. They are very easily avoided so long as the player doesn't stand still above them for too long.
Symbolism:
The Mandarins symbolize feelings of overwhelming incomprehensible anguish and helplessness. They mirror helplessness because they are doomed to hang onto the metal grating, and should they fall, they will disappear into the unknowable blackness below, much like how James' psyche is hanging from the proverbial thread, and should he lose his remaining sanity and the will to live, he too will fall into the darkness (i.e death) and never return. The fact that they are underground and only appear in places that are dark point to repressed emotions, more notably guilt. This is because, as the memory of Mary's murder was suppressed, so was his guilt. The black tentacles that jut from their lips should James walk over them are really the pangs of his conscience, calling him to remember his crime.
Another possible explanation is that they represent perversion: men who stalk women, always underfoot and always peering under their dresses. Like most of the monsters in Silent Hill 2, the Mandarins also share the theme of sexual frustration, as their form is inherently female. They could also point to James desperately missing Mary. Their tube-shaped heads are similar to retractable lipstick cases, and their lips could represent how James misses Mary's kisses. Their lips also emulate vaginal imagery, which touches more on his sexual frustration.
Reasons for Manifestation:
• Any of the reasons similar to James' plight illustrated above.
Area:
• Labyrinth
• Lakeview Hotel
• Otherworld
~Taken originally from the Silent Hill Wiki
