The Red Dead Redemption franchise is told in cycles of justice and revenge, hope and loss, freedom and change, and more. For example, because Red Dead Redemption 2’s Dutch Van Der Linde gang broke the law and grabbed the attention of the Pinkerton agency, they play a game of back and forth throughout RDR2. But the cycle doesn’t end there, as the Pinkerton’s eventually continue this cycle by taking John’s family, forcing John into a cycle of killing his old comrades. Eventually, though his past should be squared away, the Pinkertons act and kill him. And, in turn, Jack Marston is forced to kill their leader.
This Red Dead Redemption 2 cycle of justice, revenge, freedom, change, civilization, and lawlessness is one inherent to the way of life the Dutch Van Der Linde gang aspired to. The key word here is "aspired," because so many of them fell off the path and into these cycles. This plan of escaping to Tahiti and living a free life was never possible for these characters, as they attempted to uphold a code that few of them could, like Charles Smith.
The Dutch Van Der Linde Gang Code and Downfall
Throughout Red Dead Redemption 2, there’s never really any strong indication of a written down and sworn-to code for the game. This, if anything, highlights the fragility and inconsistency of it. However, in glimpses throughout the game, fans can deduce that it includes: Never snitch, do not harm innocents, do not rob the poor, support the gang, everyone should do their own part, and generally aim to do more good than harm—although this latter one is very finicky on whom it is applied.
It is in living up to this code and failing to meet them that several members of the Red Dead Redemption 2 gang fall apart, die, or get severely hurt. For example, Molly O’Shea was shot and killed for snitching to the Pinkertons, despite it turning out later that it was just a cry for attention. Susan Grimshaw shot her before that truth ever came out.
Another good example is Sean MacGuire’s death. One of the rules is to support the gang and do their own part, which is one reason why Arthur Morgan can raise so much money for the RDR2 gang. But Bill and Micah are the farthest from being able to support the gang and pull their own weight as it gets, and them breaking this aspect of the code leads to Sean’s death as part of the law vs. lawlessness cycle in which the gang is captured.
The biggest example, of course, is Micah Bell—who manages to uphold none of this code. He is the snitch, not Molly; he enjoys harming innocents and would kill anyone for any reason, such as during Micah’s jail escape; he would rob anyone and has; he would never support the gang, just his own self; and he wouldn’t even do his part, being a freeloader on the gang’s most moral aspects. Micah breaks so many codes that it effectively damns the whole gang, especially as Dutch never seemingly realizes who Micah is because he’s too busy dealing with his own struggles.
Charles Smith – Following the Dutch Van Der Linde Code and Finding That Good Life
Yet, Charles Smith is one of two characters who clearly make it out of the events of Red Dead 2 alive. Both Charles Smith and Sadie Adler disappear, having lived by the code until the end and beating the game of cycles on their own. Both are notable for doing so, but perhaps Charles is the most poignant in terms of it.
Charles is one of the newer members of the gang but is able to serve as a moral compass of sorts in the lawless world of Red Dead Redemption 2. His fate is uncertain, but he last expressed the desire to go to Canada and raise a family—it’s no Tahiti, but it’s a certain desire out of life that Charles obtains, ultimately something that Dutch Van Der Linde himself wanted: to live by his own rules and desires.
Several times throughout the stories, Charles can be seen abiding by the code. He never snitches, he pulls his own weight by finding horses early in the game and even offering to do more, and he and Arthur often scout for camp to support the gang. Indeed, while several characters disappear and end up in Guarma, Charles and Sadie both keep the gang together. He robs, but he does not rob the poor. He kills, but he does not kill the innocent. And, in emotional scenes like with the Bison hunters, he often attempts to do more good than harm. At the end of the day, Charles Smith is the truest Robin Hood of the Dutch Van Der Linde gang.
In living by these righteous principles, he is able to redeem himself and hopefully make way for his own peaceful life, unlike Arthur Morgan and John Marston. Even though they redeem themselves at the end, it is this lack of righteousness and circular conflict that is their undoing. For example, Arthur Morgan dies of Tuberculosis, which he contracts from Thomas Downes when attempting to “collect a debt.” This is a barely sufficient masking of “rob the poor,” especially in how cruel Arthur Morgan can potentially treat Thomas Downes. It’s not until later, when Arthur realizes how the Downes Widow had to become a prostitute, that he realizes how bad, evil, and against the code this debt collection of Leopold Strauss’ is.
But, even unlike Arthur Morgan, Charles Smith is able to stick to the righteous and original purpose of the gang, something it had only fallen further and further away from. It makes him one character whose redemption doesn’t come in the form of death, and it gives him a potential future unlikely many of the gang. As such, Charles Smith serves as a valuable lesson in a way: if sticking to the gang’s original mindset saved him, it’s the gang’s downfall and move away from this righteousness that leads to its failure.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.