James Sunderland

James Sunderland's History

James was proficient in track and field in his "school days" according to the novelization. He worked as a clerk for a small company, possibly in Ashfield. His father is Frank Sunderland, who is the superintendent of an apartment building in Ashfield.

James and Mary met at a house party held by a mutual friend. Their affection evolved from a blazing passion to a peaceful and stable relationship. Before Mary and James were married, James would listen to Mary play the piano. Mary liked to play the piano and even though she wasn't very good at it, James still loved to hear her play.

Prior to the events of Silent Hill 2, Mary and James decided to take a vacation in Silent Hill after reading a brochure for the town. They stayed in the Lakeview Hotel, where James recorded a videotape of Mary. Mary said in the videotape that she heard that Silent Hill used to be a "sacred place" and that loved the town and would love to go to Silent Hill again one day. She asked James to promise her to take her to Silent Hill again some day, but the video tape ends before James replies. While leaving the town, James accidentally forgot the videotape in the hotel and the couple left Silent Hill.

Three years prior to the game, Mary was struck with a terminal disease, and she deteriorated to the point of having violent mood swings, lashing out at James in anger. Her doctor predicted she would have less than three years left to live and told James that there was no effective treatment for her condition. James questioned Mary's doctors about her illness, and could not believe they would just let Mary die. He searched through medical books for information about Mary's illness, but never found anything useful. Later in her illness, James visited Mary less frequently because she was emotionally volatile. Her mood swings left him bewildered about what was "right" to do. Mary's and James' wish of having children was also put to an end due to her disease.

James began to "drink a fair bit" to escape his pain and loneliness, but it never changed anything. Mary became a burden on James and he slowly began to resent her; yet simultaneously, seeing the one he loved in such pain tormented him. The emotional trauma and emptiness left James in a constant state of mourning. Eventually he snapped, walked to Mary's bed and kissed her on her forehead before suffocating her with a pillow.

After Mary's death, James carried her body to his car and put her in the backseat. It is unknown how much time passed between Mary's death and James' arrival in Silent Hill – the novelization says he killed Mary "just a few days ago". If James lived in Ashfield, the drive between Ashfield and Silent Hill would be "about a half a day".