Anyah Cruz
Rhetorics that Matter
2/29/24
“The Last Of Us”: Subliminals & Queer Rhetoric
“The Last Of Us” is a video game series produced the Play Station company, Naughty
Dog, and directed by its CEO Neil Druckmann. There are many concepts and perspectives in the
game that ties to how humanity is slowly coming to an end and how far people are willing to go
in order to survive & protect. I will also be discovering the social, medical, and political notions
of the game from tunnel vision in part 1 to full exposure in part 2. In part 1 of the game, we start
off playing as a smuggler from Texas (Joel) who travels across the country with a teenager
(Ellie) in order for her to be a studied and reverse engineer a vaccine for the cordyceps virus.
In part 2, we play in a total of 3 characters (Joel, Ellie, and Abby) in order to understand
the reprecussions of Joel’s decision to save Ellie from dying because of her immunity from the
virus. There is also various themes of trust, betrayal, sacrifice, and loyalty in a post-apocalyptic
world and it lies into the cognitive dissonance of a society where everyone is deemed to be
righteous by making no one righteous nor innocent. It compels us into choices that we would tell
ourselves we could never act on by making the choices solely the characters who would make
them. The intent of The Last Of Us is to showcase the best and worst of humans during and after
an apocalypse where a majority of humankind is incapable of being “human” anymore. The
game also highlights the loss of humanity and what it means to survive, such as the emotional
distress and relationships either being built or torn apart with exposures to sacrifice and how far
one will go to protect themselves. The intended audience are those who are emotionally explicit
and open-minded to what life would be like if an infection like that took over. Some rhetorics
that factor into the series contain themes of disability, respectability politics, identity politics,
loss of societal standards, etc.
These factors play a major role into this topic - from losing
an eye to losing an identity of self and because of this, we can incorporate these situations of the
game into the numerous rhetorical exposures of it. More especially the disability factors, a lot of
minor details are very overlooked in the videogame, however the creators produced it that way
on purpose so that it gives the players a chance to understand why it was included in the game
and to reflect on what could’ve happened if certain concepts were not an aspect in the game at
all. One of the most outstanding aspects is respectability politics. For example, the main
character, Ellie, is attracted to the same sex - most players don’t mind her sexual orientation,
however some do wonder “why be attracted to anyone if it’s a zombie apocalypse? Wouldn’t the
sole purpose be to survive?” Ellie is written to be an LGBT character on purpose, which makes
players think about various perspectives on different situations in the game - for example, Ellie’s
girlfriend, Dina, becomes pregnant in part 2 of the game series. Some questions the audience
would most likely wonder is “Are they going to keep it? Is it possible to raise a child in an
apocalypse?” That then leads to where the antagonist on part 2, Abby, has a pregnant ally (Mel)
who also passes towards the end of the play through. During her appearance, she is one of the
more “actively in combat” characters while carrying a child - which technically is the same
concept of Dina also being in the same predicament. The many things that pregnant women
“shouldn’t'' do is exactly the opposite of what Mel portrayed in the game. Players may think that
it is the director's way of throwing in the feminist agenda “women can do as much as a man
could.”
The intent of The Last Of Us is to showcase the best and worst of humans during and
after an apocalypse where a majority of humankind is incapable of being “human” anymore.
“Winner of a combined 500+ Game of the Year awards, The Last of Us series is critically
renowned for its emotional storytelling, unforgettable characters, and suspenseful actionadventure gameplay” (playstation.com).
The way the videogame was conceptualized and produced started when the creator, Neil
Druckmann, was a student in college in 2004. He was participating in a group activity, where
one of his professors happened to be a friend of George Romaro - who is considered to be the
“father of modern zombie movies.” The professor’s assigned task for students was to brainstorm
video game concepts and it would then be pitched to Romaro. Given that Romaro picks the most
intriguing, the team behind the concept would then turn it into an actual prototype.
“Druckmann's idea was to merge three of the works that most influenced him as a creator: the
game would feature the gameplay of PlayStation 2 classic Ico, a lead character much like John
Hartigan from Sin City, and would be set during the zombie apocalypse of Romero’s Night of
the Living Dead” (Webster, Andrew, “The Power of Failure: Making The Last Of Us” p.2). The
original idea is slightly different from what it is today - Joel would have been a cop who would
keep Ellie under his wing in a society full of zombies. The twist is that he had a heart condition,
and whenever it would take a toll on certain situations, the player would play as Ellie, which
introduces the idea of roles reversing: the protector / protected roles. Ultimately, Romero decided
to pursue another group’s project. "The idea of these characters got shelved," says Druckmann.
