u/viktorius_rex

(This was my final thesis essay in high school english. Wanted to share it for anyone intrested in reading it. Massive spoilers inside and Tldr at the end).

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive, grief and how people deal with it are major themes. Most characters throughout the game’s plot deal with grief in one way or another, most prominently the members of the Dessendre family. They grieve the death of Verso all in their own ways. However, the way each family member grieves, and acts is reminiscent of the Kübler-Ross model of grief. The Kübler-Ross’ model consists of five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.^(1) Aline, Clea, Alicia, Verso and Renoir each belongs to one of these five stages of grief.

Denial is the first stage of grief^(2). It is defined as having difficulties understanding that a loss has occurred. This can come in the form of believing a mistake has occurred and your loved one is fine, talking about them in present tense or trying to escape your feelings of grief by making yourself busy.^(3) Aline consistently shows these traits in one way or another. As she both actively chooses to run away from her family and her grief, while simultaneously believing that Verso might still be alive.

Aline’s biggest act of denial is her role as the Paintress. At the end of act 2, it is revealed that the Paintress is Aline, the mother of Verso and Alica and that world is her canvas, “My family, a facsimile of yours. And this world, a mirror. Painted by our mother, the Paintress, to stave off her grief.” (The Monolith). After Verso death, Aline fled to his childhood canvas, where she created immortal copies of her family members. (A glimpse in the past – Monolith Year 49). This is quite a clearly sign of denial; She chooses to stave of her feelings of grief by pretending her son is still alive, doing so by creating a copy of him. Alicia describes Aline’s actions as “[…] painting you into Verso’s Canvas. Giving you his memories. Pretending the fire only took me.” (Back to Lumiére). Furthermore, she also makes her painted family immortal, so even the possibility that her fantasy might remind her of the truth is impossible. This can be likened to Aline “talking about her loved one in the present tense”. With Verso’s painted copy she can more easily pretend that Verso isn’t dead, denying the reality of her loss. “Aline would rather lose herself in make-believe than face reality. It’s a drug she’s unwilling to resist.” (Endless Tower). Clea’s statement about Aline also showcases that this behaviour has caused her to lose herself in her delusions, being in denial rather than just denying.

However, Aline didn’t only enter the canvas to pretend Verso was alive, she also wanted to escape. Aline describes in her journal how she must get away from Alica, “… the person I cannot be around is Alicia. Her pain is a broken mirror, the shards reflecting back tenfold. Every moment with her, the cuts deepen, and I feel myself unravelling…”.^(4) This reveals that her motive’s for entering the canvas wasn’t only to see her late son again, but also to remove herself from her grieving family. Both Renoir and Clea considers her action to be one of escape. Renoir writing in his journal that “I don’t exist to her. None of us do. She’s left us all behind to drown by ourselves, so that she can drown alone…”^(5), and Clea chooses to describe Aline’s actions as running away and hiding (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). A sign of those in denial is a effort to distance themselves from their grief, through staying busy, which Aline those by leaving her family.

While Aline’s actions as the Paintress signifies her willingness to indulge in denial, her behaviour during expedition 33’s venture into the monolith showcases that she is truly in denial, confusing fantasy and reality. When the expedition confronts Aline at top of the Monolith, she becomes confused. She seems convinced that Verso has come back to her, “You’ve come– back– But the fire– Are you really here?” (The Monolith). She questions it for bit, questioning if Renoir is tricking her, or why Alicia face is restored. However, she still tells Verso and Alicia to “Come along. Let’s go home.” (The Monolith). She believes in the moment, that Verso might have come back from the dead, even when the man in front of her, is her own creation. This moment signifies that Aline has truly succumb to her denial, having lost herself in her make-believe. In addition, Aline also ponders if she dreamt the fire, saying “Your face- Did I dream the fire? Is Verso still alive??” (5:29:26). Both these instances showcase that against all reason, Aline allows herself to imagine and believe that her son isn’t dead, when she knows so for a fact. Her delusions about her son’s death combined with her actions as the Paintress signifies heavily that Aline is in denial about Verso’s death

