Page 24 - MAGAZINE

"Ellie is described as "mature beyond her years" as a result of the
circumstances of her environment. She is characterized as strong, witty,
and "a little rough around the edges". Her emotional trauma is accentuated
after her encounter with David. Having lost many people in her life, she
suffers from severe monophobia and survivor's guilt. This results in her
becoming a very hardened person; she uses violence without hesitation and
frequently swears.

Ellie also feels worthless, believing her life is a burden, and that her death
would be beneficial for others. While she shows initiative, she is not as
adept at survival as Joel, being somewhat impulsive and naïve, and unable to
swim. Despite this, she displays great physical resilience, emotional
strength and complete fearlessness, as demonstrated by her ability to look
after both herself and Joel when he is severely injured. She constantly
perseveres in dire situations. Ellie is gay, and has female romantic partners
in Left Behind and Part II.

I was inspired by Ellie not because of her perseverance for revenge, but the
courage to stop the endless cycle of vengeance. The killer of her father,
Abby, was in her hands. Ellie was ready to kill her so that she can finally
attain peace, but she didn't. She didn't kill her because she realizes that by
killing her, it would just start another revenge story. And by not killing and
forgiving her, she ended the cycle."

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