Silent Hill 1&3: Breaking the Gender Binary
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How one of gaming’s first father-daughter duos redefined identity beyond gender essentialism.
Introduction:
Welcome back! I am Joshua, and this is the second installment of my series, “Narratives of Change.” With the Silent Hill 2 remake introducing a new generation of fans to the series, I want to turn the spotlight on the other two entries of the trilogy—Silent Hill 1 and Silent Hill 3—and their significance in both gaming and society. In this article, I explore how these games challenge gender essentialist thoughts while also standing out as one of the first father-daughter narratives in gaming. As always, I highly recommend experiencing the games for yourself, but if you choose to read on, consider this your spoiler warning!
The Dangers of Gender Essentialism:
Essentialism is the belief that categories, including gender, have inherent, unchangeable traits (Ching & Xu, 2018). Gender essentialism asserts that people possess innate qualities based on their assigned gender—such as the idea that girls naturally prefer pink or that boys are inherently more aggressive and suited for leadership. These beliefs reinforce stereotypes, shape societal expectations, and contribute to gender discrimination, particularly against those who do not conform to traditional norms.
Media often perpetuates these ideas, portraying male heroes who use violence to overcome adversity to save passive female characters. However, Silent Hill 1 and Silent Hill 3 subvert this narrative. Harry and his daughter Heather challenge gender essentialist roles by emphasizing individuality and a balance between the masculine and feminine, rather than conforming to stereotypes. This approach was notably progressive for video games of the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Welcome to Silent Hill (1):
Harry Mason, the protagonist of Silent Hill 1, is a recently widowed father who returns to the eerie resort town with his adoptive daughter, Cheryl, to honor the memory of his late wife. After a car accident, Harry loses Cheryl and ventures into the town in search of her. As he delves deeper, he discovers that Silent Hill is no ordinary place—it is a shifting, nightmarish entity that manifests personal fears and buried traumas, twisting reality into a hellish landscape. His search reveals a chilling truth: Cheryl is the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie, a child sacrificed by a local cult devoted to summoning a new god and wiping out humanity to create a paradise from the ground up. The town itself responds to Alessa’s pain and the cult’s dark rituals, trapping Harry in an ever-changing nightmare filled with fog, monsters, and the rusted, bloodstained horrors.
Harry, An Author Turned Family Fighter:
Traditional male protagonists are often defined by toughness and combat prowess, but Silent Hill 1 subverts this through Harry Mason, a quiet, untrained everyman and nonfiction writer who values intellect over brute strength. Unlike action heroes who perform daring stunts, Harry swings his pipe clumsily and evades with a feeble backstep. His journey is not about domination or violence, but endurance, love, and emotional resilience.
Harry’s protective instincts are not driven by hegemony or a need for heroism but by his unwavering love for Cheryl, shown through his relentless endurance. Even after learning of her unsettling origins, he never wavers, always calling her his daughter, reinforcing that fatherhood is defined by love, not blood. He embodies the Japanese concept of gaman suru—expressing love through endurance and sacrifice—pushing forward not out of bravado, but fatherly devotion.
Harry’s compassion also extends beyond Cheryl; he tries to help others along the way like Cybil, Dr. Kaufmann, and Lisa Garland, seeing them as fellow victims rather than obstacles. His first instinct is not violence or self-preservation, but understanding, always willing to hear and help others through various side quests in the game. His journey defies gender essentialism, showing that true masculinity is rooted in love, sacrifice, and emotional resilience rather than dominance or aggression.
A Return to Silent Hill (3):
In Silent Hill 3, following the events of the first game, Harry is “gifted” a new daughter named Heather, the latest reincarnation of both Cheryl and Alessa. Hoping to escape the horrors of the past and give Heather a chance at a normal life, Harry moves away. However, the same cult Harry once battled returns, seeking revenge for his interference in their sacrifice. Now, they set their sights on Heather, forcing her to face the dark truth of her origins. As they attempt to use her to resurrect their god once more, she must grapple with the heavy burden of her fate. In a quest to avenge her father’s death and end the cult’s reign, Heather returns to Silent Hill, navigating its twisted horrors to uncover the truth of her identity and reshape her fate.
Heather, A Daughter Turned Avenger:
Heather defies gender essentialism by combining traditionally masculine traits with a deep emotional complexity. While she exhibits traits typically associated with male protagonists—such as independence, combat prowess, and a drive fueled by anger and vengeance—she is also emotionally expressive and self-reliant. Her ability to solve puzzles based on her teenage experiences, such as knowledge of high school chemistry and literature, reinforces her autonomy. Heather’s anger over her father's death drives her forward, but she is also vulnerable, calling her father "daddy" on the phone.
At the end of the game, after defeating the god she was meant to birth, Heather falls to her knees in grief, realizing that her father will not return despite her efforts at stopping the cult. However, after taking her time to grieve, she chooses to honor her father by renaming herself Cheryl, the name of Harry’s first adopted daughter. Heather’s character shows that strength comes from embracing both vulnerability and resilience, proving that heroism is not about fitting into a gendered mold but about integrating all parts of the human experience.
The Failure of the Silent Hill Movie:
In the 2006 film adaptation of Silent Hill, directed by Christophe Gans, Harry Mason's role was changed from a father to a mother. Gans explained this decision by claiming that the game's central theme revolves around motherhood, and that Harry’s traditionally maternal instincts were better suited to a female character. While he aimed to introduce a feminist perspective, the film inadvertently reinforced gender essentialism by framing Harry’s caregiving role as inherently female. This approach suggests that gender balance can be achieved simply by reversing roles, yet it still upholds a binary view of gender, reducing personality and identity to biological sex. This shift contradicts the core message of the game, which sought to subvert the idea that gender should define one’s agency or behavior. Over time, however, many have recognized the film’s shortcomings, while praising the games for its progressive portrayal of protagonists who transcend rigid gender expectations, highlighting the importance of characters who embody a more balanced, non-binary understanding of gender and identity.
Conclusion:
Video games offer a unique storytelling experience that allows players to deeply engage with characters, making decisions and acting within their world, rather than merely observing like in films. This interactive element fosters a personal connection with the narrative, especially with characters like Harry and Heather, who serve as relatable models for those navigating their own growth and identity. These characters define themselves through actions and emotions rather than gender as Harry’s compassion and Heather’s balance of independence and vulnerability challenge the notion that strength and resilience belong to any one gender. This father-daughter duo offers a counter-narrative that empowers players to explore their own values and identities, reinforcing that individuality and growth are not confined by societal expectations of the gender binary.
Works Cited:
Ching, B.HH., Xu, J.T. (2018). The Effects of Gender Neuroessentialism on Transprejudice: An Experimental Study. Sex Roles 78, 228–241. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-017-0786-3.
Konami. (1999). Silent Hill [PlayStation]. Konami.
Konami. (2003). Silent Hill 3 [PlayStation 2]. Konami.
Gans, Christophe (Director). (2006) Silent Hill (Film)