Ellie Williams: The Greatest Introduction to a Protagonist

A detailed summary & analysis exploring the genesis of the female character that changed everything for me.

This post is Part 1 of 2.

Among millions, I am one who possesses an acute affinity for dimensional, morally complex characters. When I read a novel, play a film, or watch a television show that hosts them, my eyes are sharp as they seek to untangle a personified mess that is written with sheer realness. Most of the time, the untangling is not a simple task. When characters can truly reflect the complicated mental patterns and messy elements of the people that surround us in real life, it becomes impossible (and trivializing) to fit them into boxes that often await them. The Hero or The Villain? The Follower or The Rebel? Are they Good-Natured or Bad-Natured? Are they Rude or Kind? Are they Selfish or Selfless? In many forms of media, if one aspect exists within a character, the other cannot.

This, of course, is not real life.

To make a character that truly reflects humankind, and is not just a personified caricature of the good or bad parts of us, deep, unattractive flaws have to exist alongside the good. When this happens, these characters stick out to us (a lot of times subconsciously) because they reflect the complications of human nature, and by nature, we tend to love that.

This is precisely why characters like Darth Vader, Tony Soprano, Severus Snape, and Batman are so compelling. Despite being powerful, visually threatening characters, they don't conform to a simplistic morality of good or evil. It's not that they're arbitrarily morally grey, making unpredictable choices based on whims. Rather, their moral compass is unique and shaped by the profound impact of both the suffering and wonders in life. Like us, their choices are not bound by manufactured morals but are deeply rooted in the tapestry of their own experiences. Can you relate?

But, what else do all of these characters have in common? You guessed it! Their genitals.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love those characters. A character like Severus Snape introduced me to this subsection of storytelling and shifted the way I not only see fictional characters, but also real-life people. A concept that rejects black-and-white thinking and challenges the consumer to love/understand an extremely imperfect person is pretty awesome, not to mention exceedingly hard. In a world of popular characters that are ultimately good or ultimately bad, creating one that balances between both is bold; bold, but extremely well-received when it works out. So, if that’s the case, where are the female ones?!

There are many complex, three-dimensional female characters that I love, but I am not necessarily focusing on sheer complexity here. Instead, I am fixated on the intense presence of moral complexity in female characters, when their harsh experiences directly challenge (and oftentimes defeat) who they are at their core. In the realm of mass media, this portrayal of female characters is scarce or written in an exhausted manner. Many writers stray from shaking a womanly character’s moral compass. I assume this is because, stereotypically, a woman’s moral compass is stronger than a man’s, and therefore, universally expected to be invincible. If it is not, there is a hefty chance the audience may write her off as a bitch. So, instead, they create characters like Captain Marvel.

This all-or-nothing approach is particularly noticeable when writers create a more extreme, violent female character that is portrayed as ‘complex.’ However, this complexity is frequently linked to a male figure or a traumatic event caused by a man. This singular event can lead her down a path of destruction, murder, and a complete loss of who she once was. Although undoubtedly entertaining, I cannot help but shake that female characters deserve more than this (as stated) exhausted story pattern. It underpins the idea that a female character's moral compass is supposed to be either pitch black or brilliantly bright (and also fragile when it comes to a man’s actions). Any attempt to introduce moral ambiguity on their journey is often criticized as inconsistent or perceived as annoying.

While acknowledging that this perspective might be seen as a generalization, it reflects my personal experience with a lifetime of consuming stories. In this journey, I've rarely encountered a female character with the same level of moral complexity and dimensionality as many of the male characters I've come to love.

That is until Ellie Williams.

You may be thinking: Are you serious, a video game character? Yes, I am extremely serious. I can say with unprecedented confidence that this video game character has surpassed all the wishes I have ever had for a female character across all the novels I have read, all the movies I have obsessed over, and all the TV shows I have binged. In my eyes, she is untouchable.

Why is this? Well, I suppose I must explain the genesis of her story. (From this point on, NaughtyDog’s “The Last of Us” spoilers will be pervasive).

