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Lisa Garland is a fan-favorite character fromSilent Hill, due in part to the unfortunate circumstances in her story, including her manipulation at the hands of Doctor Kaufmann and eventual purgatory in Silent Hill’s Otherworld. Before the events of Silent Hill, Lisa worked as a nurse in Alchemilla Hospital and was tasked withcaring for Alessaafter the cult’s ritual to birth their god ended horrifically.
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What happened to Lisa can be pieced together through clues laid out throughout the game’s story. Though many aspects of it remain unclear, Lisa’s backstory and role in the game are compelling and still discussed among fans to this day.
Who Is Lisa Garland?
Lisa Garland is a nurse you meet in Silent Hill, seemingly havingno recollection of why the hospital isfilled with monstersand why all the people have vanished.
Harry Mason encounters Lisa in Alchemilla Hospital while searching for his daughter Cheryl. Lisa says thatshe’s been unconscious and is terrifiedof what the hospital has become.
At the beginning of the game, Lisa appears to be just as in the dark as Harry about the nightmarish world of Silent Hill, despite being a member of the hospital staff.
When Harry asks Lisa if she knows about“that weird stuff” in the basement, she claims to have no idea, saying that the hospital staff are “under strict orders never to enter the basement storeroom.” However,this proves not to be true for Lisa herself, as she played a bigger role than she remembers.
Lisa Garland In The Otherworld
Harry visits Alchemilla Hospital to ask Lisa the way to the lake. Lisa begs Harry not to leave her in the hospital alone; however, despite being terrified, when Harry offers to keep her safe from the monsters outside if she were to come with him, she refuses. She says,”No… somehow I feel I’m not supposed to leave this place.”
Harry promises to return for her, but their next meeting doesn’t go as planned. Arriving in Nowhere after an encounter with Dahlia Gillespie and Alessa, Harry once again wakes up to find Lisa and asks where Dahlia and Alessa are; however, Lisa is preoccupied. Lisa mentions that, ever since Harry asked her about the “weird stuff” in the basement, she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it.Lisa says she went to look in the basement but found “nothing really unusual” aside from “creepy rooms.”
Regardless,visiting the basement appears to trigger Lisa’s memoryof what happened with Alessa, but her memories are still unclear, which distresses her. Harry attempts to comfort her, but Lisa runs out of the room, claiming that he doesn’t understand what she’s going through.
Harry eventually catches up with Lisa in the basement, where she seems to have gained an awareness of her situation. Lisa tells Harry that she understands now - similar to the other nurses that, despite being dead roam the halls of the hospital as monsters, Lisa appears to be alive, but in actuality,her spirit is trapped within the hospital because she is no longer living.She says, “I’m the same as them,”hammering home her fate.
Lisa is scared of the realization, and searches for comfort from Harry, asking him to help her. Unfortunately, as Lisa was a spirit trapped in Nowhere before Harry met her, it’s too late. Lisa walks towards Harry with her arms outstretched; in fear, Harry pushes her away.Blood then begins pouring from Lisa’s face and body, covering her completely.
Harry leaves the room and barricades the door with his body, preventing Lisa from leaving. On the other side, you can hear Lisa’s sorrowful cries. Even though Lisa is spiritually trapped in Silent Hill,she retains part of her humanity unlike the other monsters- she cries out for Harry despite succumbing to the town’s influence.
Lisa’s Diary And Videotape
After Harry’s final encounter with Lisa alone, he finds a diary written by her.This diary reveals that Lisa was Alessa’s caretakerduring her time at the hospital.
The diary says that Lisa asked Kaufmann to quit her job as Alessa’s caretaker; however, it’s implied that, at this point,Lisa was addicted to PTV, a drug made from the localWhite Claudiaplant.
Lisa’s diary suggests that she’s having hallucinations of insects, as well as of blood and pus pouring from the faucet. The notes are also fragmented,implying that she is possibly suffering from drug withdrawalsand struggling to write.
Kaufmann, the director of Alchemilla Hospital, supplied Lisa with PTV in order to convince her to tend to the severely burned Alessa in the basement. Lisa showed disdain for her situation; in a videotape that Harry can discover, Lisa describes Alessa’s injuries and symptoms, saying that Alessa miraculously won’t die, despite suffering from intense wounds that won’t heal.
On the tape, Lisa says,“I can’t stand it any longer,”referring to being in the basement with Alessa, and promises she “won’t tell a soul,” presumably if Kaufmann were to let her leave the hospital.
However,Lisa was never able to leave the hospitalas she hoped.
Why Was Lisa Trapped In Silent Hill?
Lisa is trapped in the Otherworld, a manifestation of Alessa’s nightmares. Although Lisa was manipulated into “caring” for Alessa in the hospital basement,she still contributed to Alessa’s suffering.Lisa’s spirit was trapped when Alessa’s nightmare became real and created the Otherworld; however, it’s unclear how Lisa actually died.
It’s also possible that, as she was Alessa’s primary carer, the Lisa Harry meets in Silent Hill is a manifestation of the real Lisa, conjured by Alessa’s memory. Whether Lisa is a spirit or a conjured memory,it’s her relationship with Alessa that caused her spirit to become trappedin Silent Hill.
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Lisa is a part of Alessa’s nightmares, as she tended to Alessa after she was severely burned. Alessa associated the hospital, and as a result, Lisa, with the suffering she endured,causing Lisa to become entangled within Alessa’s purgatory.
It’s unclear why Lisa at first appears to be unaffected by the nightmare that corrupted the other nurses, turning them into monsters. Perhaps, as Alessa had a stronger connection to Lisa than the other nurses, she retained her human appearance and personality despite being “the same as them.”
Lisa’s seemingly unaffected appearance could be because of her repressed memories, as her visit to the hospital basement and uncovering her memories is the catalyst for her transformation during the basement scene with Harry.
What Becomes Of Lisa?
In the Good and Good Plus Endings, Kaufmann helps Harry by shooting Dahlia and using the Aglaophotis on Alessa, causing the Incubus to leave Alessa’s body and allowing Harry to kill it. When Kaufmann tries to escape alongside Harry, Lisa climbs through the grating in the floor and grabs Kaufmann,dragging him with her to suffer eternal torment.
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At this point,there is little left of the Lisa Harry encountered in Alchemilla Hospital.Aside from her bloody clothing, Lisa wears a blank facial expression and makes incomprehensible noises - a far cry from the human fear she showed earlier in the game.
In the end, Lisa is able to enact revenge on Kaufmann for manipulating her. Although it’s not a happy ending, as Lisa still remains trapped in Silent Hill,she gets a personal sense of justice, as Kaufmann was the primary reason behind Lisa’s suffering.
Lisa In Silent Hill 3
Ina Twitter reply clarifying the appearance of Lisa in Silent Hill 3, Masahiro Ito says thatthe nurse in the “ladder room” was intended to be Lisa, despite having to reuse an asset of the Fukuro Lady for her character model. Aside from showing Alessa’s influence on Silent Hill 3’s Otherworld, Lisa’s appearance suggests thatshe has been suffering ever since.
Lisa is a character remembered by fans due to the truly tragic circumstances surrounding her fate. Despite being a minor character,her story is tied to the undercurrents of Silent Hill’s plot.Due to Lisa’s reliance on PTV, Kaufmann was able to use Lisa, thus furthering the cult’s goal of keeping Alessa and the Incubus alive. Lisa was unwillingly caught up in Kaufmann and the cult’s plans, resulting in hertragic eternal suffering.
