How Ellie in ‘The Last of Us’ Challenges Tropes and Subverts Stereotypes

Goomba Stomp: While the state of female characters in video gaming has certainly improved in recent times, the fact that I’m even having to bring up what a revelation Ellie in The Last of Us is reminds us that we’re not there yet. That a well written, well developed and completely relatable character that’s also a girl is a novelty in 2015 is a sad commentary on how far we’ve still got to go, but it’s also a beacon of hope. Naughty Dog didn’t go back on their decision to make Ellie the focus of the cover for The Last of Us, and the game went on to be a huge success, with Ellie as a character almost uniformly praised by critics and gamers alike. Ellie is, undoubtedly, the star of the show in The Last of Us, and that raises hope that other publishers will see that and take note.

[AnubisG]

How she's doing it? They made her a foul mouth lesbian. I know that people will disagree with me because they love TLoU. I liked the game myself but this is the truth. She curses all the time and she loves another girl.

Yey for Political Correctness!! Glorifying the wrong things since 2015!

By the way, I like strong female characters but Ellie is not one of them. For me, Lara Croft is the undisputed female video game character. Strong, confident, adventurous, witty and besutiful. (Not the new Lara from the reboot by the way, she complains and moans too much)

[ameliabaz]

You do realize that the term 'strong female characters' doesn't just mean physically strong right? It means female characters who are written realistically, with depth to their personalities, and with more than two dimensions. Ellie is a strong female character because she is written well. Just like Joel is a strong male character for the same reasons.

Yeah Ellie swear a lot. But she was raised in a world where the adults around her had more important things to do than teach her manners. As for her sexuality....well that's up for debate. You can either interpret her as a lesbian or as a young teen experimenting with the only person she is close enough to consider a friend. And it's sad that you see a scene like that (and Ellie's swearing) as nothing more than 'political correctness' and 'glorifying the wrong things' because it ignores all the aspects of her character and the world she lives in that would lead her to behave the way she does. How boring would fictional characters be if they never did questionable, morally gray, or downright wrong things!

And anyway a well-written character doesn't need to be a character you LIKE, or one who's actions you agree with. They just need to be well written enough that you believe their actions, motivation, and personality.

[AnubisG]

Typical PC defense of TLoU. I stand by my opinon and don't care how many of you PC guys disagree.

[ameliabaz]

I'm sorry if you see a genuine attempt at helping you understand the themes of a story and motivations/actions of its characters as nothing more than a 'PC defence'. I'm not defending The Last of Us to be politically correct. I'm defending it because it's a well-written story with decently fleshed out characters.

You can have your opinion. That's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But that doesn't make it any less ridiculous to hate on a game or its characters solely because they do something you don't like or agree with. You don't like swearing? That's fine. But don't say that characters who do swear are bad characters because you don't like it. You don't like seeing two girls kissing? That's fine. But don't say that two girls kissing should never happen in a game because you don't like it. Because if you want game devs to only make things that YOU like and that YOU find morally correct, then it isn't Naughty Dog who are the ones pushing an agenda - it's YOU.

And like I said, it would be bloody boring if game characters only did things that were good and polite and 'morally correct'.

Although it really shows where your priorities are when you say a young girl swears or kisses her female friend is 'glorifying the wrong things'.....in a game world where people murder, rape, steal, and cannibalize!

[yeahright2]

The irony is he only wants things to be the way he approves of, ie screw political correctness! and on the other side of the fence, the SJWs he's fighting against only want things to be the way they approve of ie screw anything that doesn't include everybody!

[AnubisG]

When did I say I only want things that I approve of? Where did you get that from? I only said that I don't like Ellie as a character because she curses all the time and she is a lesbian. I can't relate to that. You guys are the ones who can't accept a different view from yours and now you started putting words in my mouth.

[AnubisG]

@ameliabaz

I think you are going way to far just to try to make me a bad guy.

When did I say that the worst thing in the game is Ellie cursing and being a lesbian? Obviously the murder, rape and cannibalism is WAY worst than that. You are really reaching here to twist what I'm saying just to try to shame me because I don't think being a foul mouth lesbian is ok. Did her character fit the world of the TLoU? Yes, it did. Was it a good character? Maybe, that's up to everyone's own opinion or views to decide. Do everyone have to like it? No, absolutely not.

We were talking about Ellie as a character NOTHING else and than you have to make up stuff about me saying how morally wrong I am because I think this and that. Making up things that I never said or even implied. God forbid someone not agree or like your opinion and they are right away bigots and need to be shamed to hell and back.

Dude, just stick to what I'm saying, there is no need to make up stuff about me. You don't know me yet you try to judge me on a few sentences you read online. It's like me saying that you are a SJW lesbian woman. Would that be right? Maybe, but I would not say that because I don't know you and you might be the nicest person out there. We just have different opinions but the difference between you and me is that I don't make up assumptions about you as a person as opposed to you where you go as far as accusing me with being ok with rape, murder and cannibalism. And you base all of that on me saying that cursing all the time and being a lesbian is not ok in my eyes.