Anger is the second stage of grief.^(6) Those in this stage of grief can feel an anger directed a large variety of source. The Anger the bereaved could feel might be directed towards the departed due to them dying. This anger doesn’t necessarily need to be directed and can simply creep through during daily life. The anger often manifests as blame, which could be directed towards those the bereaved feels is responsible for the loved one’s death such as emergency responders or god. This anger can also be directed towards the deceased for them dying.^(7) Clea displays behaviour correlating strongly with this definition of anger. Both in her attitude and how she speaks about her family, particularly Verso and Alicia, and her primary motivation throughout the story. Clea waging a solitary war against the writers, the group truly responsible for the fire that ultimately claimed Verso’s life.

During her introduction, Clea is shown to be very frustrated and angry about her family’s actions. She says that Renoir attempt at retrieving Aline is a waste of time, being frustrated by his instance to do so (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). Regarding Aline, while Clea says she isn’t supposed to Aline staying in the canvas, she becomes quite angry when Alicia is assumed to excuse her mother’s behaviour.

Grief is no excuse. We’re all grieving. She’s a grown woman and she was the head of the Painter’s Council. She failed her responsibilities. I don’t have time to coddle her. And before Verso died, she would have said the same (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49).

Clea is clearly angry at her mother and chooses to express that as a response that might excuse Aline’s behaviour. Her general frustration with the situation and her parents doesn’t seem to be due to them having a role in Verso’s death. Her choice of harsh language could stem from her feeling a general sense of anger, that lashes out when she feels some sort of frustration such with her mother and father actions hindering her. This creeping anger is common in those in the second stage of grief which is a sign that Clea is in that stage.

However, the way she talks about Clean and Verso, signifies that she feels a lot of anger regarding the circumstances of his death as well. When talking to Alicia in Renoir’s Atelier, Clea constantly demeans her, such as calling her naïve simply for questioning Clea leaving (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). She shoots down Alicia’s offer for help in very harsh way, “You will do nothing. You’re too weak to do anything useful, you’d be a liability.” (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). Clea’s mean comments toward Alicia are both grounded in her naivety, something Clea tells Alicia costed Verso’s life (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). It seems Clea wants to remind Alicia in her role in their brother’s passing, and specifically attacks the qualities in her sister that she believes were the root of the tragedy. Her means comments stem thus from blame, blaming Alicia and being angry at her for Verso’s death. Blame levied towards a believe source of one’s loss is one of the characteristics of anger as a stage of grief.

Clea doesn’t only display anger at Alicia’s role in Verso’s death, but also the deceased himself. “Verso traded his life for yours. I both love and hate him for that. The damn fool.” (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). Clea seems the express some level of anger at Verso’s choice. While Clea admitting that she loved him for his sacrifice suggest the rational part of her finds his deed heroic, her expressing hatred for his choice and calling a “damn fool” makes it apparent that she is angry at her brother for passing away. Her anger at Verso for dying is very symptomatic for those in the second stage of grief.

Clea’s main motivation for her actions in the story stem from her waring against the writers. She tells Alicia during the “epilogue” that she will be leaving to attend urgent matters, stating “The conflict is spreading and there are things I must do if we Painters are to survive.” (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). Whom she is fighting can be inferred as being the Writers, due to Clea telling Alicia that she’d be a liability of she was to help Clea, telling her that the Writers had used her before (A glimpse in the past – Monolith year 49). Clea also says, the sole reason she is helping Renoir erase the canvas is because she needs his help for her conflict,

Alicia, don’t be emotional. You know this is necessary. And spare me that drivel of how much this Canvas means to you. I’ve spent far more time here than you. I painted half this world with Verso. We went on adventures here while you sat reading in your room. I was perfectly fine leaving Maman here to work out her sorrows. And if you insist on staying too, well, that’s your choice. But Renoir will not stand for it. And I need him to help me with the real conflict outside (The Endless Tower).

