silent hill - naritive elements

Themes:

Motherhood
The director states that motherhood was an integral theme and he wanted to show good mothers and bad mothers.

Rose is the good mother — she blindly sacrifices everything to try to help her daughter.

Dhalia has made mistakes — she failed to protect her daughter from the school children, the janitor, and even her own sister. She went to get help, but it was too late and her daughter ended up burned.

Cybill, though not a mother is good, as the secondary hero she is clearly protective of Sharon.

Christabella is also a representation of a bad mother she is aunt to Alessa and Alessa blames her for what happened.

Witchcraft
Motifs of fire and burning can be seen in many different parts of the film, and the Silent Hill inhabitants shout “Witch!” when they are threatened by others.

Alessa is thought to be a witch because Dhalia refused to name a father for her. She is called “a sin”, taunted in class, raped, and finally burnt almost to death because of this.

Dhalia, who went against her sister’s wishes and tried to save her daughter, is an outcast, a blasphemer, and a witch. She causes a Pyramid Head to kill a woman who has been calling her witch.

Rose and Cybill are both called witches. Cybill is burnt alive and Rose is stabbed in the chest by Christabella.

Symbols:

The armless man monster represents Alessa Gillespie's hospitalization.

Grey Children are manifestations of Alessa's memory of children teasing her at school and represent Alessa's own screams as the cult burned her alive and they burn from the inside out continuously, as Alessa did.

Pyramid Head may be off a painting Alessa saw before she was burned alive or may be Alessa's incarnation of her father an authoritative figure punishing those that had punished her.

Conflict – when Rose is attacked by pyramid head the scene is the main form of conflict in the movie, the character is the most feared and powerfull in the film so when the main character comes into contact with the monster it is a memorable and scary point in the film.

Foreshadowing- the similarities between Alessa and Sharon foreshadows the climax which reveals that they are one person and they are different parts of that persons soul (good, evil)

Climax – this is when Dark Alessa kills the cult and the souls combine this is the highest point in the movie as it is full of action/gore and the ending is revealed (the origin of Alessa is explained and her souls combine)

Resolution – after the souls of Alessa has been combined they go back home but Alessa is part of the fog world and therefore Rose cannot see Christopher when this is realised the movie ends.

Rising action – the film is based on a game that contains elements of adventure and puzzle solving and this is used in the film as at various points Rose finds clues as to where to find her daughter such as the drawing of the school and the item from the hotel in the janitor’s mouth. This makes the story progress and Rose gets closer to the truth and her daughter.