[ameliabaz]

You didn't say you dislike Ellie because you don't relate to her. You said that Ellie isn't a strong female character (which is false) and that her existence and actions are 'glorifying the bad things' and 'political correctness' (which is also false).

If this was about liking characters we relate to, then that's fine. Not everyone is going to relate to Ellie. Not every fictional character in general is going to be relateable. But if we were discussing liking characters because we relate to them, then you probably wouldn't have listed Lara Croft's beauty as one of the reasons you think she's a good character (or as you put it, the "undisputed female video game character"). Though I'd go as far to assume that most people aren't fans of the original Lara Croft because of her relate-ability.

I'm not making things up about you btw. I never said you were morally wrong. I never said you were ok with murder, rape, and cannibalism (I was talking about the in-game context obviously). I'm just saying it's silly to dislike a character's swearing and a single kiss in a world where far FAR worse things are happening......or to say a well-written, three-dimensional character like Ellie isn't a strong female character at all when all evidence is to the contrary. You were the one calling fans of The Last of Us the 'PC guys' and saying that Naughty Dog are 'glorifying wrong things' by making characters like Ellie. All I'm doing is defending the game and a well-written character, and now you're accusing me of attacking you. WTF?

[yeahright2]

So a girl loving a girl is a "wrong thing"? It's views like this that made SJWs go so far off the deep end.

[AnubisG]

I'm sorry to offend you but yes, it is wrong in my view. I'm not PC and I don't care if you or your PC friends think that I'm wrong. A girl should not kiss another girl and it's far from normal. Just because todays PC society made it ok it's still not ok in my eyes. That is my personal opinion and you can say or think whatever you want.

[yeahright2]

That's fine. I'm just happy such a bigoted point of view is in an ever shrinking minority.

[AnubisG]

Yeah, I'm a bigot because I don't agree with what you agree with. I don't care what they do. Being a lesbian or gay... Their thing. I would not stop them if that makes then happy but at the same time I don't think it's right and just as much as they are entitled to have their ways I'm entitled to have my own opinion even if it's not popular. Between you and me, the bigot is you because you just can't stand if someone has a different opinion than yours.

[yeahright2]

Pure projection. You do care otherwise you wouldn't have an opinion either way. But you see it as wrong. You seeing them as wrong means that you see yourself as superior because of them being of a different sexual orientation.
It's all good though, the world moves on without you. Black people are not property, gay marriage is legal, women can vote, etc etc. So like I said, ever shrinking minority. The rest of us just need to wait you out. And the fuel for SJWs will be gone with you. But hey, you keep being you. We'll be here when you're ready to come down off that cross and join the rest of us.

[AnubisG]

@Yeahright2

"seeing them as wrong means that you see yourself as superior"
"Black people are not property, gay marriage is legal, women can vote, etc etc."

So now we got to the point where you accuse me of being racist, against gay marriage and against the right for woman to vote? Really?? Wow. Congratulations!

For your information that is not the case at all. Exactly the opposite. Now you might ask, how come you are for gay marriage but you don't like homosexuals? Simple, while I don't agree with their ways I would never prevent them from being happy. They have as much right to be happy as anyone else. If they want to get married, they should be allowed to do so. It's basic human rights. But I don't have to agree or like their lifestyle just because I support their right to do whatever they want. Is that so wrong?

And you base all this on me not liking Ellie for being a foul mouth lesbian? :D

Again, making up stuff about me and just because I don't agree with what you agree with. And obviously I'm the problem. :D

[yeahright2]

I was obviously speaking in general terms of the world moving on despite some viewing others as lesser. You can tell this by the sentence I typed just prior. So no, I wasn't making stuff up about you being racist and such. Unless you believe I was saying that you view black people as property, or that women shouldn't be allowed to vote, I don't see how you made that leap. Again, maybe hop down off the cross. you're a little far gone right now.

[AnubisG]

@yeahright2

I never said that someone who is a lesbian is lesser than me or I'm superior in any way. I just don't particularity agree with their life choices but I would defend their choices because it's their right. You DID compare me to a racist and all those other things, that is why you typed it. Now you can deny it all you want but it's there to see. And now you accuse me of being far to right...... Yet another assumption. I tend to be more right wing I guess but not not far right at all. But you wouldn't know that and you don't even care because it's easier for you to make up things about someone who don't agree with you rather than accepting an opposing view.

[yeahright2]

*sigh* "too far gone right now", "right now" meaning "at this moment in time", not right wing.
Comparing your views to those of racists is not the same as calling you a racist.
Being gay is not a choice. You can't choose what sexually excites you, or what attracts you.
You saying that being a lesbian is wrong is indeed the same as saying you view them as inferior.
You know for someone who constantly complains about people twisting their words, you sure don't bother too much with that reading comprehension thing. Anyhow, I'm done with this now. you can have the last word, it seems very important to you.

[voltron2010]

Maybe bi-sexual? one kissing scene does not a lesbian make. As for the foul mouth? The dialog is more like how real people talk - except for anubisG of course.

[AnubisG]

Yeah, I don't say "f@ck" and "sh@t" all the time. It's horrible, right?