The Beginning

When you first meet Ellie in “The Last of Us,” it is through the eyes of Joel Miller— a 56-year-old man hardened by the loss of his daughter, Sarah, and the grim reality of a world that has been plagued by fungal infections for 20 years. As armies of infected beings thrive and roam, driven by a relentless urge to kill, Joel and his closest companion, Tess, find themselves offered an abundance of weapons in exchange for smuggling goods out of the city and to the Fireflies (a faction actively opposing the oppressive government and seeking to restore societal order by countering the effects of the fungal infection). To their surprise, the cargo is Ellie— a scrappy fourteen-year-old residing in a quarantine zone in Boston.

This kid’s life-altering journey did not necessarily begin with Joel, though. It began three weeks prior with her best friend, Riley. Riley and Ellie became close during their time at the Boston QZ, and a few weeks before Ellie was put in the hands of Joel and Tess, the best friends snuck into the city’s abandoned mall to have one reckless night before Riley was to return to her newfound home with the Fireflies. During this, the pair are ecstatic to be back together as they rummage through old Halloween decorations, imagine the arcade room ablaze with electricity, take pictures in a somehow-still-working photo-booth, and even find it in themselves to dance with each other. It is here that Ellie makes her deep feelings for Riley known, to which Riley requites. But, in a world that is charged with monsters that respond strongly to noise, the pair’s innocent moment is quickly overcome by hundreds of infected. Riley and Ellie are both bitten, but there is a catch.

When Tess and Joel reluctantly accept the task of taking Ellie outside the QZ, they are not allowed to know the reason. But, when they are just past the city’s outskirts, it is discovered based on a soldier’s detection device that Ellie is infected. In disbelief and anger, Tess and Joel resort to accepting that they were set up, until Ellie insists that her bite is “three weeks old.” Naturally, they do not believe her. However, a healed forearm wound that is surrounded by cysts and teeth marks vouches for Ellie’s claim.

So, an engrossed Tess and a skeptical Joel continue their trek. Except, when they arrive at their destination outside the city, they discover a building full of dead Fireflies. To Joel’s surprise, Tess is inconsolable. It's revealed that she was bitten during one of their encounters with infected on their journey. Her wound is rapidly spreading through her body, and she grimly acknowledges that mere hours have passed, yet she's already in a worse state than Ellie. In her final plea, Tess implores Joel to seek out the Fireflies, hoping that they can find a purpose for the inexplicable immunity residing within Ellie. Unwillingly, Joel agrees, and Tess is left to fend off the approaching soldiers who have been tailing them.

And so the journey of Joel and Ellie begins, although it is anything but easy. In an attempt to stray away from simply summarizing the story, I will now attempt to focus primarily on Ellie’s character (there will still be a considerable amount of summarizing— as mentioned earlier, the experiences of a well-developed character play a crucial role in determining their ultimate fate. Unlike part 2 of this, part 1 will lean more towards extensive summarization).

Ellie as a Character

Though Ellie has only spent a day in Tess's company, the witnessing of her death silently shakes her. She understands that Tess's demise is permanently linked to her, given that Tess was bitten during the mission to deliver Ellie. Consequently, Ellie grapples with a guilt that stokes the flames in her gut. Now, more than ever, she yearns for her immunity to mean something, especially in light of surviving the attack with Riley. There's a heavy implication that Ellie was the one who ultimately pulled the trigger on her best friend, marking Tess as the second untimely death she has witnessed. It's this thin thread of hope that propels Ellie forward as the story progresses.

Ellie and Joel’s relationship is very entertaining, yet fairly tense for the first few months they spend together. The barriers Joel has fortified around his heart are not for the faint of spirit to try and fracture— even Tess couldn’t fully succeed in their many years side by side. Despite Ellie’s insistent optimism, frequent jokes, and earnest curiosity about Joel, he refuses to reciprocate much interest. However, there are moments, though fleeting, where his eyes flicker in wonder towards Ellie. When she takes time to admire the view from a rooftop, when she stops in awe as fireflies (real ones) wiz around her, and when she pauses to take in her very first time in the woods. In these moments, you can see the father he has been repressing since he tragically lost his daughter at the beginning of the pandemic. It is obvious from the outside that this little girl who has maintained her youthful spirit in such a dire world, slowly but surely, is putting life into this broken man again.

