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Depending on who you talk to, one of the most comforting things about being trapped in Silent Hill is that James is not alone. Yep, several other people were unlucky enough to get drawn into this town and James will be chatting with all of them inSilent Hill 2.
Among this cast of tragic souls is Eddie Dombrowski, who looks like he’d fit into any stereotypical college guy friend group. Sadly, that’s not the case and Eddie goes through a lot while in Silent Hill, and unsurprisingly, bad things end up happening.
Why Is Eddie In Silent Hill?
When Eddie is first introduced, he is shown leaning against a van reading a map. It seems that he’s lost and unsure where to go,but he’s distracted by Laura, a child he met on the way to Silent Hill.
Though it’s at first unclear as to why Eddie came to Silent Hill,his background reveals that Eddie was bullied for being overweight his whole lifeand continued to be harassed by a particular bully following high school.
This caused him to snap, whichresulted in him killing the bully’s dog before shooting (but not killing) the bully with a revolver. Realizing what he had done, Eddie ran out of fear and was drawn to Silent Hill, stating that the town “called” him.
What Is Eddie’s Relationship With Other Characters?
Throughout the game, Eddie is encountered several times in various states of mind. Despitethe number of human characters wandering around Silent Hill, it appears that Eddie only has relationships with two of them:Laura and James.
With Laura, Eddie treats her kindly and talks to her as any adult would talk to a child.Despite this, she directly insults both his weight and cowardice, but he brushes it off and simply tells her that she shouldn’t say things like that.
His connection with James is more significant with their first meeting in Wood Side Apartments, where Eddie is vomiting in a bathroom. When James finds him, Eddie immediately starts yelling that he didn’t kill the man in the fridge nearby.
Seeing how distraught he is,James asks if he’s encountered Pyramid Head, to whichEddie denies but does say that he has seen monsters around the town. The two leave each other, expressing concern for the other’s safety.
Eddie is next seen at Pete’s Bowl-O-Rama, where he’s eating pizza and talking with Laura. James’s arrival causes Laura to run away, and he decides to go after her, butEddie decides not to join him because he’s hurt by her insults.
Jamesreminds him that there are monsters, but Eddie dismisses his concerns and says Laura will be fine. This causes James to angrily storm off.
After that, Eddie’s mental state takes a massive dive when James meets him in Toluca Prison. He finds Eddie in the cafeteria,wielding a revolver and muttering about how killing someone is “no big deal”.
He also refers to a corpse lying on a table nearby, claiming thathe killed him because he insulted him. When James challenges him, Eddie laughs it off and states that he was joking before heading back into the prison.
The final encounter shows Eddie completely shattered, likely from prolonged exposure to Silent Hill’s nightmares. James encountersEddie’s nightmare, which takes the form of a meat locker filled with hanging meat sacks that look eerily human, while Eddie is bombarded with insults.
James approaches Eddie to talk to him, butEddie goes on a rant saying that he enjoys killing, that everyone is the same when they’re dead, and that he’ll kill anyone who insults him. In response, James tries to calm him down and questions his sanity, but this triggers Eddie into believing that James is against him and has been laughing at him. This leads him to shoot James, forcing the latter to defend himself.
As they fight, James continues to attempt to help Eddie, buthe rejects him and claims that James is no better than him; otherwise, he wouldn’t be in Silent Hill. The fight ends with James killing Eddie and becoming mortified over what he’s just done.
What Does Eddie Symbolize In Silent Hill 2?
Even though Eddie and James aren’t directly connected, there is a link between them that can be found in Eddie’s nightmare world. The fact that it takesthe form of a meat locker indicates Eddie’s descent into a cold-hearted personwho will kill at the slightest provocation.
Even though Eddie was insulted and bullied throughout his whole life, he chose to seek strength in the suffering of others, as evidenced by his stating how he enjoyed killing the bully’s dog and then hearing the bully moan and cry after being shot.It poses the question of whether killing is ever truly justified, a question which James still doesn’t know how to answer.
