‘The Last of Us’ Season 2, Episode 6: Understanding the Moth Symbol

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The Last of Us Season 2, episode 6 delivers an emotional impact that makes it hard to focus on anything other than Joel (Pedro Pascal) finally playing “Future Days” for Ellie (Bella Ramsey) or the poignant moment when he reveals the truth about the events at the Firefly hospital. However, interwoven throughout the flashbacks covering the five years between Season 1 and Season 2 is subtle symbolism that may have larger implications for the characters and the story moving forward. We’re referring, of course, to the moths. Why do they play such a significant role in this episode, and what do they symbolize for Ellie? Let’s explore.

Where do moths feature in episode 6? Moths prominently appear in the initial three birthday flashbacks of the episode. On Ellie’s 15th birthday, just two months into their lives in Jackson, Joel is inspired by the numerous moth drawings on Ellie’s bedroom wall to carve a pattern into the neck of the guitar he gives her as a gift. A year later, while returning from a delightful museum visit for her 16th birthday, he suggests they should do this more often. “In!” Ellie responds, but something off the path captures her attention. She pauses, her expression vacant, until Joel checks on her. “Yeah,” she replies, before continuing on. The camera then pans to reveal light reflecting off the wings of several moths fluttering around a dead tree stump. Another year later, on her 17th birthday, Ellie gets a tattoo of a moth to cover up a self-inflicted burn on her arm, which she made two years earlier to hide her bite mark. “Never did ask, what’s the deal with the moths?” Joel asks her that night after agreeing to let her move into the garage. “Um, nothing,” Ellie replies. “I just read about them in a book on dreams and stuff. It’s kind of symbolic.” Joel, clearly perplexed, responds, “Oh, right. Yeah, like change and growing and such.” However, we soon learn that’s not the actual symbolism of moths.

What do the moths really symbolize? Shortly after her conversation with Joel, he confronts his therapist, Gail (Catherine O’Hara), to inquire about the meaning of moths in dreams. “So a moth… That probably means change and growth?” he asks. “No,” she replies. “That would be a butterfly.” Intrigued, he asks, “Oh. So, what’s a moth?” “Death,” comes her response. “If you believe in that.”

In the next scene, while Ellie is cleaning her room, we see a piece of paper filled with moth drawings, featuring the phrase “You have a greater purpose.”

What do the moths mean to Ellie? It’s important to remember that Ellie’s life has been overshadowed by death. As she conveys at the end of Season 1, when recounting the first person she killed: “Her name was Riley, and she was the first to die. Then it was Tess, and then Sam.” If moths symbolize death, then Ellie’s fascination with them becomes understandable; death follows her incessantly. It’s also possible that Ellie grapples with survivor’s guilt. Why is she still alive when so many loved ones are not? Why does she possess immunity to becoming Infected? This connects to the notion of a “greater purpose” woven throughout her moth drawings, which gains more depth during her final conversation with Joel at the episode’s conclusion. “Making a cure would have killed you,” Joel tells her after admitting he killed the Fireflies to save her life. “Then I was supposed to die!” Ellie responds, stating, “That was my purpose, my life would have mattered, but you took that from me! You took it from everyone.” Ellie is clearly burdened by the weight of responsibility she bears, along with the grief of those she has lost. Drawing the moths might serve as a means for her to process and gain some control over the death that follows her.

The Last of Us Season 2 is now available for streaming. New episodes are released weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

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