Although, Ellie isn't some little angel sent to fix Joel; this becomes quite apparent alongside her trucker's mouth, willingness to engage in both physical and verbal confrontations, and unparalleled bravery. She proves herself capable time and time again with each distressing encounter that they have on their journey— but Joel consistently dismisses Ellie’s request to have a gun.

“If you would give me a gun, I could help you kill some of these fuckers.”

That is until they get separated in a hotel elevator while trying to escape from hunters. In an attempt to reunite with Ellie, Joel is ambushed and held underwater, struggling for air with little space left in his lungs. His gun is just within arm’s reach when it's picked up, a shot rings out, and the attacker's body falls into the water beside Joel. As he surfaces, Joel is met with the sight of a wide-eyed and trembling Ellie, smoke wisping from the muzzle of his gun.

“Man. . . I shot the hell out of that guy, huh? I feel sick.”

This marks Ellie’s first non-infected kill. The pace of the terrorizing moment left her no time to consider repercussions; she acted on instinct, ultimately saving Joel.

Joel: Why didn't you just hang back like I told you to?

Ellie: Well, you're glad I didn't, right?

Joel: I'm glad I didn't get my head blown off by a goddamn kid.

Ellie: You know what? No. How about "Hey, Ellie. I know it wasn't easy, but it was either him or me, thanks for saving my ass." You got anything like that for me, Joel?

Joel: We gotta get going.

This attitude of blatantly rejecting Ellie's capabilities persists consistently throughout the game, up until just moments after this interaction. Even for Joel, it has become too challenging to dismiss Ellie's life-saving actions. So, he gives her his hunting rifle to pick enemies off from the high ground as Joel attempts to clear a path for them on the low ground. After the encounter, Ellie is timid as she approaches Joel, aching for his approval as she asks, “How did I do?” He simply nods, offering her something that is “a little more your size.” When she accepts a handgun, satisfaction washes over her features. Joel’s trustworthiness is something she has been yearning for, and this display of reliance and partnership causes a subtle, but amicable shift between the pair.

They soon encounter Sam and Henry, brothers who are also trying to escape the city while safely evading the well-populated hunters. After reluctant consideration, Joel agrees to partner up with them. After all, they know the city better.

Sam is a few years younger than Ellie, and in between the chaos of trudging through the dangerous city, the two share moments of innocent conversation, revealing exchanges, and hearty laughs.

Ellie: Ah, okay. You guys are killing me with your downer talk. It's jokebook time.

Sam: What is that?

Ellie: Just bear with me. "You wanna hear a joke about pizza? Never mind, it was too cheesy."

Sam: I don't get it.

Ellie: Yeah, me neither. "What did the green grape say to the purple grape? Breathe, you idiot!"

Sam: That's so stupid. Alright, I got a joke for you.

Ellie: Let's hear it.

Sam: Why can't your nose be twelve inches long?

Ellie: I don't know, why?

Sam: Because. . . then it would be a foot.

Ellie: That's so dumb. I love it.

These small moments (that, mind you, happen in the background of gameplay) remind us of the simple nature that still exists within these kids. It is easy to lose sight of the remaining innocence, as these characters are constantly forced into threatening situations, but it still lingers. Ellie is blatantly excited about Sam’s presence; it has been a long time since she has talked to someone around her age. She leaps to ask him questions about himself, is quick to try and make him feel better, and earnestly expresses curiosity about his feelings.

Ellie: Is everything alright?

Sam: Everything's fine.

Ellie: Okay... Well... Have a good night.

Sam: How is it that you're never scared?

Ellie: Who says that I'm not?

Sam: What're you scared of?

Ellie: Let's see. . . scorpions are pretty creepy.

Sam: [Rolls his eyes & averts his gaze to the window.]

