Red Dead Redemption 2: A Thematic Exploration
“You Are The Only Feller Who Got Half Of Their Brain Eaten By Wolves And Ended Up More Intelligent.” — Arthur Morgan
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel story set in an era that has been romanticized to death. But the reality of the time is probably very different. The game does a good job of showing this at times. Especially when you go off the beaten path to help out other citizens of the late 19th century America.
Now, that’s not what we are here for. Lets talk about the story because we love stories don’t we? As mentioned before, the story is set in the late 19th century. Its a time of civilization and modernization. The old ways are on their way out. A man can settle down in the safety of a city, own a home, have a family and eventually die a happy man. This is what the people of the time, eagerly strive for.
But our story follows a merry band of not so savory outlaws, with a heart of gold. You gotta have a heart of gold to be a great Anti-Hero and that’s what Arthur Morgan is. As the protagonist of this story, he struggles in a world which has moved on and a place for outlaws like him, is quickly diminishing.
“We’re Thieves In A World That Don’t Want Us No More.”
— Arthur Morgan
This struggle becomes the essential or the core theme of the game. A debate between the security of the civilization and the freedom of the wild. So, lets get right into it shall we.
The debate of security and freedom is a very old one and now, it is more relevant than ever before. Well, with all the advent of mass surveillance and personal data mining I mean. But lets go back to a more simpler time. Our hero Arthur, belongs to a gang or a family of sorts, consisting of very colorful characters. But one common motivation drives them all. Which is to make enough money to eventually leave and live a life of their own. Yet, for one reason or another, it never seems to come together and now, its too late for them to go after this dream. So they struggle. With rival gangs, The Pinkerton Detective Agency(A police force of sorts) and the person they end up robbing, Leviticus Cornwall(A politically connected wealthy businessman).
“We’re More Ghosts Than People Now.” — Arthur Morgan
If you google the word freedom, you find two different meanings. The first one says “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.” This talks about freedom of the mind. Your complete control over what you are able to think, speak or the way you are allowed to act in different contexts. When living in a civilization or a society, there are rules. Both written and unwritten. For an individual to thrive, they have to abide by these rules. Sure, there is always some wiggle room and you can bend some these, yet, at the end of the day, there is only so much freedom. What can be said?, what’s appropriate?, are you allowed to do certain things or even think, about saying and doing certain things? These questions, seem to have different answers, depending on what page of history that we are living through. Now, I am not one those free speech absolutists who want to preserve the ability to do, say and think as we please. There is always room for moderation. But this moderation is what keeps civilization in check and provides security that we cherish so much. So, is that the right way to think about this or is there something better? Its something to think about.
“There Ain’t No Freedom For No One In This Country No More” — Dutch Van Der Linde
The second meaning of the word freedom, “the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.” Now, this has to do with your physical state of freedom, your personal agency to do things in life. Once again, based on the culture, the era and the people your surround yourself with, dictates what actions are allowed and what’s not. But there is one thing, that we haven’t talked about yet. Something that is almost like a cheat code to life. MONEY!
Over the years, I have observed this one constant truth. Also, once I became a game designer and started building different economic systems, this was even more obvious to me. In games, well, in games where currency seems like an essential part, the more you accumulate, the more agency you have and more agency = more freedom. Its just simple Math. This seems to apply to the real world as well. Its as if the rules of civilization do not apply to the rich. They also seem to dictate them sometimes depending on how influential they are. This correlation between money and freedom, can be observed in the game as well. If you remember, the common motivation for all of the people in Dutch’s gang, is to make enough money to pursue whatever they desire. Essentially, the freedom to pursue your own happiness. In our reality, accumulating wealth eventually leads to the opening of the proverbial doors and these doors lead to the attainment of your ambitions. Again, something critical to point out here, that your attainment of ambitions is not the freedom. It is your ability to access the different ways you can achieve these ambitions. That, is freedom. Also, ambitions doesn’t only mean your dream job, house and car. It also includes the person you want to marry, your ability to travel and experience the finer things in life. All of these things depend on your ability to access, and access requires wealth.
Now, of course money matters. People who say money doesn’t matter are the ones who are wealthy now or they were born wealthy. People who are struggling know exactly what I am talking about, and there is no point shying away from this truth. But money is only a tool and in the words of Kratos(God Of War) and I am paraphrasing here, the power of that tool, comes from your heart, but only when tempered by your mind. Through discipline and self-control, one can find just how to strike true. So here, great values are important too. The reason I spoke about money is because its one of the very few examples of tools that allow you, to create your own freedom, inside the security of civilization. Now, is that truly freedom? again, something to think about.
“This Place… Ain’t No Such Thing As Civilized” — Dutch Van Der Linde
The word security, similar to the word freedom, has two different meanings according to google. The first one, “the state of being free from danger or threat.” This talks about the danger your face against your very way of life or your very existence. Civilization was created to preserve a certain way of life. This way of life was lucrative to many. Hence, it was preserved and passed through generations in different civilizations across the world. We now live in a time, where we cannot even imagine our lives without the security of civilization. I mean sure, there are people still living far away from major cities, trying to create their little piece of freedom, away from the prying eyes of civilization. Still, their lifestyle is supplemented by the safety that a civilization provides. The second meaning of the word security has to do with banks, so that’s irrelevant to our conversation.
Moreover, there are several obvious benefits to civilization and as a social animal of the mammalian kind, I believe, human beings only thrive in organized group living. Whether its tribes, villages, towns, cities etc. We rely on each other for security. This includes security for our very existence or financial security, which preserves the kind of life that we want to lead. But have we lived in civilization for so long that we have forgotten how to be free? It seems more and more, that people are readily giving away their rights, if it means more security. Furthermore, the propagation of fear by the ruling class, just adds more fuel to this fire.
Additionally, the contrast between the benefits of civilization and the wild, can be observed in the game as well. Dutch’s gang, along with Arthur, live outside of the different pockets of civilization. Now, they seem have their own problems, yet the people living in the different cities and towns are fairing no better. They have problems too. Its just of a different kind. One could argue that living in the Red Dead world, complaining about terrible plumbing in your house is probably better than running for your life everyday. But one can also ask, which has more freedom? Being saddled with the debt of your house, the expenses and the different vices of civilization. These things diminish your agency. But if you could live like Arthur, you could just get on a saddle and go where the wind takes you.
We all like contemplating the idea of being free and wild from the security of our civilization. But maybe we just romanticize the idea too much or is there something to it? It is clear that for humanity to survive, we need the security of civilization. Yet, I wonder, can it be done better? The urgency for the answer is far greater than we realize.
“I Wish I Had Acquired Wisdom At Less Of A Price.” — Hosea Matthews
Until next time, take care people and enjoy your civilization.
