6 replies to this topic

[Dreakon139]

I'm going to try and platinum Heavy Rain for the second time, so I'm playing through it again. As I'm playing through the beginning chapters, I kind of find it strange that they got divorced after the loss of their first child. It seems unfathomable, if you really love someone (as it seems they did), to leave them when their lives are in ruin after losing a child in a tragic accident. I don't have kids though, I don't even have a wife, so it's a difficult scenario to imagine.

Put yourself in Ethan's wife's shoes. Could you forgive your significant other for losing track of your child in a situation that led to that child's untimely passing?

[A_FlyingMegaKiwi]

I also do not understand why she left. But, then again, I am the same as you: no wife, no kids.

[Kirbz]

i would have stayed! after their childs death, their love should be even more pure, since they experienced a tragic accident. if it was me, i would try harder to make more twins as in, on a daily basis.. 3 times a day... until they made a twin that looked the same

[Parker]

I can't say I've honestly ever thought about my child dying on my wife's watch, but if it did happen, and it was obviously an accident then I'd see no reason to leave as she'd be just as upset as I would. As far as forgiveness, I'm absolutely positive I would forgive my wife it that were to happen. I love her and know that she has nothing but the best of intentions for our family.

As far as Kirby's response, I honestly couldn't imagine having sex for a long, long while after losing a child. Sex with your wife is something completely different than sex when your 18 years old just looking to get laid. Sexual intercourse with someone you truly love is just as much about the emotional aspect as it is about the physical, and for women possibly even moreso about the emotional aspect. I don't care how much you love someone, if you lose a child that will put at least a little strain on the relationship meaning sex is very far off. Once you re-connect and come to terms with what has happened, and you both truly forgive on another (or perhaps, forgive yourself if you were the "cause" of the death) then sex might be on the mind.

A little off topic but oh well. I always laughed at the guys that had to get "laid" during my high school years. It seems like all anyone cares about is how many women they can sleep with, which in all honesty is trashy to me. I'm proud to say I've slept with one woman in my entire life, and she's my high school sweet heart.


Parker

[dontwaketheKIDS]

As unfathomable as it seems, I've read that it's quite common for the parents to split after the tragic loss of a child. Interesting thing though is, in playing the game, I got the sense that Ethan withdrew himself from reality and couldn't get beyond the guilt of his own actions - be it accidental or not. For me it was much less about his wife's response to Ethan's part in Jason's death (although she blames him pretty hard), but about Ethan's inability to forgive himself. It's probably in the midst of this mutual push away from each other that reconciling is challenging. I thought the game did a good job of capturing this dynamic.

It's so hard to say what I would or wouldn't do in similar situation, but I'd like to think it would strengthen the family bond rather than pull us apart.

[piggie_pie]

I might want to know how many people who voted actually have kids...

My daughter is my whole world and i love her unconditionally... I would give her the shirt off my back and my last meal just to keep her warm and without hunger even if it meant that i would freeze and starve to death... AND most people will never understand that until they have their own kids... its like having your heart outside your body because you live, breath, and bleed for them...

With that said i can honestly say that if something like that were to happen to my family I think we would drift apart just by the sheer resentment... let alone everything else that would cause stress due to the situation... I have very strict rules due to my own childhood... I don't let my daughter out of my site at any time whatsoever and if i knew that my wife had let her run off by herself i would be floored... Im not saying that we need to live in fear but we also cant ignore the fact that accidents happen (the mall scene) and kids get abducted (park scene)... so as a parent it is my job to make sure those things don't happen to my daughter.

Im not saying that we would spit up for sure but its just hard to say

[Princess_Gryff]

I think people really need to think hard before just saying they would forgive. Yes, these things happen but it's normally (not all of the time) the parents who are at fault and not the children. Sure, sometimes a child wanders off but where were you to watch them and make sure the invisible leash was still in your hands?

I may not have children but I do think I would forgive them. However, it would take some time. Think of it from a woman's perspective. You spent nine months with that child inside of you, possibly hours in excruciating pain during labor, and God knows how long taking care of them during daily life. Now, you ask your husband to do a simple task and he ends up being the reason that child is dead. Any responsible adult would feel devastated and it would probably take them a while to get over it. I do, however, think the blame would be lessened since he did try to save the boy by diving in front of the car but it was still his fault in the first place.

On the other hand, playing Devils Advocate, why was the child not taught to not wander off? Why wasn't he explained the dangers? And if he was, why were they not enforced more strictly?

As for the parents splitting up, I think that is more Ethan's fault than anything. dontwaketheKIDS was right in his post and I agree fully. She might have wanted to forgive him and maybe even did fully but he never got over it himself. But I think that was a crucial aspect in the game. If he forgave himself early on and he stayed with his wife then maybe he wouldn't have had the determination and love to save his other child. He did it because he couldn't bare to have the added guilt put upon his body, soul, mind, what have you. He felt obligated to save his child as a way of making up for the past. I know this doesn't sound as pure as it should be but if you think about what happened before, do you really think if it would have been easy on him to forgive himself he would have had the resolve to almost kill himself on multiple occasions to save his other son? For some parents, yes...but I don't think Ethan had that in him before.


I think this game brought to light some real dangers of the real world for those of us who played it and even more so if you got the plat and saw all of the endings. The reality of the game is sickening and brutal but it's true. Things like this do happen but people like Ethan don't exist in every parent in the world and that's a sad fact. I hope those who play it will do their best to look out for things like this so it doesn't happen to their children.