If there was ever a man who just couldn't lie down and die, Fallout's Joshua Graham would be him. Introduced in Fallout: New Vegas' impressive Honest Hearts DLC, Joshua Graham has become one of the series' most iconic and memorable characters, partly due to his unique character design and partly because of voice actor Keith Szarabajka's line delivery — and that's not even mentioning the story surrounding him.

A leader, an evangelist with a gun, and a man who can't seem to shake the cycle of violence he once perpetuated, Graham's presence in the DLC gives us a lot to work with.

Joshua Graham's Origins

Graham was raised in New Caanan, a post-war Mormon settlement in Utah. He was trained to become a missionary and preach the word of god, traveling to various tribes in the area to learn their many languages and educate some of the fꦰar-reaching ones.

The Church of the Latter-Day Saints is one of the few explicitly mentioned sur♋viving religions in the post-war world.

Joshua Graham was a competent interpreter who spoke most of the surrounding dialects, so he was a natural choice for a journey (🐓alongside the Followers of the Apocalypse) to the Grand Canyon.

Upon arriving, Graham encountered the Blackfoot tribe, who took him and his companions hostage.

However, the tribe was in a tough spot. They could not fight and were in a war in which they were badly losing to the surrounding tribes.

According to the developers, the Blackfoot tribe in New Vegas is not analogous to the real-world Blackfeet Nation. The word 'tribe' is used very loosely in New Vegas.

One of his companions, a Follower of the Apocalypse, taught the tribe to clean and care for their weapons, as well as how to execute multiple combative tactics.

This Follower's name was Sallow, and he would ask Graham to translate for him, thereby ingraining the missionary into his plans.

The Followers of the Apocalypse are a humanitarian group that provides education throughout the Wasteland.

They tend to be philanthropic and follow a set of principles rather than a religious doctrine.

The Blackfoot tribe would quickly win against their foes, and Sallow would declare himself 'Caesar.' With Graham's help, Caesar would make him his first Legate.

Joshua Graham would rapidly descend into brutality after this, leaving behind his teachings to embrace the power that came with such a high position in Caesar's Legion.

Joshua Graham In Caesar's Legion

It would not be long before Joshua Graham would be infamous for his acts of violence and unpredictability in Caesar's name, and he would slaughter hundreds as he strayed further and further from the path he had once walked upon.

Caesar's plan was clear: unite the Wasteland and protect the order within it the way they had dominated the tribes in t🌌he Western region.

Graham, treating the war with the NCR as they had treated warfare with the tribes, attacked them much the same way.

He suffered a crushing and humiliating defeat at the Hoover Dam. Caesar, who had also become increasingly corrupted by his time in power, decided to make an example of Graham, letting the maꦗn take the fall for a war that likely should not have begun in the first 💯place.

"The Burned Man"

For his failure to defeat the NCR's forces at the Hoover Dam, Joshua Graham was smeared in pitch and lit aflame before being tossed from the top of the Grand Canyon.

Joshua hit the ground, but would not die. He crawled around 400 miles back to New Caanan, kept alive only by his contempt.

The Grand Canyon averages around 7,000 feet above sea level. Graham's survival after the initial fall isn't just video game logic, either!

In fact, there are a couple of documented cases of people sꩵurviving falls from ꦺ10,000 feet by sheer luck.

Covered in burns that he had to tend to daily, Joshua Graham would consider his survival to be his second baptism. His community welcomed him home, where he would live closer to the teachings he'd grown up with.

He would seek forgiveness from his God and his family, taking the weight of his past actions as his own, rather than shunting the blame onto Caesar. After all, Graham recognized t🦩hat no one could truly make him do anything. His corruption was his own.

The Dead Horses

Unable to flee from his past for long, Joshua Graham's New Caananite family would be the victims of a massacre by the White Legs, a tribe of raiders 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:aided by Ulysses.

Warped by the violence of his past and plagued by guilt, Joshua would conclude that one "can't expect God to do all the work" and, upon becoming acting war chief of the Dead Horses tribe, would begin a vicious campaign against all those who threatened the safety of the innocent, bringing "God's justice" to all manner of unsavory folk.

Joshua Graham's Themes

One of the most compelling factors in Graham's story is the interplay of guilt and repentance throughout his story. He seeks to end the cycle of violence within himself, but he can't deny himself revenge on people whom he perhaps sees his former self in.

You're left to wonder if he is killing that part of himself by delivering what he believes to be God's justice. Of course, by killing, he's also nurturing the part of him that seeks cruelty.

Upon passing a speech check, you can ask Joshua about hi🔯s burns.

He will state dryly that he is in constant pain when he changes the bandages, but "it is better to be clean than comfortable."

This phrase cleverly describes his relationship with sin and forgiveness as well.

Viewing his decisions in his life as a series of small compromises that led to massive errors of judgment, Joshua Graham shows no compassion in his religious crusade towards those who are also making 'small compromises' in their morality.

Joshua Graham is painfully human. Playing the DLC allows you to help him reconcile with this humanity, potentially enabling him to go further than he ever had before in his quest for revenge, or to temper his vengeance with mercy.