Schism
From Silent Hill Wiki
Streets of Shepherd's Glen
Otherworld Shepherd House
Streets of Silent Hill
Otherworld Church
The Schism is a tall, pale, gangly, humanoid monster in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Their most distinct features are their head, which is elongated and ends in a cruel blade, and a single elongated arm. Its mouth runs down its entire head, and it splits vertically, much like several other monsters in previous entries in the series. It has a set of dull teeth that run down the entire length of its head and when its mouth opens its tongue can be seen flailing about. However, it usually just uses its bladed snout and wicked claws to attack. Alex Shepherd first encounters them in the police station.
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Character
Speed is a great quality that Schisms have, therefore the wisest approach is to run away most of the time. However, when Alex is forced to face a Schism, the best option is the shotgun or some other firearm. If forced into a melee situation, it is wisest to attack a Schism with a weapon which has speed qualities like the knife or maybe the pipe due to their high speed slices being faster than any of Alex's other weapons.
Symbolism
Schism could represent duality because its "head" is split in two, but, given that Schism's "head" is shaped like a pendulum - a medieval clockwork torture device designed to elicit a confession from a prisoner by dropping a swinging blade incrementally toward his flesh over the course of hours - it could represent Alex's fractured mental state and his slow and steady realization of guilt. The image is even stronger as the Schism stands idle, letting its "head" swing side to side as it hangs downwards.
The vertical slit mouth filled with teeth is very symbolic of Vagina Dentata, the Lurker and others also shares this feature. The Schism also has a boxlike object on its genitals, which may symbolize sexual tension.
Another quality to note, is that Schism's right hand is double jointed and facing backwards, whereas his left hand is facing forward. This again further symbolizes a dual nature.
The schism may also be a representation of the split of the founders of Shepherd's Glen and that of The Order in Silent Hill. Since the Pact was broken, these monsters appear to clear the town for it's actions.
Finally, the split head could represent Alex's insanity as he is separated from reality and his mind split, similar to having the mental disorder Schizophrenia (from Greek: split mind). This also links to the ending where he is undergoing electroconvulsive treatment as this could treat Schizophrenia as well as other mental disorders.
Trivia
When in the Otherworld version of Alex's home, in the attic, there are a total of 3 Schisms in hiding. Each Schism is a representative of a member of the Shepherd family and how they felt about having to sacrifice and alienate Alex because of his destiny.
- One Schism comes at Alex aggressively, representing Adam Shepherd.
- Another Schism is in hiding, crouched in the corner, and seems to be crying. This Schism represents Joshua Shepherd.
- Alex finds a Schism laying hopelessly on the ground, seemingly to have given up on life. This Schism represents Lillian Shepherd.
- A final Schism can be found in Adam's Hunting Room in the basement. This Schism, representing Alex, has already been beheaded, perhaps representing the lobotomy that Alex had to undergo (only if the theory that Alex is actually the patient in room 206, and the hospital ending is true.) Otherwise, it might be a foreshadowing of his sacrifice.
Death Scene