Clea is willing the erase the canvas, even while admitting her part in creating the world. Her willingness to destroy this childhood memory she and her brother shared signifies the length she is willing to go to for Renoirs help. It also seems that Clea is the only one who is going after the Writers, as Renoir states, “Since the fire, our family has crumbled. Aline in the Canvas. Clea fighting her solitary war. You, a living ghost. Verso’s death broke us.” (Let’s save Lumiére). Clea’s fight against the Writers is mentioned in the same vein as Aline escape in the make-believe world of the canvas, which was her way of coping with Verso’s death.^(8) That would suggest that Clea dedicating herself to confront the Writers is her way of coping with the family’s loss, and that fight being solitary, would entail that she is the only one who is willing to pursue them. The Writers, are the ones who are ultimately the ones most responsible for Verso death, as Alicia trusting them is what lead to the tragedy in the first place, as she laments (Back to Lumiére). Clea choosing to pursue them could then be interpreted as her seeking revenge at the Writers for what they did, as she expressed anger at Alicia and Verso for their involvement in the tragedy. It would be logical to assume that she is furious at the Writers as well, considering they are the most to blame. Revenge is a motive that is at its core fuelled by anger, Clea’s primary motivation being revenge would entail that her character is by extension driven by anger. An anger stemming from blame, which is an underlying theme in all the symptoms of those in the second stage of grief.

Bargaining is the third stage of grief.^(9) The bargaining process can begin before the loss has fully occurred, such as a person promising that they will treat their dying partner better if they recover. Beyond the bereaved bargaining or making promises, they can also engage in “only if” type thinking. Where a person uses mental gymnastics to try and mentally undo the past.^(10) Alica and to an extent Maelle both engage in this type of behaviour. Alicia showcases regret for her role in Verso’s death, and when talking with her father is shown to plead to him in similar way as those in the stage of bargaining. Maelle and Alica also mirror each other, and the way they this is also at its core, their way of bargaining.

During the end of act 2, it is revealed through the painted Alicia’s letter that Maelle is in fact the true Alicia (The Monolith). Beyond being the same person, Maelle and Alica mirror each other in their choices. Maelle chose to join the expedition even when, as Gustave points out, she had several more years to live. The expeditions were also viewed as death sentence, Emma calling them a “[…]bloodless guillotine[…]” (Festival de l’Expédition). Maelle’s reason for joining the expedition, were that she felt that she didn’t have a home in Lumiére (Festival de l’Expédition). Maelle tells Verso that ats it core her reason for joining was “Escape. Yeah. That’s what I wanted”.^(11) Maelle is willing to throw away her life simply to escape her everyday life, due to her not feeling that she fitted in. “One year out there’s better than nine years in here” (Festival de l’Expédition). Another reason contributing to Maelle joining the expedition could be Gustave. Gustave had joined the expedition as he wanted to give Lumiére a chance to live (Festival de l’Expédition). If Maelle joined the expedition she could spend more time with Gustave, who Maelle considered a paternal and fraternal figure (Forgotten Battlefields). This could suggest that Gustave could also have been a deciding factor in Maelle’s choice.

Alicia’s decisions during the end of the narrative mirrors Maelle choice in joining the expedition, as Alicia also wants to risk death to escape her home life. “But everything I want is here. Here I have a chance to live, Verso. To live. Out there, I merely exist.” (Let’s save Lumiére). Alicia wants to stay in the canvas and leave her old life behind, as she doesn’t feel like she has anything left to live for back in the real world. However, staying in the canvas will lead to her losing her life, as Verso states, “You’re going to die here.” (Let’s save Lumiére). Alicia, like Maelle doesn’t care that she will live a shorter life, as they both feel like their old life has no meaning. Alica also wants to stay in the canvas to be with Verso telling him that “I just– I just wanted to live this lifetime together. This lifetime that was stolen from us. Please, brother… Please.” (A Life to Paint). Alicia, like Maelle was also lured in by spending more time with a brotherly figure even if it killed them, Gustave in Maelle’s case and Verso in Alica’s.

