Without a doubt, one of the greatest mysteries in Red Dead Redemption is the identity of the Strange Man. He appears in a few missions for John in the first game and has a minor presence in the second, but whether he is another man, a symbol of John’s morality, the grim reaper, a manifestation of death, God, and/or a Christ figure is hard to pinpoint. To make matters even more confusing, the Strange Man practically has a twin in Red Dead Redemption 2—Josiah Trelawny.
Rockstar Games has since confirmed that Josiah is not the Strange Man, but of course, there is some connection there. Appearance-wise, they look nearly identical and one could have, at the time, easily been the other in Red Dead Redemption 2. Thus, the question becomes why does Josiah Trelawny look like the Strange Man?
Red Dead Redemption: The Strange Man
First, it’s worth mentioning what is known about the Strange Man. He first appears to John, giving him some missions based on morality and/or the Ten Commandments (a cheating man and a nun, with murder, adultery, theft, and more coming into play)—meanwhile, the Strange Man doesn’t put much into his own identity stating that he had forgotten his own name. He also refers to himself as an accountant, and obviously not someone who keeps financial accounts—but someone who must take accounts, perhaps here of a person’s sins. Since he says this where Abigail and Jack bury John Marston, which he labels as a fine spot, it’s easy to see the religious connections in Red Dead Redemption here.
John also, here, fires three shots at The Strange Man before his gun jams on the fourth. This could represent Jack Marston being spared in Red Dead Redemption (following the death of John, Uncle, and Abigail), the Holy Spirit (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), or the repentance of Peter who denied Christ three times and wept when he heard the Crow (the fourth).
In all of this, the Strange Man is aloof and indirect. He has important relationships outside John, seen in his hut, towns, and even Sister Calderon in Red Dead Redemption 2. Yet, he walks a fine line between being helpful and antagonistic, being seemingly designed for John and not.
Red Dead Redemption: Comparing Josiah Trelawny to The Strange Man
While they may be similar in appearance, the similarities in personality are less obvious. Josiah doesn’t really have a lot of religious connotation to him, nor is his mysterious ways all that mysterious. He’s someone torn between family life and a life of an outlaw with the Dutch Van Der Linde gang, trying to balance them both while disappearing on both at several points. He is aloof and indirect, and putting everything else aside, that’s their main connection.
Indeed, Josiah Trelawny is very much based on a classic western archetype of the conman—magic, confidence tricks, persuasive elements, double lives, scam and heist-like artistry, information, and more all embody this character. This is why he dresses up and does a lot of the things he does, perfecting this character archetype in Red Dead Redemption 2. Yet, what’s important to note is that the conman is often understood as a variant of the Tricker character archetype, which is why his horse Gwydion is named after a Welsh Trickster God and why he seems so connected to The Strange Man. One essentially embodies the ambiguity of man, communication, and civilization, while the other embodies the ambiguities of the divine, of chaos, and of life and death.
The Strange Man is Red Dead Redemption’s Loki, the Trickster. He disobeys all rules and laws of the western world and Red Dead universe, and meets many of the requirements of the Trickster archetype: he is a chameleon in nature, blending in but clearly not belonging; he is clearly supernatural, in what he knows and how his in-game elements come into the game; he outlines paths, such as how he does with the Ten Commandment quests with John; he speaks persuasively, knowingly, and almost as if he wants chaos; and, ultimately, he is unpredictable.
The appearance ties back to many of these traits: the nature of the two character archetypes, the chameleon aspects (even more so since they appear so similarly), their approach to life, their persuasive natures, and so on. Josiah Trelawny is not Red Dead Redemption’s Strange Man, but they share roots in character design and archetype. As such, the appearance-level connection of the two goes to show how these archetypes pair and how they function similarly in Red Dead’s story—enigmatic, persuasive, and loveable characters who invite a sense of death and hope, love and hate, and redemption.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