Ellie: Um. . . being by myself. I'm scared of ending up alone. What about you?

Sam: Those things out there. What if the people are still inside? What if they're trapped in there, without any control over their body? I'm scared of that happening to me.

Ellie: Okay, first of all, we're a team now. We're gonna help each other out. And second, they might still look like people, but that person is not in there anymore.

Sam: Henry says that "they've moved on." That they're with their families. Like in heaven. Do you think that's true?

Ellie: I go back and forth. I mean, I'd like to believe it.

Sam: But you don't.

Ellie: I guess not.

Sam: Yeah. . . me neither.

Unfortunately, the basis of this conversation lies in a bite that Sam suffered during one of the group's numerous encounters with infected. Nobody becomes aware of this until the following morning when he attacks Ellie, and in an unimaginable mess of emotions, Henry, overwhelmed, initially aims the gun at Joel as he reaches for his weapon, but then redirects it toward Sam, ultimately firing at him. The scene is truly horrific, marked by Henry's sobbing and whimpering, blaming himself, then Joel, before turning the gun on his own temple and pulling the trigger.

Autumn

The scene goes black, and time jumps ahead a month or so. We find Ellie and Joel on the outskirts of Jackson County, Wyoming. In typical NaughtyDog style, there is a lot left to assume about the time we have missed out on, particularly the moments after Henry and Sam’s tragic end. What we can be sure of, given the ongoing evolution of Ellie's character, is that these deaths have intensified her quest for a meaningful resolution, driven by the peculiar circumstances of her immunity.

Joel has led them to Jackson to meet with his brother, Tommy. A former Firefly, Tommy is Joel and Ellie’s best shot at finding a Firefly outpost where everyone is not slaughtered. Unbeknownst to Ellie, Joel is also keen on meeting with Tommy so he can hand her over to him to carry out the rest of the mission. The weight of Ellie's life, a burden that grows heavier the closer he gets to her, feels all too familiar. Despite Joel's resilience in the face of hardships, the idea of being the cause of Ellie's death is too much for him to consider. Truly believing that she'd have a better shot at survival with Tommy, he pleads with his brother to see the mission through.

When Ellie catches wind of this, she steals one of the town’s horses and gallops off to an abandoned house. When Joel finds her, they share the most revealing conversation the game has offered thus far.

Joel: Get up, we're leaving. C'mon.

Ellie: And if I say no?

Joel: Do you even realize what your life means? Huh? Running off like that. Putting yourself at risk. . . it's pretty goddamn stupid.

Ellie: Well, I guess we're both disappointed with each other then.

Joel: What do you want from me?

Ellie: Admit that you wanted to get rid of me the whole time.

Joel: Tommy knows this area better than—

Ellie: Agh, fuck that.

Joel: Well, I'm sorry, I trust him better than I trust myself.

Ellie: Stop with the bullshit. What are you so afraid of? That I'm gonna end up like Sam? I can't get infected. I can take care of myself.

Joel: How many close calls have we had?

Ellie: Well, we seem to be doing alright so far.

Joel: And now you'll be doing even better with Tommy.

Ellie: I'm not her, you know.

Joel: What?

Ellie: Maria told me about Sarah. And I—

Joel: Ellie. You are treading on some mighty thin ice here.

Ellie: I'm sorry about your daughter, Joel, but I have lost people too.

Joel: You have no idea what loss is.

Ellie: Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me. Everyone fucking except for you. So don't tell me that I would be safer with someone else, because the truth is I would just be more scared.

Joel: You're right. . . You're not my daughter, and I sure as hell ain't your dad. And we are going our separate ways.

Ellie cannot seem to stop her true feelings from pouring out in this scene. The thought of Joel abandoning her is too much at this point. They have been traveling together for months, keeping each other safe and developing a connection that feels inexplicably innate. The thought of Joel just being another person who passes through the revolving door of people Ellie cares for is too horrific of a thought. In a shaking voice, she bears the truth that Joel has quickly become the most important person in her life, and although he feels the same, he is not ready to admit it yet. So, in typical broken-dad style, he instead delivers a grating blow that ultimately quiets Ellie.

