The vast world of Red Dead Redemption 2 has a multitude of secrets and theories uncovered or yet to be discovered. Forums like Reddit are the meeting point for those players who want to share their experiences, theories and findings with the rest to be able to advance in the exploration of the game until you discover all the curiosities. Today, a user by the name of OrwinBeane shared in a Reddit post a curious theory that could making sense and meaning of Dutch Van Der Linde's band names.
The user believes that the choice of these names for the characters in the story were not chosen just because they sounded good, but because the creators decided to give it another meaning and symbolism. Some explanations could contain SPOILERS, so those who have not completed the main campaign should refrain from reading further.
Arthur Morgan
The name of Arthur would belong to that of the legend King Arthur, who was the leader of the knights of the round table, a heroic group which could be compared to the band of outsiders. Even Jack Marston uses the name Lancelot in the game's epilogue. Regarding the surname, Morgan, it is a type of horse typical of America. So, according to the OrwinBeane theory, the name of Arthur would mean King Horse, and as we can well see in the game, it marries him perfectly.
Dutch Van Der Linde
Van Der Linde would literally mean one who lives next to a lemon tree. It might be funny that the name of the leader of the outlaws had such a meaning, but if we analyze the character of the story a little it could make sense. During the plot, Dutch fantasizes about the possibility of living in a tropical country like Tahiti. In other words, he would represent the objective of the group to reach that life away from theft and work.
John Marston
John's name is very common in countries like the United States. So John would be used to describe an ordinary person, any of us for example. So our dear John could be any one of us in the Red Dead Redemption story. Regarding his surname, Marston, this comes from the oldest English Marsh (swamp) and Tun (barrel) to describe settlement or home. This division perfectly describes some of the places frequented during the game. Lastly, her son Jack sometimes uses John's name as a pseudonym to introduce himself to strangers.
Hosea Matthews
On some occasions we have been able to see religious symbols during our progress in the game, conversations or episodes that make our protagonist reflect. One of these characters that makes Arthur think the most is Hosea Matthews and we could say that his name is one of the most religious meanings. Josiah's name means salvation in Hebrew. So Hosea would be the only one who knew what was best for the band. His last name, Matthews, comes from the Bible and means present.
Micah Bell
Another of the characters that has the most relationship with religious meanings such as Christianity, very present in the setting and some parts of the plot. The name Micah comes from the bible and would mean Who is like God?. His name would add ambiguity to the direction the gang leads in the game. Micah would be the one to distort or question if the plans and objectives are correct. And regarding his last name Bell, it was traditional in the west to use the profession as a surname, in this case it would be a manufacturer of hoods. Very associated with funerals and death.
Leviticus Cornwall.
The name comes from the Old Testament, which includes new laws for believers. Referring to what would be the new law in the west. Regarding your last name, the county of Cornwall in England plays a very important role in the industrial revolution of this, which threatened the existence of the free and wild west, like that character.
All these theories are, to say the least, very interesting. Furthermore, they are strongly linked to symbols, traditions or customs typical of the culture of the time. The Reddit user explains that there are probably more characters with strong references like Arthur's son Isaac. Whose name comes from the Bible, which was a gift from God to Abraham and Sarah who could not have children. Later, Abraham sacrificed Isaac for God. In the game Isaac dies, so Arthur continues his criminal life.. Do you think these theories are true? Do you know about any character that his name can have a strong meaning in the story?
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