Abigail from RDR2
She gives me such mixed feelings. Judgment. Respect. Hatred. Admiration.
Probably the most controversial and complex character for me.
Letβs start with the cons:
A terrible mother.
2. A completely unremarkable person.
1. βοΈ Mother.π€±
Letβs start with this: when you bring a person into this world, give them life β you carry responsibility. (Many might judge me for criticizing a beloved character, but I speak as a mother .)
I wonβt criticize Abigail for her early βjob,β where she serviced men. Thatβs her business. But the fact that she willingly slept with anyone β knowing it could lead to pregnancy β and still got pregnant and gave birthβ¦ Thereβs no excuse for that. Not her age. Not life circumstances. It was completely her responsibility, her choice. (Iβm not talking about John here β this post isnβt about him. But yes, I have no fewer complaints about him either β and no excuses.)
Itβs terrifying to think that with the number of men she was with, literally anyone couldβve been the father.
And then, when she realizes sheβs pregnant, sheβs already in the gang, and she tells the potential father β and he refuses to take responsibility.
Okay. So what does Abigail do next? She stays in a gang full of criminals and killers with a child. She raises her son in that environment.
The first thing that surprised me when I played Chapter 1 and got to camp was: βWhatβs a kid doing here?β I thought maybe he was an orphan they took in or something like that. Because he stayed on the sidelines, didnβt hang around anyone, was always on his own through so many chaptersβ¦
And then I realized β this child has a mother. And a father. A father who doesnβt even acknowledge him.
And in my head, I immediately thought: What are you even doing here, woman???
Why would you drag a 4-year-old, dressed in rags and light clothing (while youβre dressed warmly), into the mountains, into snow and a blizzard, where all of you couldβve starved to death if not for Arthur and Charles?
Are you a wanted criminal? No. Do you need to hide? No. Is your child a wanted criminal? No!
Then why the hell are you dragging him into this?
Because of a man whoβs ignored you and your child for four years? Because of some fake sense of family with people you used to partially service?
So whatβs more importantβ¦ Your own child, who didnβt ask to be born and was your decision? Or a group of murderers you hang around with, who put your child at risk?
HE DIDNβT ASK TO BE BORN!!! HE DIDNβT ASK TO BE PART OF THIS LIFE!!! HE DIDNβT ASK TO SEE DEATH, STARVATION, THREATS, CRIME, SHOOTOUTS, OR THE ITALIAN MOB!!! HE JUST WANTED TO BE A CHILD β WITH A MOM, A HOME, AND BOOKS!!! π€¬π€¬π€¬
GIVE HIM A LIFE, NOT JUST SURVIVAL!!!
I was furious at the moment when Abigail told Jack he was wearing rags β then asked Arthur for $5 to buy him clothesβ¦
But then she talks with Grimshaw. Susan says they need money, hints that Abigail should go back to her old job.
And what does Abigail say?
βI donβt do that anymore.β
She refuses. Wants to be better.
Okayβ¦ WHAT??? π€¨
Woman, your personal values β thatβs admirable. But you have little Jack. Heβs hungry. He needs clothes. Not torn boots. BOOKS!
You used to sell yourself when you were hungry β But when your child says, βMommy, Iβm hungry,β you suddenly become moral and above all that?!
Any mother should be willing to do anything for her child β You should go above and beyond, but he shouldnβt have to cry from hunger!!!
And then this momentβ¦
When Jack says heβll grow up to be a gunslinger β and she tells him heβll be a lawyerβ¦
β¦Oh sure, growing up in a gang hideout, of course heβll be a lawyerβ¦
The only truly selfless, right decision she couldβve made then β Was to leave the gang. Cut ties. Escape. Try β at any cost β to give Jack a better life.
No matter what people say about how hard life was for women back then, about how βthere were no jobsβ β There WERE jobs. !!! Yes, they were few. Yes, hard. But they existed.
Take Tilly as an example β she got a job as a governess with rich people. You could work in the fields, on a farm, or even still be a prostitute, for all I care β But it would be safer than handing your child over to a mob boss like Angelo Bronte, And after getting him back β doing NOTHING. Not even saying, βThatβs it! Weβre done here!β No, you go on β keeping him in that nightmare.
2. βοΈ Wife and Person. π§ββοΈ
Letβs skip to the epilogue. Abigail, John, and Jack. No more gang. Years have passed.
If in the first half of this post I was completely judging her β Here Iβm justβ¦ confused.
Why doesnβt she grow as a person? Why doesnβt she learn to read? Why doesnβt she learn to cook? Why is she still making Pearsonβs stew eight years later, and still doing it badly?
She knew Pearson way less time than sheβs been cooking his damn stew after the gang fell apart!
I never saw any ambition in her. No drive to grow in any area. To become better, to be a role model for her son⦠Even when she had the chance.
But now β the Pros. Admiration.
Yes, despite everything, Abigail has strong qualities, and I want to highlight them:
1. Even if it took eight years β she goes out and gets a job.
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And she works! It makes her happy, and it makes me, as a player, happy. Because I am proud of her choice. She starts small, but she earns an honest living, she tries to leave the past behind. She grew up. Itβs like watching a messed-up kid finally decide to get their act together. And you think: βNow youβre doing it right. Now β good job.β
2. She chose her child over a man.
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That was the moment I truly respected her. She leaves. She doesnβt want Jack to see death. She doesnβt want that fate for him. Yes, itβs late, but she realized it. She left John, clearly stating what she wants. She didnβt choose herself, or John β she chose Jack. And finally β she acted like a mother.
3. The Ranch.
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She set a goal. She realized she deserved more than to be a whore or a camp maid. She wanted stability. And she was ready to fight for it. Sheβs strong. She can do it.
100% respect.
4. She loved John.
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Madly loved him. This woman was ready to do anything for him. And she did everything she could. Loyalty. Courage. Patience. And the ability to look past flaws for the sake of love. Itβs crazy. Itβs foolish. But in our cruel world β itβs also precious.
5. The dialogue before βAmerican Venom.β
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I wanted to punch John. Seriously. When he ignored his woman, when she was begging him through tears, and he still walked away to do his thing.
Revenge? Settling scores? The past? I understand John β the need for justice, closure to old painβ¦
BUT I UNDERSTAND HER TOO.
Anyone who judges Abigail for βthrowing a fitβ in that moment β Are you serious?! That was a tiny meltdown!
WOMAN, YOU SHOULDβVE KICKED HIM IN THE BALLS.
What kind of man hears his wife cry and still walks off for revenge, risking EVERYTHING? EVERYTHING they built together. Risking making her a widow, and Jack β an orphan.
MIKA COULDβVE WON!!!
Conclusion.
If you compare Abigail Roberts and Abigail Marston β they are two completely different people.
Yes, at the start she fills me with rage and horror. But by the end β I see growth. I see a woman who β late, but still β tried to give Jack the best she could.
Sheβs not perfect. Sheβs β just like the rest of us.
And thatβs exactly why her character is β beautiful.
I love her. π©·π©·π©·
(This analysis is only about RDR2, without considering RDR1 events.)