Behind the two pairs of puppy eyes in this cut scene, one can imagine a whirlwind of thoughts. Although we don’t know precisely what they are, I surmise that Joel is awakening to the realization that his self-serving decision to hand Ellie over to Tommy, an attempt to spare himself a broken heart, is instead breaking hers. Perhaps he is fathoming that he is not only all that Ellie has left, but also that she is all he has left. It is truly up to interpretation, but it must live in the vicinity of these assumptions, because Joel changes his mind, and their journey continues on horseback.

Tommy has told them that the Firefly outpost is likely in the science building at the fictional University of Eastern Colorado. When they arrive, they see signs of Fireflies, but cannot detect any sign of life except for a couple of loose monkeys wandering around campus.

Ellie: Aww. . . are those monkeys?

Joel: Yeah, a whole mess of 'em.

Ellie: That was kind of awesome.

Joel: First time seeing a monkey?

Ellie: First time seeing a monkey.

As they trot around the university, attempting to find their way past a few gates by navigating the corridors and taking out some infected, the pair share their first long string of consistent, pleasant conversation. Ellie asks Joel about his past and if he ever went to university, she asks him if he thinks it’ll hurt when the Fireflies run tests on her, and she calls back to a conversation they presumably started prior about what she would have wanted to be in the old world.

Ellie: Hey, I was thinking. . . I would've wanted to be an astronaut.

Joel: That a fact?

Ellie: Yeah. Can you imagine being up there all by yourself? Would've been cool, I'm just sayin'. What about you? What'd you want to be?

Joel: Oh. . . well, when I was a kid I used to want to be a. . . a singer.

Ellie: [Laughs] Shut up.

Joel: I'm serious.

Ellie: Sing something.

Joel: Ah, no.

Ellie: Come on. I won't laugh.

Joel: I don't think so.

Ellie: Joel. Please.

This comfortability between them, particularly on Joel’s side, is unfailingly heartwarming to finally witness. After their long trek throughout the country, it suddenly feels like they are at last reaching something that could be worthwhile, both emotionally and physically. When they are slowly treading through the science building, following a curious noise that they are hoping to be Fireflies, but expecting to be infected, they come across more monkeys.

Ellie: Well, maybe in all that research, they turned into fucking monkeys.

Instead, Joel finds a recorder. As he fast forwards through some disconcerted statements about the person being dead soon and how everything was a giant waste of time and if you’re looking for the others, they've all returned to Saint Mary's Hospital in Salt Lake City. You'll find them there, still trying to save the world. Good luck with that.

They share a few comments about this discovery before they are narrowly shot at through the window. Taking cover, Joel urges them to descend to safety, but as he opens the door to exit the hallway balcony, it violently swings open. A man launches an attack, shoving Joel against the railing until it gives way. The two plummet to the ground, the fall proving fatal for their assailant. Tragically, Joel is impaled by a rebar, piercing through his back and into his stomach upon impact.

Despite this brutal injury, he shoots two more men who fly through the doors (yeah, he’s pretty unstoppable), and urges Ellie to pull him off the bar. He manages to get to his feet, but is slowly losing consciousness, and in these mere moments, Ellie is swiftly expected to step the hell up and get them both through the university and back to the horse. Although Joel is unfadingly resilient and continues to aim his gun at pursuers, his body is working against him, and it is Ellie who takes control of the situation. She manages to cap numerous men by weaponizing the element of surprise and successfully leading them back.

In more ways than one, the story undergoes an incredible shift here. Although they travel ways away from the university, Joel still helplessly falls off the saddle, further indicating that this injury is not a manageable one.

Ellie: Ah, shit. Joel— here. Get up, get up, get up. . . You gotta tell me what to do. Come on. . . You gotta get up. . . Joel?

Winter

The next scene you are exposed to is one of a fluffy white bunny hopping upon a sheet of snow before an arrow smoothly slides through its neck. The hunter is Ellie, and you are now playing as her. Joel is sewed up, blanketed, and unconscious as he lies in a garage blocks away. This terrified, yet deceptively fierce little girl is hell-bent on surviving, or at the very least, elongating the deathly circumstances she and her partner are in. She even manages to take down a deer— until her prize is interrupted by a pair of strangers.

