Silent Hill 2 Holes Meanings

Anywhere in the video game Silent Hill 2 that there is a hole, it makes a subtle gesture towards the feminine and subsequently James Sunderland's wife Mary. The game itself is literally littered with holes of various kinds, from the hole that James puts his hand in early in the game, to the toilet that he does later to the excess of holes in the prison which he must jump down into in order to continue. There is also an element of Alice in Wonderland to this, jumping down the rabbit hole.

There Was A Hole Here, It's Gone Now

The first example of this is not so much a hole but a reference to one with some writing on a wall, which is shown below. This in reference to Mary, the hole essentially being here. It suggests that she was once here, but has since left.

The Hole With The Key

Another example is the hole in the wall which James must place his hand in order to collect a key. This hole is a much clearer representation of female genitalia, with a dripping green slime coming from it, as well as of Mary, with butterflies surrounding it.

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

The holes in the Silent Hill prison area are somewhat more extreme than the others mentioned, representing of course Mary but also something akin to diving down the rabbit hole and into the subconscious mind. Much of the games most important events happen after James jumps into the bowels of his mind via the system of holes in the prison.

Jumping Into Your Own Grave

As James came to Silent Hill to be with Mary and Mary is dead, he actually came to Silent Hill to kill himself. As a result, one of the things he does beneath the prison is jumps into the hole that is his own grave.

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