 I had a son. He passed away. I had a girl who loved me. I threw that away. My mama died when I was a kid. And my daddy. I watched him die. It weren't soon enough. Today we will be looking at the main protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan, and how he was truly a good man. Before we get into Arthur, I want to discuss the pacing of the game. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a very slow paced game. This not only makes for a more realistic experience, but it also works for the slow, deliberate development of Arthur. During Arthur's long trips from one end of the map to the other, it is at these lonely moments when little hints of Arthur's true nature come to fruition. Humming or singing to himself while on his horse, or simply taking care of it after being with it for so long. These little moments animate Arthur into a real person. It gives him humanity and gives him life. But the Arthur that we come to know wasn't always like that. When Arthur Morgan was first introduced to us, unlike John Marston of the previous game, he was a blank slate. He didn't have any family to take care of, no wife, no kids. Just a big burly outlaw who lived day by day. Arthur was a cowboy that did not seem to have that many morals to live by. For the most part, pertaining to him and the gang, they killed and robbed those who were in their way, especially O'Driscoll's, and they took care of their own. It was a pretty simple life. Arthur was a tough cowboy. Due to his role in the gang, Arthur was the enforcer. If anyone needed rescuing, it was Arthur. If anyone needed an extra gun, Arthur was the one. If anyone needed protection going into the town, you could always count on Arthur. He was also the leader of the gang in Dutch's personal security. Because of this role, he never truly expressed his emotions, and was also seen as a man of very few words. However, when you open his journal and explore the land and pay attention to the true man, early on it is shown who Arthur Morgan is. He is an artist, a painter, and a writer. In his journal, he describes his feelings during certain points of the game, such as him writing, I am afraid, not now. And his drawings are quite impressive for a man who doesn't say much. And as you control Arthur and you check yourself into the mirror, it presents an Arthur that is real, as he picks out his flaws while looking at himself. These parts create intimate and real moments with Arthur. And as we spend so much time with the character, whether it is grooming his hair and beard, changing his clothes, hunting, and even while reading the journal we understand why he is the way he is. And we learn how Arthur feels, how he reacts, and who the man is. He begins the story as a follower of Dutch, under any circumstance. Dutch has a plan, Dutch cares for the gang, he has the gang's best interests at heart. Dutch begins to coordinate score after score, whether it was another train, another bank, another robbery, it doesn't keep the gang safe. These things do not make as much sense, and though Arthur began to doubt him, he stuck by Dutch, which shows Arthur's dedication. He is loyal almost to a fault when it comes to Dutch. Seeing as how Dutch and Hosea raised him, at times he felt indebted to Dutch, and so he never wanted to go against him or disappoint him. However, Arthur was beginning to see that they were throwing themselves into a vicious cycle and losing their way. Every time they went to became a bloodbath or a failed robbery. It was becoming more about the money than about the gang. Another score was the motivation. This was not having the best interests of the gang at heart. This was not thinking about Uncle, Reverend Swanson, Miss Grimshaw, Abigail, and the rest of the gang. And this was definitely not thinking about Little Jack. Arthur began to understand that their lives were constantly at danger when all the guards of the gang left, leaving the camp open for an attack. Then Dutch's change becomes truly apparent when he kills Angelo Bronte. His entire demeanor changed. In a fit of rage and anger, he dunked Angelo Bronte's head into the lake and drowned him. Now John and Arthur both questioned Dutch's motives, but still they kept following him. With the natives being brought into play, a lot of Arthur's character and his morals were put on display. He was vocally against Eagle Flass's search for revenge and against Dutch trying to bait them into a war. And during the mission between Arthur and Reigns Falls, we learn about his past. He had a wife, Eliza, and a son, Isaac, who were robbed and murdered for $10. And it is apparent that this part of his life shaped his character. It shaped him to cut his emotions and feelings off. I believe the reason Arthur began to open up was because Arthur was dying, diagnosed with tuberculosis. Even though it is sad to say, this was the best thing for him. Arthur knew what his fate was. He knew how he was going to die. And Arthur tried to help everybody he could before that day would come. And he opened himself up. He opened himself up to Reigns Falls, to Sadie, to John, and to Sister Calderon. Arthur's focus changed from himself to those around him, his new family. To go more into detail, Arthur's relationship with John found new life. As earlier in the game, Arthur initially butted heads with John for not consistently being there for Abigail and Jack. They both knew that Dutch wasn't the person that would keep their family safe. And Arthur instructs John to never look back when it comes time to leaving Dutch and the gang, to completely leave the life of the outlaw behind in order to raise a family. Arthur instructs John to do what Arthur could not. Arthur took care of everyone at least once in the game. And when he was the one needing help, the one needing rescuing, like when he got captured and tortured by the O'Driscoll's, and no one came to his rescue, he had to save himself. Arthur was used and abused. He helped and was hurt by Dutch, Mary Linton, Bill, Micah, and the list goes on. In Mary Linton's final letter to Arthur, she states that the good part of Arthur was wrestling with a giant. And I just don't think that is true. I think that Arthur was good and has been good, but he lost his way. With Dutch in his ear using him as a hired gun, his vision was tainted. However, with his life coming to a close, he knew that there were a few people that he needed to save. And he became a leader to those people. And I think it was a role that he knew he had to take. A role that would require to sacrifice himself to ensure that the people he cared about most in the end would make it out alive. That was John, Abigail, Jack, Charles, and Sadie. These were people that never did Arthur wrong and are proof that he is a good man. Though it was a dormant side of him, Arthur loved helping people. Whether it was Penelope Braithwaite, or Beau Gray, the natives, or random strangers, Arthur applied the code of the gang inside and out. He was truly a good man.