Censoring of Jennifer’s Memories: Joshua’s Clothes
November 8th, 2008 by stk33054
As I recall, there are two scenes in the game where clothing is laid out: when Jennifer is in Gregory’s basement, and at the end of the game when she steps outside after the “stray dog” massacre of the orphans. I agree with some posters on the Rule of Rose Mysteries site, that the clothes represent bodies of children. I feel that this is an example of Jennifer censoring her memories of horrific experiences. The scene with Joshua’s clothing seems (to me) to be supported by the “stray dog” massacre scene.
In the “Gingerbread House” chapter, Jennifer returns to Gregory’s house, where she was imprisoned before arriving at the orphanage but AFTER the airship crash. She makes her way to the basement, and the player is given the option to look under the blankets on a small bed. If you do, you find young boy’s clothing laid out. It is possible that Gregory had laid these out for Jennifer to wear, as was suggested in the Rule of Rose Mysteries discussion. But as was pointed out as well, there are shoes under the blanket along with the clothing. This adds to the theory of the clothing being a body.
This seems to be supported by the massacre scene. After Wendy and Gregory/stray dog arrive at the orphanage, the orphans run outside to meet them. Jennifer is the last to go out, and hears the screams of the other children on her way to the front door of the orphanage. When she does finally step outside, clothing is strewn about the yard. I highly doubt that Gregory/stray dog devoured the children entirely. I believe that this is a prime example of Jennifer censoring her memories. I also believe that this supports the theory that Joshua’s clothing was actually a body.
While this seems fairly clear-cut to me, there is speculation about why Jennifer would want to remain in the room with a dead body. In one of her letters to Wendy she writes of not wanting to leave Gregory because she feels sorry for him. I believe that the clothing is the body of Joshua, but that the scene we see, and actually the whole “Gingerbread House” Chapter, is an amalgam of the memories Jennifer has of her entire stay there. For example, when exploring the house, Jennifer sees Gregory in various rooms doing various activities. I find it doubtful that he was running ahead of her and doing different things as she walked around. It seems to me that she is remembering different days and what she witnessed on those days. I feel the same is true for finding the “body”. If Jennifer became a representation for dead Joshua, Gregory would not have needed to keep a rotting corpse around. I believe that the scene of Jennifer finding the clothing/body was the day she arrived, not the day of her escape, as is implied by the appearance of Wendy in the “Gingerbread House” Chapter.
Here is the link for the discussion about Joshua’s clothing: