Rockstar tends to make games with characters that skirt the line of morality, and Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are no exception. One of the central characters of the series is Dutch van der Linde and, depending on which section of which game, he could either be a hero or villain to the main character. Over his entire character arc over the course of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, Dutch’s tale is pretty much akin to that of the tragic hero.
At certain times, RDR2's Dutch could be described as being a heroic leader figure, while at other times, he’s quite literally the antagonist of the game. What makes him so morally ambiguous is that for the majority of both games, he commits to actions that are originally meant to help people, only to later reveal that he was in it for himself the entire time. He maintains this dynamic all the way until his death in the latter half of Red Dead Redemption.
One of the more notable aspects of Dutch’s personality is his ability to be an effective leader. For some of the people that he leads throughout the story, Dutch is a father figure as well which is why the consequences of his decisions tend to hurt his followers so much. This is what helps define him as a tragic hero; this character archetype is defined by the choices they make which lead to their downfall. From trusting Micah to fighting the government, Dutch's "plans" never work as intended.
Notable Decisions by RDR2's Dutch
Through his smoke-filled demeanor, Dutch is a man of principles. He typically acts on his beliefs of individual freedom and the right of people to separate themselves from the wicked crawl of modernity. He often finds himself opposing the government and other powerful figures, usually because of his hatred of inequality, but his hatred also typically gets the best of him.
There are a lot of things that Dutch does in the RDR games that, when taken out of context, could be considered quite heroic and noble. There are many details in RDR 2, and it’s revealed at some point in the game that Arthur Morgan was taken in by Dutch when he was just a teenager. Arthur adapted to Dutch’s way of life earlier than anybody else in the story because of this. Dutch became Arthur’s only reliable father figure early in his life, simply because he saw potential in him. As for within the games, there are also examples of Dutch’s leadership coming through for his people found throughout.
The moment Dutch discovers that Jack, John Marston’s son, was kidnapped by the Braithwaite family, he immediately sets up a crusade mission to rescue him (then proceeds to be as evil as possible by burning down the Braithwaite mansion). At the beginning of the game, Dutch does his best to accommodate a traumatized Sadie Adler after a raid from his rival gang, the O’Driscolls. He clearly does plenty of things that would put him on the good side of a church, but he counteracts these acts with deviousness many times, hence his tragic nature.
Dutch Loses Part of Himself
Even though Dutch and his gang have committed crimes such as robbery and murder (like some GTA 5 characters) early on their tenure in the name of their lifestyle (and budget), Dutch didn’t really lose the faith of his people until later on in RDR 2. Due to a series of disastrous events involving the gang’s ability to sustain itself (or lack thereof), Dutch slowly drifts into madness as he strays further and further away from his goals of individual freedom, etc., in favor of personal satisfaction and prosperity.
Dutch abandons John Marston and Abigail late in the game, completely contradicting his promise to be there for his people, which pretty much sets up the downfall of the gang. One particular scene beforehand, in which Dutch gets revenge on Angelo Bronte by drowning him and feeding him to an alligator, deeply disturbs Arthur and John to the point that they start to question his sanity. When he eventually sides with Micah over the two, it seals all of their fates as enemies; after all, a tragic hero is defined by his choices.
Dutch's Last Stand
During the events of Red Dead Redemption, Dutch ostensibly exhibits every version of himself from before put into one package. As the Pinkertons commission John Marston into hunting his former gang members, Dutch is busy using various Native American people for his age old cause - the fight for personal freedom (and to hide from the Pinkertons). Dutch smartly feeds off of the people’s hatred of the government and builds up another gang, which the Pinkertons attempt to destroy with the help of John Marston and the U.S. Army. This last stand symbolizes everything about Dutch - a freedom fighter with a penchant of taking advantage of people.
When John finally confronts Dutch one on one, he talks about his past as a leader and how he made a mistake in attempting to fight the immovable system his whole life. Before throwing himself to his death off of a cliff to evade capture, he commits one last act of heroism, which is to warn John that he wouldn’t be the last “monster” that they’d chase.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.