How The Last of Us Explores the Morality of Lying
The Last of Us is a series that features flesh-eating zombies and ruthless factions of humans attempting to live in a post-pandemic world. However, the main focus of the series lies not with the brutality present in the dystopian society gamers explore, but rather with the complexities of human relationships and how they are affected when emotions are amplified to their maximum. This is seen most prominently through its interrogation of lying, a common though frowned-upon human behavior that has unexpected cascading effects not only on Joel and Ellie but on humanity as a whole.
For any relationship to thrive, honesty is necessary, and for good reasons, lying is widely regarded as immoral. However, Joel introduces complexity to the concept of lying, as it becomes a dark tool in his arsenal, and he uses lying to protect the person he loves most in life. As one would expect, the truth is eventually brought into the light, and the uncovering of Joel's dishonesty causes a chasm in his relationship with Ellie. While it is easy to understand Ellie's frustration, it is difficult to not empathize with Joel, especially if one considers that he may have relied on a lesser evil to prevent a greater evil from occurring. Ultimately, The Last of Us series leaves players with no concrete answers, which is why it remains a constant topic of conversation in the gaming world.
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In The Last of Us, gamers are introduced to a dystopian America ravaged by a strange pandemic that turns humans into frenzied bloodthirsty monsters. Following the crumbling of society, life becomes rough for the survivors, and it appears that there is little hope left for humanity. Though most factions are
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