This parallel between the personas of Alicia, is in broad strokes an act of bargaining. Because at its core, Alicia’s goal at the end of the story is to undo her loss. Alicia wants to stop Renoir from erasing the canvas, stating as much, “But— No… Papa, Papa, please. This is Verso’s only Canvas. You can’t destroy the last piece of him that we have. This is my home now!” (Back to Lumiére). Beyond stopping Renoir from erasing the canvas, Alicia also wants to resurrect her loved ones, “You want Gustave back. The cycle we needed to break wasn’t the Gommage. It’s your family’s cycle of grief.” (Back to Lumiére). When given the power over the canvas, Alicia is shown to have done precisely that, having resurrected, among others, Gustave (6:53:34). One of the signs of those in the stage of bargaining, is trying to mentally undo the past. While what Alicia does to the canvas isn’t mental, the essence of her actions follows a similar idea. That being undoing the deaths of Gustave and to a degree Verso.

Alicia also displays behaviour indicative of those in the third stage of grief. Alicia, on separate occasions expresses her regrets over Verso’s death, either through her wanting to make things right or through “only if” trains of thought. Alicia’s main reason for wanting to enter the canvas, is her wanting to fix a conflict she believes is her fault, “It’s my fault. I should help fix this. And I do want to fix this. I do. If I can… Verso would have.” (A glimpse in the past – Monolith Year 49). While Alicia isn’t necessarily trying to think of ways to undo her mistake in the scene, it’s clear she is initially motivated by regret. Bargaining isn’t just regret, but regret fuelling Alicia showcases her feeling a sense of agency of what transpired. Later, when she meets Verso after having regained her memoires, Alicia engages with “only if” types of statements, “I’m sorry too. If I’d listened to Maman— If I hadn’t trusted the Writers, Verso would still be alive, and you—” (Back to Lumiére). Alica expresses to Verso how she could have changed the past for the better, trying to ponder how she could have acted differently to have prevented his real counterpart’s death. In short, she is fuelled by regret and expresses that regret by engaging in “only ifs” and attempts at making up for her mistakes, behaviour which Is symptomatic of those in the third stage of grief.

Alica is also shown bargaining, promising better behaviour in exchange for her loved ones not losing their lives. Renoir is essentially the canvas’ god, given that he is the architect behind the Gommage as painted Alicia reveals (The Monolith). Alicia is shown negotiating with him, trying to stop from erasing the canvas and killing its inhabitants, begging him to reconsider (Back to Lumiére). While this is bargaining in its most literal meaning, Alicia also engages in behaviour that is more specific to those in the third stage of grief, namely promising a change of behaviour. “Papa. I don’t want to lose you either. I’m not leaving you forever. Just a little longer.” (Let’s save Lumiére). Alicia promises a change in character, promising her father that she won’t get lost in the canvas where he in exchange will spare it from oblivion. This is not dissimilar to someone promising a higher power that they will be a better person if they recover from a terminal Illness, which is a very clear example of those in the stage of bargaining.

