Perhaps one of the Red Dead Redemption franchise’s most charming feature is the wide variety of mysteries, yet many would likely agree on its most prominent: the Strange Man. A character who plays a small role in both games (although a slightly bigger one in RDR1), the Strange Man is often considered some allegory for death, god, or satan, finding a fitting place as one of RDR‘s biggest mysteries.
While it doesn’t speak so much as to who the Strange Man himself is, it’s interesting that the character is perhaps more closely related to Sister Calderon than he is Arthur Morgan or John Marston. With her re-appearing in Red Dead Redemption 2, some fans may want to look to the Sister for answers about who the Strange Man, or at least, what he does.
Unlike John Marston, Arthur Morgan meets Sister Calderon seemingly with no interference, yet it should be noted that it comes from RDR2‘s “Of Men and Angels” stranger mission. While those are typically independent quests, it’s not impossible that they are named after the Strange Man and, as such, could be connected here. During said quest, Morgan retrieves a stolen crucifix for her, which apparently was from her mother. As long as this mission is completed and Arthur has high honor, Morgan will meet Sister Calderon instead of Reverend Swanson during the “The Fine Art of Conversation” mission.
It’s a strange change for a relatively straightforward game, but as they speak, Arthur reveals that he is dying. She then urges him to do the right thing, even saying at one point, “We’ve all live bad lives, Mr. Morgan; we all sin… but I know you. [You don’t know me, interrupts Morgan]. Forgive me, but that is the problem. You don’t know you!” This leads to some self-realization on Arthur Morgan’s part, but is also quite telling on Calderon’s part.
Names are important in Red Dead Redemption 2, as Micah’s and Arthur Morgan’s son Isaac are evidence of that. For Calderon, her last name is a reference to a cauldron, specifically of a Tinker profession. A Tinker fixed household items like utensils, but in a general sense, it was a fixer. As such, particularly in this conversation, it can be seen that Sister Calderon is attempting to straighten and fix Morgan’s life in his final days. This may not be surprising for a nun in general, but the phrase “I know you” is equally important. It’s what the Strange Man says to Marston in RDR1, although both Morgan and Marston deny knowing the figure saying it to them.
Having become Mother Superior, Calderon is met in the Stranger Side Mission focused on the Strange Man, “I know you.” The Strange Man tasks Marston with either robbing or donating her, with once again, the player character’s actions having a moral level to them. She can be seen a couple more times, mostly to no consequence, but it’s the connection between Arthur Morgan, John Marston, Sister Calderon, and the Strange Man that is mostly noble. The Strange Man would continue to test Marston’s morality, three times total in fact: at Thieves Landing, with Sister Calderon, and in West Elizabeth. At the same time, Arthur Morgan crosses paths with Calderon three times, with two of them being far more than just meets the eyes in Red Dead Redemption 2.
The question becomes what this trio of RDR events would suggest. It could be a simple game design, where 3 things of one similar task is the perfect medium between too much and too little for a game. It could be argued that 3 is an important number in the bible, and as such, this is a religious allusion. At the same time, there’s the colloquial philosophy that “bad things comes in 3s,” so the significance there is undeniable but to what means is interpretation.
While the food donation is a simple black-and-white moral test, Morgan actually meets Mrs. Downes after returning the crucifix. He basically comes face to face with the reason for his death. Arthur Morgan sees that Downes has turned to prostitution, as Morgan and the gang took their entire life away. In fact, Arthur Morgan has to face the fact that the gang has moved away from its Red Harlow fantasies and has become morally corrupt. Then, it’s the aforementioned Red Dead Redemption 2 scene where Calderon informs Morgan that she knows him.
With similar black and white character designs, a penchant for seeming omniscience, and an emphasis on morals, it becomes clear that the Strange Man/Sister Calderon are two sides of the same coin. Whether they are both positive tests or are a duality of good and evil, they reflect upon each other much in a way that Arthur Morgan and John Marston reflect upon one another. For their redemption, their stories are very similar and claim their lives, continuing on a cycle of violence that is definitive in a way of the wild, wild west.
This seems like the making of a tragedy, but with the importance of 3 meetings, 3 test, 3 bullets that John fires at the strange man, there is clearly a religious motif here. Which these represent is up to interpretation, but as Calderon puts it, “Life is full of pain… but there is also love and beauty. Be grateful that for the first time, you see your life clearly.” Morgan and Marston come to realize this, perhaps too late for both men, but they get to take in the love and beauty of their lives.
For Marston, that’s in the natural world around him that allows him to see the sunset as he dies. It’s the memories of what the Dutch Van Der Linde gang used to be. For Marston, it’s the years he earns with his family. Regardless of who the Strange Man and Calderon are, they are not simple beings however they are sorted, and they impact the lives of these Red Dead Redemption protagonists.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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