No – Ellie Does Not Forgive Joel, But Finds Closure
As a long-time fan and avid gamer, in my view Ellie sadly does not grant Joel forgiveness before his brutal murder in The Last of Us Part II. However, by refusing to perpetuate the cycle of revenge in the end, she symbolically makes peace with what he did – finding a sense of closure if not outright forgiveness.
The Complex Father-Daughter Bond Between Joel and Ellie
Ellie and Joel‘s relationship is the emotional core of The Last of Us franchise. Their extraordinary journey turning from reluctance to reliance to love hooks players in across both games.
As a hardened smuggler, Joel lost his real daughter prior to the pandemic. Protecting immune girl Ellie in exchange for weapons becomes far more than another job. He saves her from death countless times, while she saves him emotionally – restoring light and hope. They become inseparable, with Ellie trusting Joel unconditionally as the loving father she never had.
The Strain On Their Bond
However, Joel shatters that trust when he rescues Ellie from the Fireflies against her wishes at the end of the first game. He massacres the only people able to use Ellie‘s immunity to develop a cure, dooming mankind for his own paternal love.
Ellie suspects Joel lies about what really happened – and over the next years their relationship decays:
- Ellie becomes cold, withdrawn and angry
- She moves into another house, rarely spending time with him
- On the rare occasions they speak, arguments often erupt
This strain is clear in flashbacks during The Last of Us Part II. As a mega-fan myself, their slow-motion car crash of a relationship breakdown is truly heartbreaking viewing.
The Last Chance
After years of tension, Joel plans to visit Ellie at the museum where she works and clear the air for good on he fateful evening he meets Abby. Tragically, he does not get the opportunity before Abby murders him in retaliation for her own father‘s death.
Ellie never gets closure with Joel while he is alive. Their last real conversation remains the lie about the Fireflies that shattered their bond in the first place. This fuels her unrelenting quest for vengeance against his killers.
Did Ellie Forgive Joel? Theories and Symbolism
Whether Ellie ever grants Joel forgiveness is left ambiguous in the games themselves. As both a mega-fan and game expert myself, I have extensively analyzed the storylines and symbolism to uncover the most likely answer…
Theory 1: Ellie‘s Revenge = Joel‘s ‘Forgiveness‘
A popular theory is that by pursuing Abby even at the cost losing Dina and everything else, Ellie proves how deeply she cared for Joel. Her relentless, self-destructive quest for revenge shows she viewed him as her true father. In this reading, she ‘forgives‘ him by retaliating so severely against his killer.
However, I disagree with this ultimately. Killing Abby would not erase the hurt and betrayal Ellie felt from Joel‘s actions at the Firefly hospital. Perhaps she still hoped they could one day reconcile, increasing her pain when this chance was stolen from her by Abby. But hoping to make amends one day does not equate to forgiveness already granted.
Theory 2: Sparing Abby = Symbolic Forgiveness
To me, the most convincing interpretation lies around Ellie ultimately sparing Abby. In this climactic confrontation, Ellie again flashes back to Joel playing guitar on his porch – representing happier bygone days together before their fallout.
By refusing to continue the cycle of vengeance, Ellie releases Joel from being her sole motivation. This suggests she remembers the good of their relationship rather than just her loss – coming to terms with and even accepting what Joel did to ‘save‘ her, wrong or otherwise.
Letting Abby live does not mean Ellie condones or agrees with it. But it indicates Ellie is ready emotionally to honor Joel‘s memory without remaining forever trapped in bitterness over his last harmful actions. She is preparing herself to mourn and cherish him as her loving father overall – not the source of so much inner turmoil.
The Crucial Role of Forgiveness and Closure
As highlighted in extensions of the ending, forgiveness and closure around past pains are portrayed as the only way these characters can move forward.
Dina demands Ellie cease chasing ghosts and come back to their family, showing she too has found closure around Joel‘s loss without needing revenge. If Ellie returns to the farm or even sets out to rebuild elsewhere alone, she too has achieved an inner peace – surely impossible without making a kind of indirect peace with Joel too.
This is foreshadowed through an earlier flashback fight about Joel’s lie, where Ellie yells she does not know if she can ever forgive him. The Last of Us Part II thus comes full circle – while Ellie tragically never forgives Joel explicitly in person before it is too late, ultimately she manages to forgive him spiritually from afar.
Comparing Ellie and Joel‘s Character Arcs
| Character | Start Position | End Position |
|---|---|---|
| Joel | Broken man, closed off emotionally after losing daughter Sarah | Found meaning & ability to love again with Ellie as new surrogate daughter |
| Ellie | Survivor‘s guilt for her immunity, wanted her life to matter through the cure | Finally sees her own worth beyond just being the cure girl through Joel‘s love |
As the table shows, while their relationship met a tragic end, Joel and Ellie completed positive character arcs over the two games together. Joel found family again with Ellie while she discovered self-worth and purpose simply from being herself under Joel‘s wing.
Final Verdict: Ellie Finds Closure Rather Than Forgiveness
To conclude my in-depth analysis as both gaming expert and passionate Last of Us devotee, no – I do not think Ellie ever forgives Joel openly for robbing her chance at the cure and so many Firefly lives. Their relationship remains too broken in the immediate aftermath right up to his brutal murder by Abby.
However, by refusing to continue the cycle of revenge and violence in the name of justice for Joel‘s death, Ellie indicates she has found some measure of closure if not total forgiveness. Letting Abby live frees Ellie from the chains of Joel’s memory that trapped her, showing she cherishes the good of their father-daughter bond rather than remaining consumed by pain over its destruction.
Whether you agree or disagree with my analysed perspective, I believe these layered masterpieces leave the ultimate verdict around what Ellie feels on forgiving Joel intriguingly, beautifully open to interpretation by fans. Share your own take in the comments below!