Almost ten years later, that concept would become one of the PlayStation 3's most
celebrated games. "For Druckmann, who became a father during the development of The Last of
Us, turning Ellie into a strong, capable character was no accident. 'I had this secret agenda,' he
said during a talk at the Toronto chapter of the International Game Developers Association. ‘I
wanted to create one of the coolest, non-sexualized female video game protagonists. And I felt
that if we did that, there's an opportunity to change the industry. I know it sounds pretentious, but
that was my goal.’” (Webster, Andrew, “The Power of Failure: Making The Last Of Us” p.7p.8). The game also highlights the loss of humanity and what it means to survive, such as the
emotional distress and relationships either being built or torn apart with exposures to sacrifice
and how far one will go to protect themselves. The intended audience are those who are
emotionally explicit and open-minded to what life would be like if an infection like that took
over. I have played the game numerous times and I have also watched others play it to
understand what others opinions might be on it, whether it's similar or different from my
perspective. “Naughty Dog is responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed and
commercially successful games on Sony’s PlayStation platforms. Through its use of cutting-edge
technology and evocative, character-driven storytelling, Naughty Dog has received hundreds of
industry and media awards, while developing a passionate fan base of millions of players around
the globe” (playstation.com). Over the course of more than 10 years, The Last Of Us is still one
of the biggest video games in history with its intense and emotional plot and the diversity in
character personalities. With that being said, some of the diversities in characters include the
importance of Ellie’s queerness and the respectability politics behind it.
The most outstanding aspect of respectability politics in The Last Of Us is the fact that
the main character, Ellie, is attracted to the same sex. Most players don’t mind her sexual
orientation, however some do wonder “why be attracted to anyone if it’s a zombie apocalypse?
Wouldn’t the sole purpose be to survive?” The reason for anyone to have a companion, whether
it’s platonic or romantic - they still want a human connection despite a world where humanity is
contaminated by a disease. Ellie is written to be an LGBT character on purpose, which makes
players think about various perspectives on different situations in the game - for example, Ellie’s
girlfriend, Dina, becomes pregnant in part 2 of the game series. Some questions the audience
would most likely wonder is “Are they going to keep it? Is it possible to raise a child in an
apocalypse?” With that being said, the creator, Neil Druckmann, said in an interview with the
International Game Developers Association, “I wanted to create one of the coolest, nonsexualized female video game protagonists. And I felt that if we did that, there's an opportunity
to change the industry. I know it sounds pretentious, but that was my goal.” He did so
accordingly and now Ellie is the most popular LGBT woman character in the entire gaming
industry. To take it even a step further for Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann, they include a
transgender character, Lev, in Part 2. In summary, he is a teen trans boy who had disobeyed the
traditions of his community (before he was a trans boy, he would become a wife to one of the
elders) and was being hunted down by people that are supposed to be considered his safe place.
In addition, I believe that Druckmann also wanted to send a message that just because
there’s an apocalypse, that doesn’t mean queer people cease to exist. “A harsh, post-apocalyptic
world may not sound like the ideal setting for a coming out story, but ‘The Last of Us Part II’
weaves it into the quieter moments” (Favis, Elise, “‘The Last of Us Part II’ handles Ellie’s
coming out story with care. It reminded me of my own”, p.2, The Washington Post). The
Washington post by Elise Favis also sheds light on the scene where Joel and Ellie are having a
conversation about Ellie and Dina’s shared kiss the night before. Ellie is clearly hesitating and
struggling how to approach the conversation, but Joel understands that it’s a sensitive topic for
her to open up about. This is where he says to Ellie “she’d be lucky to have you.” It was a small
yet significant moment in the game, given that most entertainment media in pop culture has a
tendency to portray a queer character’s family/friends to banish them and face intense
disapproval.
In TLOU sequel “Left Behind”, Ellie forms a bond with a firefly, Riley, and they go on
an adventure outside their assigned Boston quarantine zone. Towards the end of the sequel, Riley
then reveals to Ellie that she has been assigned to a different quarantine zone by the Fireflies and
that night would be their last time spending time together. During their adventure, they visit an
abandoned mall and play arcade games, as well as take pictures in a photo booth. Soon after,
they have their first kiss and Riley makes the decision to stay with Ellie and leave the Fireflies.
Things take a dramatic and detrimental turn - Riley and Ellie are chased by a large group of
infected, in which they make an attempt to fight them off or get far away from them, but they are
both bitten. Riley presents two options to Ellie - “The way I see it, we got two options. Option
one: We take the easy way out. It’s quick and painless. I’m not a fan of option one. Two: We
fight.” Ellie responds with “Fight for what? We’re gonna turn into one of those things.” Riley
suggests a very short but meaningful speech to Ellie, and she ends her speech off with “My vote.
