Five moments you may have missed in Red Dead Redemption II

It’s been a year since Red Dead Redemption 2 surprised us all: the maturity, the subtlety, blew us away. We’ve seen one of the most complex characters of the medium evolve from a martial villain to a vulnerable hero (assuming the player has led Arthur on the right track). What made it so moving was not just the detail given to Arthur, but the detail of the world. Look back with us on this monumental achievement, highlighting five easy-to-overlook encounters that together reflect Arthur’s transformation and meaning.

Mickey

Arthur enters the last act of the game and tries to help people, but does not see himself as worthy of the same kindness. He writes:

“I do not want to save, I do not deserve it, I just want to help a few people.”

Enter Mickey, a veterinary veterinarian in Valentine, whom Arthur may meet from time to time. Their interactions are absolutely banal. Arthur says almost nothing to the straying Mickey. He lends him only one ear – so that Mickey can share his sufferings. It seemed insignificant, but it was not.
Your final interaction makes it clear; Arthur touched this man deeply, only by listening. When Arthur recognized Mickey, he gave him the courage to be honest for the first time in a long time. Arthur did something, but he can not answer Mickey’s gratitude. Arthur changes. He has changed. He just can not acknowledge it.

Charlotte

Charlotte is a widow. Alone in the wilderness, with no knowledge of how to survive, she is doomed to fail until Arthur comes along. He teaches her how to hunt and take care of herself. She recognizes him as a decent man and invites him to dinner. When Charlotte recognizes Arthur’s decency, he gets a coughing fit. It’s as if his body is trying to deny a truth he has hidden all his life. As the nun Arthur says in one of the most popular scenes in the game, “That’s the problem, you do not know each other . whenever we meet, you always help people and smile.” It’s in their nature to be friendly , He can choose to be good and that means he is good. Finally it begins to sink. Later he writes:

“Maybe I have something to hope for”

Woman on the street

As he explores the wilderness outside Van Horn, Arthur encounters members of the McMurphy gang. They attacked a car and are preparing to attack a woman. Arthur enters, rescues her and takes her home. She thanks Arthur and he does not scare. He does not recognize it right now, but he did something selfless. A little later, he writes about it, the first time he does something good without disregarding himself. He even draws it.

A boy and his dog

On the way through Strawberry Arthur meets a desperate boy who has lost his dog. Arthur decides to help. After reuniting the two friends, Arthur releases his false identity and takes pride in his friendliness. He is a good man and for the first time enjoys being active.

Evelyn Miller

Arthur honors his journey in his last diary entry.

“I suppose every man has enough regrets to make him die happily. I just hope that I did something good when I learned to see the world as it was. Is not my fault that the process took so long! “

Arthur recognizes his kindness by the fact that he regrets it and wishes he could have done better. He wants good deeds because he is good. This understanding is emotional and not rational. A truth that portrays Evelyn Miller in one of the most hidden side-tasks of the game.
In the postscript, players like John Miller, Holland’s favorite philosopher. Miller stands for reverence and proclaims God’s presence in all nature. But he does not see God in himself. He aims to argue fortunately.
The comparison of Arthur’s last diary entry with the following quotation from Miller’s last essay shows the importance of what Arthur is learning.

“Oh, the idiot who strives to be more. Our burden is the most humiliating. “

Unlike Arthur, Miller can not connect to the love that can be found in feeling. He is obsessed with the rational limits of man. Miller wants to quantify his experience and give an answer to why he suffers. As we can see, it is an impossible achievement.
Miller can not see the irony. When trying to substantiate an answer, he gets into the cycle he laments. Arthur found peace in his ability to act and in his decision to be good. He did not have to understand why he chose; he just does it.

For more information on Red Dead Redemption II, see our reasons for awarding a perfect 10 and in