In Buddhism, the way to enlightenment, the end of suffering, is through The Middle Way. The Middle Way is the path of moderation. In his experience, Buddha found that neither indulgence nor asceticism brought peace. He found moderation and understanding of The Four Noble Truths and The Eight Fold Path was the way.
In studying, the Middle Way, it occurred to me that we could see all three paths - indulgence, asceticism, and moderation mirrored in Jigsaw and his accomplices. Amanda represents indulgence; Hoffman asceticism, and Jigsaw/Jill Tuck moderation.
Indulgence is actually self-indulgence and hedonism. Amanda is a former drug addict. Addiction is a form of indulgence. It's a way to mask pain and an attempt to avoid suffering, which is really unavoidable. After her test and kicking her drug addiction, she turns to other addictions, like self-mutilation, to help her cope. Her real fault lies in her excess emotion and the addictions serve as a way to release them. Amanda shows little restraint and allows her emotions to override restraint and better judgement, such as when her guilt over the death of John's son Gideon and fear he might discover her involvement influences her to kill an innocent Lynn Denlon. In turn, this causes Lynn's husband Jeff to shoot and kill her in return.
Hoffman's asceticism is the other side of the same coin (and it's only fitting they have the same test). He too has a lot pain and emotion within him, mostly focused on the death of his sister at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. But rather than indulge it like Amanda, he buries it. He begins to deny it and push it inside himself. By denying his feelings, he doesn't have to face his grief or guilt. As Hoffman continues to do this, he becomes more and more brutal and detached from humanity. Over time, he begins to act like a sociopath and psychopath: lacking guilt, empathy, shame, or remorse. He also removes any chance the victims have to survive their games by booby-trapping them, for example, he manipulates the lock in Detective Kerry's trap so the key won't open it. In addition, Hoffman has taken on the role of murderer when he kills the FBI Agents on his tail. His character is still alive, so his ending hasn't been written yet. But the effects of his behavior are clear, when John decides to test him.
John Kramer/Jigsaw and Jill Tuck (by enacting John's will) represent moderation. John doesn't allow emotion to control his actions during the games. He is confident that his preparations will ensure everything moves smoothly. This allows him to focus on the present moment and gives him the opportunity to be an observer. He is not tied to an ending. John lets go of expectation and lets the game play out, regardless of if the victims survive or not. He does not strike out nor murder anyone with his hands. John has felt pain and emotion and does not indulge or repress it. He also expresses it, like when he cries after Amanda dies. However, he too lacks true compassion, like Amanda and Hoffman.
However, Jill best represents moderation and balance. She has dealt with her emotions and the loss of her child and husband. Jill continues her work with addicts at the center, defending them. She shows understanding and compassion toward them. She forgives her patients for their faults. She has an inner strength and perspective. While Jill generally is not involved in John's work, she does try to convince him to stop and end it. She participates in Hoffman's game to respect John's final request. In the end, she not only physically carries out John's will, but also embodies it.
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