Memory of Alessa

"It would be better for "myself" to die. After all, it's nothing to be afraid of... That child... that demon... When I think of the endless pain it will bring when it is birthed... I decided that, instead of the suffering and cruelty I endured in that sick room... That I would like to bestow a more gentle and peaceful death on "myself". Why do "I" resist? I never thought of "myself" as such a fool..."

The Memory of Alessa is a boss monster in Silent Hill 3, as well as having her likeness appear in Silent Hill: Revelation.

Heather Mason encounters her in the Otherworld's Lakeside Amusement Park, where combat ensues. She attacks Heather on the carousel after Claudia Wolf confirms that God is currently in Heather's uterus, feeding off her hatred.

Appearance
The Memory of Alessa appears as a bloody, ragged doppelgänger of Heather, save for the dead, pale, rotting skin and Alessa Gillespie's dark black, disheveled hair.

Her face and skin is diseased and the side of her cheek and her forehead appear to have its flesh torn off as if melted, a probable reference to Alessa's burning. Much of her burned and charred skin is peeled off in strips of gored flesh.

Her clothes are dirty, bloody, and covered in soot. Her vest is brown instead of Heather's white, her miniskirt is gray instead of Heather's green, and her boots are almost black instead of brown. Her turtleneck sweater is black instead of orange. Her movements are twitchy, erratic, and she limps toward Heather.

Character
The Memory of Alessa attacks Heather using weapons normally at the heroine's disposal. She begins combat with the knife, which is Heather's default and starting melee weapon. Her attacks are weak, but fast, and she'll parry most of Heather's attacks, including gunfire. Blocking her attacks and then counter-attacking is the wisest method with which to defeat her, the katana being the best tool to do this. She will collapse and appear to "evaporate" in a pool of blood before manifesting elsewhere on the carousel with a handgun. Heather can take cover behind the horses to avoid being shot, and once melee range has been reached, she will attempt to strike Heather with the pistol.

Her second defeat will force her to return with a steel pipe, which is much more dangerous than the knife. After this, she can be treated as she was previously, but will attempt to retreat. After her third defeat, she will reappear with a submachine gun. The same tactics apply as with the handgun, save for her increased damage and firing rate. Also, Heather must knock her down several times, whereas she would normally only have to do so once, making this a particularly dangerous phase. Engaging her during the second and fourth stages using a melee weapon will cause her to try using her firearms as melee weapons too, rarely attacking Heather with gunfire. After she is beaten the fourth time, she will finally die.

On Hard mode, the Memory of Alessa needs to be knocked down a few times when she is using the submachine gun.

Symbolism
The Memory of Alessa is the imprint of Alessa left in the Otherworld by her powers and mind. It is a manifestation of Alessa's mind that wants, above all else, to stop "God's" birth, and to spare the world from the event should it occur, reasoning that a relatively quick death was preferable to the alternate fate. In the center of the carousel is a human figure being burned by fire, symbolic of Alessa's immolation 24 years ago, as well as her endless torment.

Upon dying, she leaves a message printed in blood on the carousel floor. The message left by the Memory of Alessa reveals her intention to free "herself" from the suffering she must endure as the Mother of God:




 * It would be better for "myself" to die.
 * After all, it's nothing to be afraid of...
 * That child... that demon...
 * When I think of the endless pain it will bring when it is birthed...
 * I decided that, instead of the suffering and cruelty I endured in that sick room...
 * That I would like to bestow a more gentle and peaceful death on "myself".
 * Why do "I" resist? I never thought of "myself" as such a fool...



However, after reading the above message, Heather comments that she does not think in the same way as "Alessa" and that she is going to confront her fates, no matter how gruesome they may be:


 * Alessa...
 * I guess it's kinda strange for me to call you that, since you are me.
 * But y'know what? "You" and I don't think alike, after all...
 * And it's not that I don't remember that sick room either...



The battle also seems to symbolize Heather/Alessa considering suicide, the Memory of Alessa representing the pain, dark emotions, and suffering that make Alessa think it would be better for her to die and her attempts to kill Heather are those dark emotions trying to overwhelm Heather, but her fighting back against the Memory of Alessa represents her determination to keep going and face what will come instead of choosing death.

Silent Hill: Revelation
Heather Mason faces Dark Alessa, the incarnation of the dark side of Alessa Gillespie's soul, on the carousel. After being spotted, Dark Alessa morphs into a teenaged version of herself, sharing a strong physical likeness with Memory of Alessa. Although Heather is almost killed, she is able to overcome Dark Alessa's power by re-combining with her.

However, she is never referred to as Memory of Alessa in creator interviews (she is instead called "Dark Alessa"), and her role and meaning are very different from that of the game character. She is portrayed by Adelaide Clemens, who also plays Heather.

She appears as a doppelgänger of Heather, with a pale face, black lipstick, and dark hair. Unlike the game, this version is given the ability to speak. Her voice is deeper and more demonic than Heather's.

Trivia

 * The "other Heather" in a mirror in Brookhaven Hospital could serve as a reference or foreshadowing of Memory of Alessa, or perhaps be Memory of Alessa herself trying to scare Heather.
 * The carousel that Heather fights the Memory of Alessa on is the same one where her father, Harry Mason, fought Cybil Bennett in the first Silent Hill.
 * The fact that Memory of Alessa is fought on a carousel is symbolic of the flow of time and reincarnation. It is also a reference to Alessa's suffering which seemed to never end, as the carousel has a burning figure in its center.
 * Defeating the Memory of Alessa in under three minutes in the Silent Hill HD Collection awards the trophy/achievement "Lost Memories".
 * In Japanese culture, "four" is pronounced "shi", which is the same pronunciation as death, thus four is considered unlucky. Memory of Alessa must be defeated four times, which could be a reference to this.

Silent Hill: Revelation
Memory of Alessa Memory of Alessa Memory of Alessa Воспоминание Алессы