Lisa Garland
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| Silent Hill character | |
 |
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| Lisa Garland | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 23 |
| Hair color | Dirty Blonde |
| Eye color | Green |
| Occupation | Nurse at Alchemilla Hospital |
| Appearance/s in Silent Hill Series | Silent Hill as Lisa Garland, in charge of taking care of Alessa Gillespie. Later manifested by Alessa in the Otherworld. |
| Voice by/ Protrayer | Thessaly Lerner |
Lisa Garland is a fictional secondary character in the first installment of the Silent Hill video game series.
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[edit] Bio
Lisa Garland was a nurse who worked at Alchemilla Hospital. Like many of the members of the hospital staff, she was addicted to PTV, a drug being dealt by the hospital's administrator, Dr. Michael Kaufmann, and Silent Hill's resident cult, The Order. Because of her addiction she would do anything at the request of Dr. Kauffman to keep him from cutting off her supply. One of the duties Lisa had to perform was taking care of the comatose Alessa Gillespie, who had constant wounds oozing blood and pus needing frequent bandaging.
From Harry's encounters with her, she is obviously very scared. She states that she has no idea what is going on, although she may be the only human character you meet who is telling the truth. She claims to have passed out and when she came to everything was "different". Harry speaks with her on different occasions throughout the game and she provides a good source of information about Dahlia Gillespie and an old cult that used to reside in the town.
During the last part of the game, she explains to Harry that she ventured into the basement of the hospital and begins to "understand" what is happening. Lisa realises that she is in fact a monster, similar to the other nurses roaming the hospital, explaining how she is trapped in the Otherworld, and begins to bleed from her head, eyes, nose and mouth.
It is suggested in several Silent Hill guides and walkthroughs that Lisa was a "ghost"; a manifestation, created from Alessa's fond memories of her and placed in the Otherworld, explaining why she is the only "innocent" human figure that Harry ever encounters there. Gradually it became clear that she was essentially no different than the other monsters Alessa created. It could be suggested that Lisa was being used by Alessa to stop, or at the very least slow Harry's quest to find his daughter. By playing on Harry's desire to help and do the right thing perhaps he would stop his search of the Otherworld which in turn would stop Dahlia from discovering her hiding place there.
It has been speculated heavily that Lisa is the one who took a reborn Alessa, later Cheryl, to the outskirts of town so a family could find her and give her a better life. This is because Lisa is the only one whom Alessa could have trusted in town. In Silent Hill 3, Alessa, in the form of Heather Mason, still harbors a sympathetic kindness for the tragic nurse.
After Lisa's transformation she disappears, and is not seen until the end of the game. If you play a certain way in order to get either the Good or Good+ endings, Lisa rises from the ground after the final boss is defeated, and drags Kauffman down into the grate she came from, exacting revenge on him as her potential murderer, or as her final act to aid Harry.
Lisa never divulges information about herself. All her personal info is discovered through her diary and video tape. Lisa only talks about the town's history and reveals the existence of a cult.
[edit] Movie Adaptation
In the 2006 Silent Hill movie, which is a loose adaptation of the first game, a nurse who resembles Lisa is featured (albeit briefly). She takes care of Alessa following her burning, and out of curiosity, she has a quick look at the disfigured child. This woman is then trapped in Alessa's nightmare to be her personal nurse forever, and as a punishment for her curiosity, she is devoid of her eyelids.
It should be noted that this nurse is never referred to by name (even in the credits she is simply called 'Red Nurse'). However it is clear from her clothing and occupation that she is at least meant to be based upon Lisa Garland, likely as a homage of sorts to the game. Lisa from the game and the 'Red Nurse' from the movie have noticibly different backstories however.
[edit] Fanbase
Lisa Garland is certainly one of the many enigmatic characters from the game series, and possibly the most enigmatic of the first game. She has been described as a "Tragic Beauty" [citation needed]. Theories about Lisa Garland tend to speculate on whether she is dead, a ghost, or just a manifestation of Alessa's nightmare. Popular theories suggest that she is created from Alessa's memories and that since Alessa is controlling the nightmare world, Lisa may also be controlled by Alessa. She could be using Lisa to slow down Harry since he is aiding Dahlia in her capture; she is both a source of information and a distraction. Alternatively, Alessa could be using Lisa to help Harry see the evil that Dahlia is performing. Some fans believe Lisa was based on Amy Keating (played by Tracy Thorne) from The Exorcist 3 as they are the only nurses that wear red sweaters in the hospitals were they work.