Man: Hello. . . we just want to talk.

Ellie: Any sudden moves and I put one right between your eyes. Ditto for buddy boy over there. What do you want?

David: Um, name's David, this here's my friend James. We're from a larger group— women, children. We're all very, very hungry.

Ellie: So am I— women and children —all very hungry too.

David: Well maybe we could, ah, trade you for some of that meat there. What do you need? Weapons, ammo, clothes—

Ellie: Medicine! Do you have any antibiotics?

David: We do. Back at the camp. You're welcome to follow us—

Ellie: I'm not following you anywhere. Buddy boy can go get it. He comes back with what I need, the deer is all yours. Anyone else shows up—

David: You put one right between my eyes.

Ellie: That's right.

The Ellie that we met months ago has slowly, but organically grown into an exceedingly capable survivor. Although she is undeniably threatened by these two men, she, without a second’s notice, holds her ground and refuses to display hesitancy, proving that she is far from inadequate. Facing potential enemies on her own is something that she has never done before, but Joel’s wavering survival quickly acclimates her to the challenge.

As they wait for ‘buddy boy’ to return, David and Ellie are faced with some infected, naturally leading Ellie to demonstrate her competence against them. David is blatantly impressed by this, but after their environment becomes quiet again, he unveils that many of his men have “been slaughtered by a crazy man. And get this, he's a crazy man traveling with a little girl.”

As Ellie points her gun at him, 'buddy boy' reemerges, returning the gesture by aiming his weapon at her. Despite David having the upper hand, he instructs his partner to surrender the medicine and allows Ellie to leave, offering his protection. In a swift response, Ellie declines with a firm, "No thanks."

When Ellie returns to Joel, he is still barely conscious as she talks to him. When she lifts his shirt and injects the penicillin beside his wound, he winces, but she assures him that he’s “gonna make it,” before laying beside him.

The resilience of Ellie is suddenly very palpable as the camera pans above them. This grown man is only surviving such a fatal wound because of Ellie’s visceral persistence and labored care. Throughout the harsh winter, she has fed him, kept him warm, and engaged in conversation despite his unconscious state. The amount of genuine terror she must be feeling as his breathing, injury, and temperature worsen is presumably insurmountable. Despite her toughness, Ellie is just a girl, and Joel remains the only thing she has left.

This is precisely why fear pulses through her when she wakes to hear voices and footsteps outside. David’s men have tracked her, and her response is solely driven by Joel’s survival; she decides to draw them away to ensure his safety. In doing so, their horse gets killed. Despite facing brutal odds, she navigates through large groups of men, all physically larger than her. Her success lies not in physical strength, but in intelligence. Ellie cleverly uses her size to her advantage— hiding, creeping, laying traps, using her bow and arrow to silently eliminate enemies, and employing bricks and bottles to stun before finishing off vulnerable foes with her switchblade. Despite these impressive tactics, they prove insufficient when David captures her.

When she wakes in an enclosure, she is confronted by the disturbing sight of a man butchering a human body. Although this frightens Ellie, she refuses to display her weakness when David shows up with food for her. When he does, he seems determined to win her over as he attempts to establish a connection. He reaches out to hold her hand through the enclosure, confessing that her 'loyalty' and 'heart' are qualities that attract him. Ellie instead snaps his finger in half, much to his dismay.

David: You stupid little girl. You are making it very difficult to keep you alive. What am I supposed to tell the others now?

Ellie: Ellie.

David: What?

Ellie: Tell them that. . . Ellie is the little girl. . . that broke your fucking finger.

David then insinuates to Ellie that he plans on chopping her up into little pieces the following morning. This threat is not empty, because the next time we see Ellie, she is forcibly placed on a table, struggling and biting as a hatchet is raised menacingly above her arm.

Ellie: I'm infected! I'm infected!