Let’s just wait it out. You know, we can...be all poetic and just lose our minds together.”
“Now when I was writing it, I was writing it with the idea that Ellie is gay, and when the
actresses were working they were definitely working with the idea that they’re both attracted to
each other,” Neil Druckmann explains in an interview with “Gay Gamer.” He then goes on to say
that was the intention that they were experimenting with from the opening scene when they’re
holding each other’s hands or when Riley playfully bites Ellie’s neck; the chemistry is there in
the very beginning and it was essential for the audience to see so that everyone earned the
moment when they finally shared a kiss.
In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie has a romantic relationship with another resident, Dina. In
the first few scenes of the game, it is revealed that she and Dina shared a kiss the night before
when Dina’s former partner, Jesse, shows up to Ellie’s doorstep in order to prepare for patrol.
Druckmann told Forward it was fundamental for Dina to be of Jewish descent, but also that she
gets conflicted in circumstances where it goes against her religion. “In fleshing out Dina we
started thinking about her background. I know the joy I get from seeing people that mirror me in
some ways in games, which is one of the reasons we have an initiative within Naughty Dog to
create a diverse cast that better reflects our players and the world that we live in,” Druckmann
says. “It felt like a great opportunity to, part of Dina’s backstory, to talk about her Judaism, her
spirituality and her relationship with her family and how that informs her and motivates her
going forward” he continues. Ellie never explicitly says that she is lesbian, but co-writer, Halley
Gross, says that Ellie is affirmatively gay. That aspect of her as a character is more in depth in
the second game, where she gets harrassed by one of the other residents for kissing her friend
and they later on raise a child together.
In addition to the social standards, the antagonist of part 2, Abby, has a pregnant ally
(Mel) who also passes towards the end of the play through. During her appearance, she is one of
the more “actively in combat” characters while carrying a child - which technically is the same
concept of Dina also being in the same predicament. The many things that pregnant women
“shouldn’t'' do is exactly the opposite of what Mel portrayed in the game. Players may think that
it is the director's way of throwing in the feminist agenda “women can do as much as a man
could” but I personally think that it showcases how reckless & irresponsible the characters can
be because of the apocalypse & how it’s the end of sane humanity. I believe the game has Ellie
and Abby playing “two sides of a coin” because: They both are part of their own identical trio
including themselves, a man, and a pregnant woman, a “love triangle situation” within the trios,
and their ultimate goal is to hunt each other down in revenge of what happened to their family
figures (Abby’s father & Joel).
My view on the disability rhetoric factor for my topic can be to talk about how the main
character of The Last Of Us, Ellie, loses two fingers at the end of Part 2, more specifically her
ring and pinky. The producers intended for that to happen on purpose as a form of symbolism the ring could have represented Ellie and Dina’s relationship and the pinky as Ellie and Joel’s.
From my perspective, Ellie losing her ring finger could mean that she had lost Dina as a partner
and as for her pinky, it could mean that she had lost a part of herself as a person due to Joel’s
death. Playing guitar was the one thing that reminded her of Joel and now she doesn’t have the
same ability to play it as well anymore and also makes players think about how well she will be
able to defend herself in combat, but it’s only up to the directors to show players how it will pan
out in part 3 of the franchise. Tommy is also another character that suffered a loss of an ability he
was very accurate in, which is sniping. Throughout the course of the series, players come to an
understanding that Tommy was extremely skilled in combat especially when it came to his
accuracy in long- distance aims and attacks. At one point in part 2, he loses one eye and his
ability to run, therefore cannot aim or attack as well anymore. I think this is also the director’s
way of making it seem like all of the responsibility was now on Ellie to search for Abby since
Tommy can’t do as much as he was able to and also leaves Ellie completely on her own, given
that Dina had ended up leaving because she refused to be part of Ellie’s vengeance journey.
Part 2 itself has over 60 features for those who have visual, physical, and auditory
disabilities. “Players can choose from three accessibility presets, which will configure all the
recommended settings for vision, hearing and motor accessibility. Players can also go in and
tweak individual options, even after they select a preset, the PlayStation site notes” (Brown,
Shelby, cnet.com, p.2). For players who are visual-impaired, the game provides an enhanced
auditory experience and also guides them on which buttons to press, as well as text-to-speech.
There are also high color contrast settings which indicate the character and allies, objects, and
enemies. For those who have auditory issues, they have the choice to enable subtitles for
dialogue, directions, and more. They can also turn on vibration feedback and set up visual
warnings/prompts for cues on combat. Players who have mobility issues have features where
they can lock-on aim - which automatically points and aims guns at enemies without having to
make too many slight adjustments, as well as camera assist and repetitive button presses.
