[WARNING: Spoilers for The Last of Us: Part 2 below]
When analyzing The Last of Us Part 2 as a literary work, there is certainly plenty to breakdown. Ellie's quest for revenge against the people who wronged her is profound and memorable from the moment the game begins to its somewhat controversial ending. If Naughty Dog's goal was to create a game that reflects nuanced themes and messages throughout both its story and its ruthless gameplay, they succeeded.
Despite this, early on in the game's development, Druckmann claimed that The Last of Us Part 2 would be more violent and dark than its predecessor. While this shift in tone is very apparent, many players seem to hold the belief the sequel has more shallow themes than the original, citing plot holes and issues with The Last of Us: Part 2. Furthermore, some have stated the game to solely be about "violence and revenge", and while these are certainly ideas communicated in the game, it does not appear to be the central theme of the venture.
During an interview with Greg Miller on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Neil Druckmann further discusses the themes in the game. When they start talking about the impact of the ending of The Last of Us: Part 2 and the relationships between characters Druckmann explains, "We talked a lot about Ellie's obsession with Abby. It's a lot like a drug addict and Dina leaves because she sees a 'drug addict' who just can't quit". This is quite an interesting fact to note about the games ending. However, Druckmann's statement brings up the importance of a core theme within the narrative; obsession.
Ellie's Obsession Costs Her Everything
While The Last of Us Part 2 is very much a revenge tale, the resulting story has so much more to say. Throughout the entire game, Ellie is infatuated with the idea of justice for Joel. However, in her addiction to this revenge, she finds herself losing those she loves and her humanity. Each day Ellie spends in Seattle is progressively more brutal and dehumanizing. This chaos reaches a peak at the end of day 2 when Ellie ruthlessly beats Abby's friend Nora to death in an attempt to get information out of her. This cruelty continues further onto day 3 when she murders Alice (one of the WLF attack dogs), Owen (Abby's love interest), and Mel, who is pregnant. Ellie does feel remorse for her actions, but through her acts of violence, her ways are beginning to mirror that of Joel's.
Even after Abby spares both Ellie and Dina, and nearly a year passes, Ellie's trauma from Joel's murder is still coming back to haunt her. Dina begs Ellie to stay with her (and their new baby J.J) saying "We've got a family. She (Abby) doesn't get to be more important than that". Despite this, Ellie allows her desperate desire for vengeance to consume her. She leaves to find Abby, and once allowed to finally get her revenge, she spares Abby's life. When she returns to her house, Dina and J.J have left without a trace. Ellie has effectively lost everything important to her due to her infatuation with revenge.
While many players may view The Last of Us: Part 2 to be a simple revenge story, there is much more complexity within. Ellie's selfish attempt to bring "justice" to those who wronged her is heart-wrenching to witness. However, the effects of this brutality also have consequences. Ellie's descent to rock bottom by the time the game ends is possibly even more memorable.
Source: Kinda Funny/YouTube