David: Really?

Ellie: . . . and so are you. Right there. Roll up my sleeve. Look at it!

David: I'll play along.

When David rolls up Ellie’s sleeve and sees the sight of her bubbled wound, the room goes quiet and panic is quick to ensue.

James: What the hell is that?

David: She would've turned by now. It can't be real.

James: Looks pretty fucking real to me!

Ellie reaches for the cleaver and cuts clean into James’ neck before jumping off the table and ducking from David’s gunshot. With only her switchblade, it is Ellie against an enemy-filled town with a blizzard busting through it. The weather seems to be on her side, because it increases her chances of evading and sneaking up on the men patrolling. It isn’t these men she is truly trying to escape from, though, it is David, who seems to be much too interested in Ellie’s fate being in his own hands. When she ends up trapped in an old restaurant with him, the nature of the situation quickly becomes both vile and terrorizing.

Ellie attempts to use the maze of booths to gain the upper hand, managing to inflict some injuries on David. However, to her horror, rather than deterring him, this only fuels his excitement for their twisted game of cat and mouse. Unfazed, he doesn't hastily lunge or grab for her; instead, he menacingly brandishes his machete, creeping through the restaurant with a disturbing calmness. As he continues his pursuit, he taunts Ellie with unsettling remarks like, "You keep surprising me. It's a shame you wouldn't come around. Give up now, and I promise to be quick," "I love how you think you're better than us. But you're not," and the ominous refrain, "Run, little rabbit, run." The tension heightens as the psychological torment unfolds in this nightmarish encounter.

When Ellie sneaks up on him for the final time, they struggle before both falling unconscious within the now-burning building. When she comes to, her gaze lands on David’s machete that has fallen beneath a booth, but as she is nearly in arm’s reach, he pins her to the floor.

David: I knew you had heart. Y'know, it's okay to give up. Ain't no shame in it. I guess not. Just not your style, is it? You can try beggin'.

Ellie: Fuck you.

David: You think you know me? Huh? Well, let me tell you somethin'. You have no idea what I'm capable of.

David's final words echo through the air just before Ellie's hand reaches the machete, slashing his wrist. Finally gaining some semblance of leverage, she climbs on top of him, driven by a relentless determination, losing herself in the brutal act of ending his life. Blood splatters across her face, her breath ragged, and the fragile remnants of her broken voice seep through her screams as her arms move up and down, bringing a decisive end to this horrifying nightmare she has endured. However, a set of arms wrapping around her interrupts this jarring scene.

Ellie: No! Don't fucking touch me!

Joel: Shhh. Shhh.

Ellie: No—

Joel: It's okay. It's me, it's me. Look, look. It's me.

Ellie: He tried to—

[He embraces her.]

Joel: Oh, baby girl. . . It's okay, it's okay.

Ellie: Joel. . .

Joel: It's okay now.

Spring

It is unsurprising that Ellie is not the same after this. I view this part of the story as the final straw for the little girl we met at the beginning. Up until this point, Ellie has been able to maintain a mask that distances herself from how she truly feels inside: broken. She has experienced an unbearable amount of loss and loneliness at too ripe of an age, and the recent horror she endured has shattered her remaining ability to detach.

The next time we see the pair, the winter is behind them and they are on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, only miles away from where the Fireflies are supposedly stationed. There are numerous moments where Joel attempts to engage in simple conversation with Ellie, but she is blankly staring off, ears numb to the world before he has to redirect her. This Ellie— the one who is not jumping to ask endless questions or dropping silly jokes to lighten the mood —is more similar to the Ellie we see in “The Last of Us Part II.” She is irreversibly changed by all they have gone through, but now that they stand only miles away from the finish line, she is more dead-set on finishing this mission than ever before.

Joel: We don't have to do this. You know that, right?

Ellie: What's the other option?

Joel: Go back to Tommy's. Just. . . be done with this whole damn thing.

Ellie: After all we've been through. Everything that I've done. . . It can't be for nothing. Look, I know you mean well. . . but there's no halfway with this. Once we're done, we'll go wherever you want. Okay?

