Fallout: New Vegas - The Psychology of Joshua Graham

We can't expect God to do all the work.

#fallout
#falloutnewvegas
#newvegas

Tags:
max derrat, fallout, fallout new vegas, max derrat fallout, randall clark, the survivalist, joshua graham, bethesda,

[abyss]

"In a world filled with misery and uncertainty, it is a great comfort to know that, in the end, there is light in the darkness." Joshua Graham

[alexanderchoudoir]

"For many of us, the path is a difficult one, but the path is always there for us to follow, no matter how many times we fall."
"Do you ever 'fall', joshua?"
"Every day. Some days are...more difficult than others."

The words of a man who has truly devoted himself to redemption. Gives me chills.

[realkingofantarctica]

It fascinates me how Joshua Graham only has a few minutes of total dialogue throughout the entire DLC, and yet nearly every line he speaks hits some of the hardest and lingers some of the longest of any videogame dialogue. Not even as a Christian man, but just as a man; a human.

[abyss]

"I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me. I fell down into that dark chasm, but the flame burned on and on."

[Prax.]

I'd say that Joshua Graham having good karma seems right, he probably just got to level 50 and chose the "Ain't Like That Now" perk

[mysteryman]

As I realized on reflection, Honest Hearts is a good story because it doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of “Religion good vs religion bad” instead it is a discussion of different interpretations of religion and god, from Joshua who believes in salvation, Daniel who turns the other cheek, and Randall Clarke who believes that life is precious.

[julienkouassi]

My most beloved character in all forms of media . His story is very reminiscent of Paul from the Bible .
Paul persecuted Christians and killed many others people just like Joshua Graham .
Paul met God on the way to Damas ( if I remember correctly ) and became one of the most important figures of Christianity .
What is so striking about Joshua Graham is how flawed he his, and how he is not, compared to many religious character, self righteous .

When he talks about God to you, he is not telling you how bad you are or that you must follow his words, he is just sharing his experience in beautifully put words .
You see a human worshipping God, not a wannabe saint pointing fingers at others without looking at himself .
Joshua Graham is one of the most realistic religious characters made in media .

[ColecionaveisGT]

You can't expect God to do all the work

[oldgreggsmadmemes]

I believe Joshua Graham is the best written christian character, it's not about being "holyer then tho" it's about realizing the wrong one has done and trying to fix and make up for it ALSO I wish to say my Older cousin was a fireman during 9 11 and he survived being burned while falling down 5 stories of an elevator shaft he was SUPER fucked up for a long time and had burns on 65% of his body but he did survive it and he said he wasn't sure what it was maybe it was his ear drums poping from the heat but he said he heard a voice that told him to focus and don't go to sleep

[ordakhan]

"9mm may kill the body, but the .45 kills the soul."- Joshua Graham probably

[Benjumanjo]

Joshua Graham and the Courier both suffered severe near death experiences.

From my experience in a near-fatal car crash I can say; nothing makes you want to live more than seeing death.

[Confucios]

You missed one really big issue when it comes to Josh’s initial turn to darkness with the Blackfoot. Survival. One of Fallout’s main themes. They were surrounded by a tribe that had captured, and threatened to kill them. They may have even tortured him. Then he was suddenly in a situation where he was in a sort of control, after enduring this horror, and his only option to survive at the moment was to help Caesar in building the first of his Legion. The first couple atrocities were probably just actions of someone trying to keep the Blackfoot happy by making them strong, and over time, he slowly became the brutal war chief.

[BlueSpams]

A wise dragon once said: "What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

I think Joshua may not have started as a good person, but he is doing his best to do the right thing in his later years.

[comradekolbot]

Joshua is the very definition of Lion and Lamb. Use strength, but understand suffering.

[GaijinEncarmine]

I think something important that should be highlighted about Graham's "I want them to suffer" speech is that it's a lot more positive in context. Here, I think you've focused on the words while not mentioning the context - that being that the dialogue follows a successful speech check to convince him to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds. In context, it isn't simply an admission of bloodlust and hatred, but a moment of vulnerable, self-aware reflection. Graham admits that he knows his violent tendencies are self-indulgent, rather than divinely-driven.

What makes the moment especially significant is that in getting this out of him, you aren't just convincing him to show mercy like a good Christian - you're pulling him away from the brink and back to the mindset of a civilised man, rather than a barbarian. By that point in the story, there is literally nothing to be gained from executing Salt-Upon-Wounds and exterminating the White Legs; the tribe is broken as a threat and faces certain annihilation from their rivals and the Legion. Showing mercy in that moment costs Graham nothing, except for the emotional satisfaction of revenge - something which adds nothing good to the world and goes against Christian morality. Mercy is a conscious act of self-denial, like many civilised ideals, and it's making that choice rather than indulging our baser instincts which makes us more than mere animals - exactly what Caesar's supposedly 'pure' might-makes-right ideology reduces people to.

[kabedonovan]

Joshua Graham is a reflection of Paul the Apostle. Both were born in communities of faith. Both men persecuted and killed others unjustly, both bathed in a light, one fire and the other a light brighter than the sun. Both spent the rest of their days as servants of God, looking to redeem their past sins in their own ways.

[cinaretnap]

Needed this video today. Thanks, Max. As a Mormon myself, Joshua Graham stands out to me as one of the only Mormon video game characters out there. I could tell by the way he was written that the writers had taken the effort to study Mormon history and culture, to the point that they could accurately portray the uneasy historic relationship between the Mormon people and nearby Native American tribes. One of the best treatment of our inscrutible community in all of fiction, in my opinion.

Thanks again.

[antonprieto]

My two cents: I believe it is important to note the role of the Courier on the character development of Graham. Graham is at the tipping scale of morality and immorality. It is the Courier that gives him the push to whichever side the player chooses. In that way, and whether intentional or not, the writers set the Courier up as some kind of divine force that comes in the lives of everyone he meets or more aptly put -- the road he travels (lonesome road reference).

[ExtremeMan]

Danniel "Noo, we have to be peaceful and leave Zion!"

Chad Joshua "Here are the guns, we will march at dawn, god bless"

[rajunaidu]

I survived because the fire inside me burned hotter than the fire outside me, I saw that cutscene 10 years ago and I still remember that quote of him just reloading handguns waxing reverence poetry