The Strange Man and His Implications on Honorability in RDR

Honorability Within Red Dead Redemption

Full Title: 

The Strange Man and His Implications on the Morality and Honorability of Various Characters Within the Red Dead Redemption Franchise- As Well As an Analysis of Arthur Morgan's High Honor Dreams of Deer

A Recounting of Events to Understand:

 (If you are familiar with Red Dead Redemption I and II, this section isn't necessary to read.)

So, I'm going to go ahead and give a spoiler warning just in case someone finds this essay and doesn't want both RDR1 and 2 spoiled for them. I'm going to talk about some major plot points, so if you're not familiar with both games and want to play them eventually, maybe get out of here.

I think a quick run-down of the major players and events in this story should be included. Our two main characters are Arthur Morgan and John Marston. Arthur Morgan is the main character of RDR2, which occurs in 1899. John Marston is the main character of RDR1, which takes place 12 years later, in 1911. These two men are both important members of the Van Der Linde gang, a gang of outlaws run by a man named Dutch Van Der Linde. It's important to realize that both Arthur and John have committed serious crimes and killed an unspecified number of people on behalf of Dutch. Now, we can get into the events concerning these men. The entire Red Dead Redemption franchise is sparked with the Blackwater Massacre. This event started out as a plan from the Van Der Linde gang to rob a ferry in the town of Blackwater. The robbery failed when the Pinkerton Detective agency, a private law enforcement group, was alerted and ended up in a violent shootout with the gang. During this massacre, Dutch Van der Linde murdered an innocent woman by the name of Heide McCourt, which will come into play later. This event pushes the Van Der Linde gang North into the mountains, to flee the Pinkertons, and the events of RDR2 begin. The first game sees the gang traveling across the country in search of money and safety from the Pinkertons, however, by the end of this game, Dutch van der Linde has begun to lose his bearings and the gang falls apart. Arthur contracts tuberculosis and dies in order to let John Marston and his family escape the crumbling gang and the pursuing lawmen. There is then a time jump to the epilogue of RDR2, where you play as John Marston in 1907, helping John get a ranch set up for him and his family. The next time jump is to 1911, and RDR1 starts. We don't need to cover the events of RDR1, just know that you are playing as John Marston and by the end of the game, John Marston is dead. This is the basic timeline for the events of the Red Dead franchise, but I will discuss it in more specific terms later on. When I mention an event, I will tell the character you are playing as (Arthur or John) and the year in which the event occurs.

Another important thing I should mention is the honor system present in both games. The honor system is a mechanic in the game in which you are given a score based on your "honor". Honor is dictated by your deeds and decisions as a player. For example, if you donate to charity or give medicine to a sick stranger, your honor level will increase. Alternatively, if you rob stores and murder innocent people, your honor decreases. Aspects of the game will change depending on your honor level, like how characters treat you and how the story develops. In RDR2, the way Arthur dies is entirely dependent on your honor, and there are four different endings for different levels of honor. Honor is a very important aspect of the game and is represented in different ways. For example, Arthur has dreams of an animal at pivotal moments during his development as a character. If the player has high honor, these will manifest as a peaceful deer in a warm, yellow environment. If the player has low honor, they will instead see a predatory coyote over a dark, cold environment. 

Events Concerning the Strange Man:

The first encounter you can have relating to this man is in 1899 while playing as Arthur. Arthur never comes into direct contact with the Strange Man (well, that's debatable, but we'll get back to that). Arthur can, however, find this man's home in the swamps of the state called Lemoyne. This shack has candles everywhere, paintings that reflect the player's honor level, mysterious poems on the walls, a map of the town Armadillo, and the Strange Man's top hat. Additionally, there is an unfinished painting of the Strange Man that completes itself if you return to the shack while playing as John in 1907. There is no question that this shack belongs to the Strange Man.