Why I Chose to Sacrifice Chloe

Hi guys! Welcome to my blog, The Blackwell Totem. Here you will find all things Life is Strange: opinions, reviews, discussions, theories, etc. I discovered this game in February 2017, and I've been hooked ever since. I never thought I'd be so invested in a video game. Arcadia Bay and each and every character in it holds a special place in my heart. Especially my dear Max Caulfield, the twee hipster. I want to start my first post with something a little controversial. Yes, I did choose Bay > Bae. I know what you're thinking:

I find it sad that "Sacrificing Chloe" is dismissed and written off as the "wrong" choice by the fandom. I was surprised that this decision was so unpopular. It's especially ironic considering the statistics at the end of the game. There’s almost a 50/50 split between those who sacrificed Chloe and those who sacrificed Arcadia Bay, with the former leading with a slight edge. Now don't get me wrong. I understand the decision to save Chloe's life. After finishing both Before the Storm and Farewell, I understand that choice even more. I even began to question myself! However, I will continue to choose the Bay every time. Here's why:

When I first played the original, it was the issue of the trolley dilemma, which poses the question: Which is more ethical: saving one person or many? At the time, I didn't think one person's life was worth risking the lives of thousands. And I still hold that belief to an extent, not that it's morally superior or anything. It would suck to be in that position. Sorry Max. But after replaying and observing the game in more depth, I was lead to the following conclusion: Chloe was meant to die. This was her fate, as tragic as it was. A young Chloe loses her father at fourteen, her best friend (and arguably only friend) moves away shortly after, severing all contact. Her mother remarries a man who, despite his good intentions, does not know how to treat a grieving and troubled girl. Rachel comes into her life, as a "fire that blinds with beauty", only to die three years later. Then Chloe herself dies in a pool of her own blood on the bathroom floor. I can't think of a sadder way for a life to end. And her life ends with her believing everyone in her life had abandoned her.  So yes, I see why people would choose Chloe, to give her a better life. But I try to look at the bigger picture.

The reality is: by saving Chloe, lives are destroyed. And more lives would be destroyed as the universe attempts to correct itself through stronger and more frequent disasters. And the more Max attempts to intervene, the more destruction she will cause until Death finally catches up to Chloe. Look at how many times she dies or almost dies around Max. Shooting herself in the chest, getting hit by the train, dying a slow and painful death in the alternate reality, getting shot by Jefferson, dying in the storm before Max reverses time yet again...it will never stop. It's like the film series, "A Final Destination." She escaped death and now death is after her. Who's to say it all ends with the tornado? Maybe Max and Chloe spend the rest of their lives dodging death, screwing up time indefinitely.  What an awful way to live. I know, I know. I'm such an optimist, right?

Is this obsession truly love? Fighting to stay together at the expense of other people? Warren dies. Kate dies. Joyce and David die. Countless others. People who were never meant to die. These individuals are not anonymous seas of nobodies. They have hopes, dreams, people who love them. Look at the diner scene in Max's nightmare. They are pleading for her not to kill them. They are the faces of those who would die in the storm. And Max has such a good heart. Despite what anyone says, I don't think she could live with the guilt of knowing she could have saved thousands of lives but didn't. This decision contrasts her very character. It would haunt her for the rest of her life. 

And could Chloe live with knowing both her mother and father (William) are dead? In her speech, she says Joyce deserves more than getting killed in a diner. She even accepts David and wants him to live as well...for Joyce. Saving Chloe undoes her moment of self-redemption. Whether you love Chloe or hate her, you have to admit she started off as someone selfish and impulsive. But by the end, she's willing to lay down her life for a town she hates. That speaks volumes for Chloe's character arc. Why deny her of that?
Chloe and Max would not have been able to live a happy life together. How could they? The crushing pain and guilt would've driven them apart. Love does not conquer all, and I think it's short-sighted to see it that way.

I believe one of the themes of LiS is learning to let go. In one example, we see that Chloe is unable to let go of her father's death so she's angry. She holds on to this anger for five years and it manifests in her behavior and the way she treats others. In a way, this pent up rage is what leads to her death, as I doubt she would have gotten involved with Frank and Nathan had she gotten the help she needed. At the end of the game, Chloe finally comes into a place of acceptance and therefore acts selflessly, allowing herself to be sacrificed for her mother, David and all of Arcadia Bay. She could have told Max she deserved to stay alive after all the crap she'd been through. But she doesn't force this decision on Max. She offers her a choice. However, keeping Chloe safe and alive is Max's primary focus in each episode. However, this turns into an obsession by episode 5. CHLOE MUST LIVE no matter what. We see the disturbing effects of rewinding time over and over again. And despite doing so, Max never fixes anything. She only creates more problems, and she refuses to accept the consequences. Yet she continues to believe she can change things. However, Max learns there are unforeseen consequences to the choices we make, and we cannot control the outcome. 

"I know I've been selfish but for once I think I should accept my fate...our fate."

We know from the Sacrifice Chloe ending that Jefferson and Nathan are arrested and Rachel's body is found without Max's intervention. So what was the purpose of her rewind powers? Chloe. Not to save her. But to say goodbye. Had Max never received her rewind powers, Chloe would have been nothing more than an old friend who tragically died. Instead, she got to spend five days with her, building memories, ones that will always be real regardless of what timeline or reality she's in. But Max must learn to let go and move on, no matter how hard and heartbreaking it may be.

Tl;dr: Or maybe I'm just a sucker for sad endings.
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