The story of Dutch’s gang throughout both Red Dead Redemption games is a story of inevitable tragedy, a tragedy that proves fatal for a majority of its members. This consistent cycle of violence and ego always ended up in sorrow for every member of the gang. Some were completely blind to it, some embraced it, and some eventually realized and stepped away from it. This tragedy befell nearly every member of Dutch’s gang, throughout both Red Dead Redemption 2 and eventually even more in the original Red Dead Redemption.
That is, except for one, who despite being just as wanted and guilty as the others, managed to escape his former life peacefully. Charles Smith had expressed his struggles with Arthur and the rest of the members of Dutch’s gang about how he felt “stuck.” As one of the few members of the gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 to actually realize their inevitable fate, Charles was one of the even fewer who managed to escape the violence entirely.
Charles Smith was comparatively a late addition to Dutch’s gang by the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. Charles joined the gang around half a year before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, after bouncing around several other gangs beforehand. Unfortunately for Charles, he seemed to have joined right as the gang’s downfall had begun. Something slowly begins to change in Dutch that leads the whole gang down a path of irreparable misery, and that something Arthur and Charles don’t discover until several chapters later.
The truth is that the failed robbery on the Blackwater ferry, also known as the Blackwater Massacre, was a severe defeat for Dutch. While several of the other members of the gang blamed Micah for the reckless plan going awry, the failure seemed to damage Dutch’s ego beyond repair. Throughout the rest of Red Dead Redemption 2, Dutch’s ambition and recklessness continues to worsen over time, putting the rest of the gang consistently in danger. The ultimate downfall of Dutch’s gang can largely be attributed to his stubbornness, and Charles (among others) began to realize the initial values that held Dutch’s gang together had finally dissipated.
Of all the members of Dutch’s gang, Charles and Sadie are the few who managed to get away from their inevitable fate somewhat unscathed. John Marston almost made it, but that was before the Pinkertons enlisted John on their witch hunt of the rest of Dutch’s gang in Red Dead Redemption. However, along with Sadie Adler, Charles Smith was able to escape that cycle as seen at the end of Red Dead Redemption 2. From there, he’s never heard from again; Red Dead Redemption 2 is strongly implying he made a successful journey, while Charles is not even mentioned in the first Red Dead Redemption game.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, after John has reunited with Sadie and Charles, the ensuing conversation does hint at Charles’ fate. While the three are reminiscing about the gang and discussing their futures, Charles states he wants to seek a new life of tranquility. His ultimate goal is to move to Canada and perhaps settle down and start a family, perhaps inspired by John’s new life as a rancher. Though it is worth noting that this was a goal for Charles for much longer than that, considering how he’d wanted to find his purpose in life. Following the ending of Arthur’s journey and John Marston’s redemption, it’s clear Charles succeeded in breaking the gang’s violent perpetual cycle.
While Sadie did technically break the cycle, her original life was already stolen from Dutch’s gang. Upon the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, violence had become all she knew, so she became a bounty hunter and left any dreams of her former peaceful live behind. Charles, however, remained steadfast in his goal of breaking free into a peaceful life. As Dutch’s gang began to fall apart, and Dutch’s manipulation of the Wapiti Native Americans, Charles discovered his purpose when assisting the Wapiti with escaping to Canada. Charles knew that escaping the cycle of violence from Dutch’s gang genuinely had a simple answer, and that was to go far away. Leave the past behind.
John Marston tried his best to do so, but time and time again, he would find himself resorting to his old ways. Even when Micah was finally killed and John found the Blackwater treasure, it didn’t take long before the Pinkertons showed up to break his peace. Charles removed himself from the past entirely, both mentally and physically, and was able to break the cycle of violence perpetuated by Dutch’s gang. As drastic as it may seem, moving to Canada genuinely removed Charles Smith from the situation entirely. He found purpose in protecting the Wapiti, and likely inspired his desire to leave and start a family several years later.
So Charles was arguably the sole member of Dutch’s gang to genuinely break free from Dutch’s grasp. Arthur’s sacrifice was not in vain, as he was able to lead John, Sadie, and Charles on what would be the better path. And yet, despite how strong the pullback from the cycle of violence was on Sadie and John, Charles withstood that pressure and presumably found his true purpose in life in Canada.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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