To sum up everything that has been stated thus far, while The Last Of Us makes it a
priority to include some of the most impacting sequences, including captivating its emotions and
inclusivity of many individuals - the main lens of the argument is that the video game industry
has a problem with constantly sexualizing women. One example of this is “Stellar Blade”, a
battle game where the main character is a woman and wears very revealing clothing while in
combat, which can not only be contradictory, but also problematic because it is solely meant for
the male gaze and as a matter of “bringing real games back.” However, Neil Druckmann does a
fantastic job writing Ellie as a normal tomboyish woman who is gay. Throughout the course of
the entire series, she hadn’t been exploited but rather embraced her sexuality in a subtle and
casual way. She performs well in combat and is great as a character and doesn’t make her
sexuality the entire focus of the game. Another example is a video game, “Life is Strange”,
where the main character finds out that she can rewind time and make changes in the past,
present, or future and is also a gay woman. She and her friend go on these adventures exploring
different frames of time.
Like Ellie, she is not sexually exploited, is a tomboy, and expresses her sexuality
gracefully. In order to prevent the “women’s exploit” issue from persisting, the industry should
look at characters such as Ellie to gain not only inspiration but respect for women in video
games. This can also be used as an example of simply adding more LGBT characters in video for
recognition and to somehow uplift those who are struggling with the acceptance of their own
sexuality and gender identity. Lev in The Last Of Us Part 2 is an example of representing gender
identity and some of the few to ever be in gaming history. Throughout the course of the game, he
is consistently dead named by the Seraphites, who are also his supposed community before he
rebelled against their traditions.
He also shows his skills in combat, protecting his sister, and even tries to reunite with his
mom even though he knew that she wouldn’t accept him as a trans boy. While the LGBT and
transgender community are highly looked down upon and sexualized concerningly, The Last Of
Us shows that as an industry, it is possible to represent and establish respect and comfort for
those who are going through difficult times with accepting themselves.
Works Cited
1. Brown, Shelby. “The Last of Us Part 2 gives players with disabilities a better gaming
experience” cnet.com, 2020 https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/the-last-of-us-part-2gives-players-with-disabilities-a-better-gaming-experience/
2. Bethea, Dani. “The World of The Last Of Us Leaves Black Trauma Behind”
uppercutcrit.com, 2021 https://uppercutcrit.com/the-world-of-the-last-of-us-leaves-black-traumabehind/
3. Sheehan, Jason. “Reading the Game: The Last of Us Part 2” npr.org, 2021
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/26/971429736/reading-the-game-the-last-of-us-part-2
4. Sakellariou, Alexandra. “The Last of Us 2: Who Are The Scars/Seraphites?” screenrant.com,
2020 https://screenrant.com/last-us-2-cult-scars-seraphites-historyexplained/#:~:text=The%20Seraphites%20are%20a%20new,a%20run%20for%20their%20mone
y.&text=The%20Seraphites%20are%20a%20new%20cult%20introduced%20in%20The%20Last,
Washington%20Liberation%20Front%20(WLF).
5. Takahashi, Dean. “How Naughty Dog Embraced Diversity in The Last Of Us Part II”
venturebeat.com, 2021 https://venturebeat.com/games/how-naughty-dog-wove-diversity-into-somuch-of-the-last-of-us-part-ii/
6. Webster, Andrew. “The Power Of Failure: Making The Last Of Us” theverge.com, 2013
https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/19/4744008/making-the-last-of-usps3#:~:text=Druckmann%27s%20idea%20was%20to%20merge,Night%20of%20the%20Living
%20Dead.
7. Favis, Elise. “The Last of Us Part II’ handles Ellie’s coming out story with care. It
reminded me of my own”, washingtonpost.com, 2020
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/07/22/last-us-part-ii-handles-elliescoming-out-story-with-care-it-reminded-me-my-own/
8. Muncy, Julie. “The trans narrative in ‘The Last of Us Part II’ is compelling. There’s
so much more to be done” washingtonpost.com, 2020
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/07/21/trans-narrative-last-us-part-iiis-compelling-theres-so-much-more-be-done/
9. Norcross, Jonathon. “The Last of Us Game Plot Explained” collider.com, 2023
https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-game-plot-explained/
10. Campoine, Katie. “The Last Of Us’ Season 1 Finale Draws 8.2 Million Viewers,
Another Series High” deadline.com, 2023 https://deadline.com/2023/03/the-last-of-usseason-1-finale-ratings-hbo-1235284144/