Lillian Shepherd (Mental State)



This is a theory into the mental well-being of Lillian Shepherd, mother of Alex Shepherd from the seventh main installment of the game series, Silent Hill:Homecoming

Personality
Lillian is encountered several times throughout the game, first at the Shepherd House near the beginning and ultimately with her death in Overlook Penitentiary, either at the hands of the player or the Otherworld. The biggest characteristic that is noticed immediately by the player is her evidently deteriorated mental state. From the remarks made by Alex when exploring the house, it appears that Lillian has distinct Victorian values, in which the history of the Shepherd family is displayed prominently and the furniture is in the classical style. It is apparent upon first meeting Lillian that the vitality she once had is no longer present. When she is first encountered, she is rocking gently back and forth with an old dusty revolver sitting her lap. Her face appears pale and weak and she is staring off into space, her mind elsewhere When Alex attempts to communicate with her, she seems to have difficulty responding. It is in the responses that the player realizes her current mental state. She exhibits tendencies to fade in and out and seems to barely be able to grasp what she is saying. She seems to be in a delusional state, and this behavior is a constant trait she exhibits for the rest of the game. Over the course of the game, the player realizes why this is so.

Causes
The primary psychological toll was undertaking the task of raising a son who she knew would ultimately killed in a violent and murderous way in order to not upset the natural balance of Shepherd’s Glen. Her husband, Adam Shepherd, was much less empathetic, and attempted to outcast his son from photos and family activities as to avoid him getting too emotionally close to the family itself, considering his eventual death. Even his brother, Joshua Shepherd, was forbidden to spend time with Alex. Lillian was not this way. Her maternal instincts made her care too much for her oldest son and she could not stand to watch as he grew up only to be struck down. This was the first cause of her psychological decay; a slow and painful process that she had to endure for years. Then, in an accident, her second son, Joshua Shepherd was killed by drowning in a lake after falling off a boat with Alex. In her already weak psychological state, this was yet another powerful blow to her not so stable conscience. To make matters worse, Alex fell into a state of denial, believing that his brother was in fact still alive, and was committed to a mental hospital. For one reason or another, probably because of these factors, Alex was not sacrificed and Shepherd’s Glen was plunged forever into hellish curse of Silent Hill. This was truly the final blow of Lillian’s fragile mind. With all of her worst fears and psychological demons coming out in the most horrible way imaginable she was left in a world of constant fear, depression, anxiety, and paranoia which eventually led to mental instability.

Eventually the forces of Silent Hill take her in the form of the Order and she is held at the mercy of the Otherworld until Alex finds her. With her last breath, she softly begs Alex to kill her and end her suffering. She also The player can either choose to end her quickly with a shot from his pistol or let her slowly suffer as she is ripped in half by her binding chains, a punishment that is symbolic in nature. Lillian is torn between Alex and Joshua.

Conclusion
It is a testament to Lillian's fortitude that she held on for as long as she. However, the psychological torment began to consume her, as she grew tired of fighting off the negative feelings. Ultimately her mental well-being decays further, and she becomes another victim of the terror of Silent Hill. The true terror lies in one key characteristic about her: she appears as a strong, moralistic, and dedicated member of society and yet even this fortitude is eventually broken away by the power of Silent Hill.