Joel: Well, I ain't leavin' without ya, so let's go wrap this up.

In the midst of their trek to reach the hospital, Ellie and Joel get caught in a flood that nearly claims Ellie's life. Miraculously, Fireflies discover them, and Joel, determined to save Ellie, attempts CPR. When they demand him to surrender and he refuses, they subdue him.

Upon regaining consciousness, Joel is informed that Ellie's unique immunity stems from a mutated form of the cordyceps inside her, offering the potential for a vaccine if they extract it. However, Joel, aware of the danger, realizes that removing the cordyceps from all over her brain would be fatal.

Despite efforts to guide Joel away from the situation entirely, he manages to incapacitate guards, retrieve his backpack, and launch a brutal assault on every Firefly in the hospital. The rampage even includes the surgeons surrounding an unconscious Ellie on the operating table. Joel fights desperately to save her life, regardless of the worldly consequences.

When Ellie wakes in the back seat of a moving car, she is incredibly confused and asks what the hell happened. Joel tells her, “We found the Fireflies. Turns out there's a whole lot more like you, Ellie. People that are immune. It's dozens, actually. Ain't done a damn bit of good either. They've actually st— They've stopped looking for a cure. I'm taking us home. I'm sorry.”

Ellie doesn’t respond. Instead, she rolls her body over to face the back of the seats. When they eventually arrive outside of Jackson, Ellie has one more thing to say to Joel.

Ellie: Hey, wait. Back in Boston— back when I was bitten —I wasn't alone. My best friend was there. And she got bit too. We didn't know what to do. So. . . she says, "Let's just wait it out. Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together." I'm still waiting for my turn.

Joel: Ellie—

Ellie: Her name was Riley and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess. And then Sam.

Joel: None of that is on you.

Ellie: No, you don't understand.

Joel: I struggled for a long time with survivin'. And you— No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. Now, I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but it's—

Ellie: Swear to me. Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true.

[Pause.]

Joel: I swear.

Ellie: Okay.

I believe the game ends with this dialogue because it inadvertently gives insight into the growing turmoil of Ellie’s psyche. The undeniable heartbreak she is enduring from discovering that their arduous journey to find the Fireflies was futile continues to weigh on her. It has been months since it happened, but she cannot let go of the inescapable disappointment. If only there could have been something good that came from her immunity, perhaps the traumatizing hardships would have felt justified.

Instead, she is being told that there are thousands of people like her, and she's urged to let go of this chapter of her life. How can she, though? Especially when an undeniable suspicion lingers that Joel isn't disclosing the full truth. But, the complexity of not believing the person she holds dearest, amid everything else, might be too overwhelming. So, she chooses to believe him, but this very moment marks the beginning of Ellie's true narrative.

Wrapping Up

Even in fictional and sensationally dire stories like "The Last of Us," well-crafted characters, such as Ellie (and Joel), evoke a genuine sense of urgency and care. While the first game seemingly revolves around Joel, it inadvertently sets the stage for one of the most flawed yet compelling female protagonists I have ever encountered. Throughout this summarized journey, we have witnessed a resilient 14-year-old girl traverse the country, evolving into a hardened individual with a clearer perspective on the realities of life and how harsh they can be, especially when you care deeply for someone.

The driving force of the game lies in the relationship of Ellie and Joel, which I perceive as a poignant love story. These two fractured souls have found solace in each other, a connection that was unprecedented for Ellie and long-forgotten for Joel. The question of how far one would go for a loved one in the bleak world of "The Last of Us" adds a layer of controversy and emotional depth to the conclusion of the first game and the entirety of the second.

Attempting to judge these characters with a black-and-white mindset is futile in a world that, much like ours, is incredibly grey. Ellie's narrative grows even more intricate during her years in Jackson, particularly when the person she loves most is endangered. It is in these moments that her moral complexity intensifies, transforming her into a character unlike any other. As she navigates challenging situations, one can't help but wonder if there is anything left of that scrappy 14-year-old girl. . .

Part 2 of 2 is here.