People often say that a person’s true nature comes out when there is no one looking or when something goes wrong. In these cases, they often say this disappointedly, condescendingly, and depressingly. I believe there is truth to this statement.

However, I also believe that the idea of ​​a “true” nature doesn’t lie in being in or out of a group. Sometimes our “true” nature is taught or nurtured.

This is reflected in the age-old “nurture or nature” debate and there are millions of scientific research to back up both claims, but nobody reads them. One of the biggest failures of academics is communication, instead, let us put this discussion through the lens of a half-wit gamer to establish some connection.

The State of Nature, Society, and Man.

It is hard to find media that entertainingly and accurately shows the central concepts of the “Nature or Nurture” discussion. These concepts are the State of Nature, Society, and Man.

The State of Nature is a complex political theory that simply dictates that a man acts differently depending on the condition he is in. The specific condition in discussion is whether or not the man is in a society or not.

When it comes to games, there are few in recent times that effectively explore this. That is until you come across God of War 2018 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

However, God of War 2018 has gods, demigods, and other divine beings which makes things even more complicated. Instead, let us pick apart how Red Dead Redemption 2 perfectly explores the dilemma of “Nature or Nurture.”

A central theme in Red Dead Redemption 2 is the age-old struggle of “Nature or Nurture” as depicted through the struggles of outlaws in the passing of the Wild West and the industrial transition of America into high society. There are no better characters that suffer through this than Arthur Morgan and Dutch Van der Linde.

The Man that Defied Gravity

Born into a life of crime, Arthur was raised by Dutch van der Linde, the leader of a notorious outlaw gang named after the man himself. From a young age, Arthur was witness to the violence and lawlessness that came with living outside the law.

And yet, despite all this, Arthur is not a cold-blooded killer. He has a deep sense of empathy for those who are struggling, often going out of his way to help them. He also has a strong code of honor, refusing to kill innocent people, women, or children.

It is this mix of hardness and compassion that makes Arthur such a compelling character. He is someone who has seen the worst of humanity but still retains his faith in goodness. This makes him the perfect protagonist for Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that itself is about the clash between civilization and the wild frontier.

The Man that Will Not Change

Dutch van der Linde was introduced in the first Red Dead Redemption but his story and descent to madness were only fleshed out in the second game.

As Arthur Morgan’s former mentor and the leader of the Van der Linde gang, Dutch is a complicated figure who is as capable of great kindness as he is of terrifying violence. These traits are perfectly shown in how he dealt with Angelo Bronte and Catherine Braithwaite.

Dutch is described as a kind-hearted man who took Arthur under his wing when he was just a boy living on the streets, but also became the man who led Arthur to his downfall.

Dutch’s relationship with the gang was that of a leader and father figure, aside from Hosea Matthews whom he considers his second-in-command and older brother.

Dutch is charismatic, idealistic, ambitious, and resilient. However, he’s shown to be paranoid, erratic, and prone to fits of violence once the gang started falling apart.

The Man and his Nature

One after another, the members of the Van der Linde gang get killed, caught, kicked out, or forced to flee from the group. Arthur and Dutch tried their best to keep everyone together, but their trust in each other also started falling apart.

Dutch, losing control of the group and their respect, started taking rash and reckless decisions that put them more into the line of fire. After losing Hosea, he started abandoning people when they need him most and betrayed the trust of Arthur, John, Sadie, Abigail, Charles, Tilly, Mary, and Uncle.

Arthur, slowly becoming free from Dutch’s long mentorship and guidance, started thinking more for himself. Yet as he thought more for himself, he acted more selfless and sacrificial for his loved ones.

In their final moments, Arthur became the selfless good man he always wanted to be; or at least in the best ending which I consider canon, while Dutch became the selfish madman he never wanted to be.

Each was nurtured in the Wild West with their merry gang of misfits, yet both became different once they were free from this little “society.”

Opposing Natures

While in the gang, both men seemed to be more of the opposite of their “nature.”

On one hand, Arthur was nurtured to become bad and selfish for the whole gang in a struggle for survival. On the other hand, Dutch was nurtured to become a good and selfless father figure to keep his problematic family alive.

Yet outside the care of their fellow outlaws, Arthur was the good selfless man while Dutch was the selfish violent man. Arthur was good-natured, while Dutch was not.

This is further shown during one of Arthur’s most vulnerable moments. In the “The Fine Art of Conversation” mission, a conversation with Sister Calderón occurs that goes:

Sister Calderón: Be grateful that for the first time, you see your life clearly. Perhaps you could help somebody? Helping makes you really happy.

Arthur: But… I still don’t believe in nothin’.

Sister Calderón: Often, neither do I. But then, I meet someone like you, and everything makes sense.

Arthur: Heh… You’re too smart for me, Sister. I guess I… I’m afraid.

Sister Calderón: There is nothing to be afraid of. Take a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act.

Arthur: I shall try.

A loving and caring person, that is who Arthur truly is.

Nurturing Our Nature

Does this mean Arthur is better than Dutch? Does this mean Nature triumphs over Nurture? Or is it the other way around?

Dutch and Arthur’s best moments come in opposite situations, and I believe this is the same in real life. Some people are at their best when they are with the right people, some get the opposite. Some good acts come when people are alone, and there are bad acts committed just the same.

Does this mean “nature” and “nurture” are perpetually in conflict with each other?

I think not.

To be better needs a more nuanced and in-depth look at our lives. Not all nurturing is good, and not all people in nature are bad. Sometimes it takes some hammering by your peers for you to become an upright person, and I think this is what I want to hammer home. A little bit of help is not a bad thing, some just need more than others.

That is okay.

Interestingly enough, a Netflix Special I watched perfectly describes this. Bill Bur’s “Bill Bur: Live at Red Rocks” showed how utterly resentful and hating he was due to his upbringing.

Bill was nurtured in a strict and stressful environment which eventually became his nature as an adult. However, everything changed when his daughter came into his life.

Bill still had his bad temper and loudmouth, yet his daughter kept him in check. At the 53:40 mark of his performance, Bill told a story about how he got angry at a toaster.

As he started having a temper, his nature of screaming and berating came up. Fortunately, his daughter just shouted at him “Dad don’t scream like that!” from the other room.

What it Takes to Become Better

So, what does it take to become better? I don’t know. Everyone is different.

What I know is that we should be more welcoming and open to people who are “bad by nature.” Accepting the flaws of people and providing them avenues to grow and be helpful is important to us and society.

This is not to say that everyone should always have their sins forgiven and forgotten, but a society that simply shuns away the “bad” only creates a world run by moral elitists. Moreso, it creates individuals who can only see themselves as eternally broken beings or “perfect” narcissists.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an awfully good human being. This is as much of a call for help for me as it is for others. So, let’s do our best together and find out what it takes to become better.