Book of Lost Memories

This is a page outlining all the important, and new information, available in the Book of Lost Memories which was a piece of text published with the Japanese  guide released by in 2003.

Before the 16th Century

 * The area surrounding Silent Hill was where the Native Americans used to conduct mysterious rituals. The land was valued as a sacred place in Native American religion, and was revered as "The Place of the Silenced Spirits".

The Otherworld

 * In Silent Hill 2 the Otherworld is a manifestation of the depths of James' conciousness. What the power of the town causes to appear before him is an Otherworld that is a combination of his delusions and his desire for punishment.

Important Plot Elements

 * James and Mary visited Silent Hill three years prior to the events of Silent Hill 2 on vacation. It is around this time that they made a video tape recording.
 * Laura and Eddie met on the way to Silent Hill.
 * Even though James recovered his memories during the events of the Silent Hill 2 it is never revealed when he killed his wife.
 * The real reason James came to Silent Hill was to take his own life in a place of memories. It is assumed that because of this Mary's body may have been in the car.
 * It's clear that Mary couldn't have died three years prior the events of Silent Hill 2, but something must have happened at the time. It's speculated that it may be the time when Mary's condition took a turn for the worst, and because he was weary from nursing her, he probably lost his memories from that time period as a result of the shock from killing his own wife.

Design Elements

 * The holes in Silent Hill 2 appear repeatedly upon and after James' arrival beneath the Silent Hill Historical Society. James falls through these holes many times and are representative of the abyss which opened up in his heart. By falling into these holes, James is jumping into his own subconscious, and is finally able to accept the crime that he committed.
 * The famous message, "There was a hole here, it's gone now" is referring to holes that open up in Silent Hill, luring those with darkness in their hearts.
 * The vertical corridors and opening doors in the area just before Toluca Prison is evidence that the world James sees is not reality. They also project strong feeling of uneasiness and tension. Because James accepts the strangeness of these doors its an indication that he isn't in a clear state of mind.

Characters

 * Age: Twenty-nine years old.
 * Occupation: Clerk.
 * Profile: James if the main protagonist of the story who was led to Silent Hill after receiving a letter.
 * Raison d'être: The letter James received was an illusion. Weary of nursing his wife's poor health, he took her life to release her from the misery of her illness. However, he was unable to cope with what he did, and became immersed in his own delusions, eventually drawing him to Silent Hill.
 * Trivia: In the initial stages of development, James had two personalities the other being Joseph. The name Joseph was borrowed from Joseph Barnett who was suspected of being Jack the Ripper, and "James" is a derivative.


 * Age: Twenty-five years old.
 * Occupation: Housewive.
 * Profile: James' wife, who supposedly died of an illness three years before the events of Silent Hill 2. Ever since she visited Silent Hill with James it became an important place of memories for the two of them.
 * Raison d'être: Mary says various things in each ending to James once he had become aware of what he had done, as her death three years previously was merely James' delusion.
 * Trivia: Her name is taken from one of Jack the Ripper's supposed victims, Mary Kelly, who was living with Joseph Barnett one of the suspects of the case.


 * Age: Twenty-five years old.
 * Occupation: Dancer.
 * Profile: A woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Mary, apart from her choice in clothes.
 * Raison d'être: Maria is a product of James' delusions as a result of his inability to bear the crime of killing his wife. She was based off a model who was a dancer at the club Heaven's Night.
 * Trivia: In the initial stages of development she had an existence characterized by a double personality. The first personality was "Mary," so for the other the name "Maria" is derived from that.


 * Age: Eight years old.
 * Occupation: N/A.
 * Profile: A young girl who was a patient at the same hospital as Mary. Having no mother of her own, Laura loved Mary as if she were her own mother.
 * Raison d'être: Laura is the only character who doesn't hold any darkness in her heart. It's believed that she came to Silent Hill looking for Mary. To Laura the town appears normal; she does not see any monsters, nor does she see Maria.
 * Trivia: Her name is taken from the nonfiction work "No Language But a Cry," which is a story about a young girl's search while struggling to overcome the scars of her abuse.


 * Age: Nineteen years old.
 * Occupation: N/A.
 * Profile: A girl who came to Silent Hill in search of her mother. After she graduated from high school, she ran away from home but was found and brought back by her father.
 * Raison d'être: Due to the blood-stained newspaper found in-game, the conclusion can be made that she took her father's life due to her abuse. After this event, being in a state of emotional turmoil she was most likely drawn to Silent Hill.
 * Trivia: Her name is borrowed from the protagonist of the film "The Net." This name is religious, meaning "angel", and is common among Hispanics, thereby giving the rise to the implied "immigrant" as well.


 * Age: Twenty-three years old.
 * Occupation: Gas station employee (part time).
 * Profile: A young man who is teased because of his weight. He is usually passive, but there is a side to him that is extremely violent.
 * Raison d'être: His anger and frustration at the way he was treated by others reached a climax which caused him to kill a dog and shoot the dog's owner in the leg. While running from the police he grew to have feelings of guilt, most likely drawing him to Silent Hill.
 * Trivia: In the initial stages of development, Eddie was cheerful. His name was borrowed from the actor, Eddie Murphy, but his personality changed completely.

Monsters

 *  - It represents the image of a patient writhing in agony. A manifestation of James' suffering.
 *  - Its grotesquely swollen head faces the wrong way. A being that is suggestive of Mary's hospitalization.
 *  - A manifestation of James' natural urges and inclinations.
 *  - Symbolizes feelings of overwhelming, incomprehensible anguish. For this reason, it is not permitted to stand above ground.
 *  - Since it appears in Silent Hill 1 it can be assumed that it is derived for the most part from the town's power.
 *  - "Lustful lips." The lattice signifies a bed, and the mouth on the abdomen represents Mary.
 *  - "Ideal father." On top of its bed like form are two covered reclining figures. A symbol of Angela's past.
 *  - This monster takes the appearance of a executioner of times past, but is actually incarnated from the part of James' conciousness that feels he needs to be punished. This punishment is represented by Maria whom Pyramid Head kills again and again to reiterate the actuality of Mary's death and wake James up from his delusion.
 * Relation/Similarities to Valtiel:
 * If the helmet concealing Pyramid Head's face was to be removed it would become apparent that the designs of the two are similar.
 * At the back of Pyramid Head's Garment, there is a mark where the cloth is stitched together which is shared characteristic also the the gloves he wear are similar to Valtiel's.
 *  - A being that embodies James' conflicted emotions toward Mary during her final days.

Endings

 * Of the four conclusions (In Water, Leave, Maria and Rebirth), there is no one correct interpretation. Each ending indicates a different possibility.

Locations

 *  - Before the events of Silent Hill 2 the hotel was completely destroyed by fire.