A fourteen-year-old survivor, Ellie is "mature beyond her years" as a result of the circumstances of her environment. Ellie 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 the face of the many often dire situations that her travels put her through.

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taken from wikipedia.org