Depression is the fourth stage of grief.^(12) Symptoms for those in the stage of depression include a loss of hope about the future and a feeling of directionless in life.^(13) Verso throughout the story is shown feeling hopeless and tired, where his main goal is pursuing his own destruction. Verso wanted above all, to expel Aline even if that meant his, his family’s and his people’s deaths. He was, as his father put it “[…]ready to pay the price. But are you willing to let THEM pay the price for YOU?” (Siréne). Verso still allowed the expedition to bring forth Renoir’s Gommage of Lumiére, Verso believing it would be better if Renoir erased them all due to it saving his “mother” (Back to Lumiére). However, Verso’s desire for oblivion seems to be of equal concern for his goal. Renoir tells him, “I know it seems absurd to offer oblivion as recompense, but perhaps that’s the outcome we both desire.” (Back to Lumiére). Verso want for death seems obvious enough that an outsider like Renoir could pick up on it. Furthermore, during the ending where Maelle defeats Verso, he begs her to kill him, “Please. I don’t want this life.” (A Life to Paint). Before the fight had started, Verso had made it clear that part of the reason he was going to erase the painting was to save Alicia. Telling her that she didn’t need the canvas and it wasn’t worth her life (Back to Lumiére). Him begging for her to kill him instead of pleading with her to leave, makes it clear that suicide was a driving force in Verso’s decision making, not only the Dessendre family’s safety.

Verso being so adamant about destroying the canvas are in stark contrast to his past. In his journal he writes about his wish to bring back his lover Julie along with stopping the Gommage, ending his entry with “We deserve to live. All of us. We deserve to exist.”^(14) In the present he no longer holds this belief, nor those he wishe to bring back his late lover. When the expedition is confronting Siréne, the axon causes them all to see visions. Lune sees an elderly couple of a similar appearance to her own (4:42:47), Maelle sees Gustave (4:42:58), Sciel sees a man holding an infant (4:43:58) and Monoco sees Noco (4:43:12). The couple can be assumed to be Lune’s parents, due to Lune constantly mentioning them in her relationship dialogue, finding their journals even being her relationship quest.^(15) The man and the infant can also be assumed as being Sciel’s late husband and unborn child. The reason being their prevalence in her storylines, Sciel mentioning her husband passing away due to an accident and her losing her unborn child to Verso at camp.^(16) What Siréne’s charm causes all the characters to see, is their late loved ones, who they all desire to see again. What Verso should see is Julie, his dead lover who he had once wanted to resurrect, however Verso sees nothing (4:43:18). This signals that Verso no longer carries the same desire to be reunited with his lover and that what he might desire above all is namely nothing, death.

This change in Verso’s goals and his wish for death is indicative of his loss of hope. He sees no way for the canvas to be saved and is tired of living on. When Renoir asks Verso what makes him different than the Paintress in his actions, Verso responds that he is tired (The Monolith). This can be interpreted as Verso stating his motivation for his action, no longer wishing to continue. A feeling of directionless is common for those in the fourth stage of grief, and Verso’s tiredness can be seen as a similar affliction. He doesn’t seem to really have an idea what to do with himself except for saving Aline, having lost his ideals which he once believed in strongly. Renoir tells Verso that “Sometimes, we paint the bars of our own prison. Your despair blinds you” (Siréne). Verso is incapable of seeing any other alternatives than the course of action he has set upon himself, due to his sorrows. In other words, Verso has lost hope in the future due to his weariness, another sign of depression.

Verso’s inability to hope for the future is best seen through his treatment of Maelle and Alica thereafter. The painted Alicia believed Maelle could be canvases saviour, writing in a letter she intrusted to Verso.

Your family, however, believes only one can survive. But perhaps you’ll find another way. You who have lived amongst us. Perhaps you differ from your father and your father, as I differ from mine. Your mother paints life. While your father, death. What will you paint? (The Monolith).

Verso, however, did not see Maelle in the same light. Where his sister saw salvation, Verso saw a tool to end Aline’s, and by extension his own suffering. He had gone through great lengths to ensure Malle didn’t reawaken her memories such as allowing Gustave to die.^(17) He also told Monoco that the reason he believed they could win against the Paintress was due to Maelle presence (Monoco’s Station). In short, where his sister saw a possibility for hope, Verso could only see a tool to bring for his goals. Due to his despair, Verso couldn’t recognise the hope his sister did, this inability to hope is symptomatic of those in the fourth stage of grief.

Acceptance is the fifth and final stage of grief.^(18) When the berevead has entered the stage of Acceptance, they are no longer immobilized by sadness having found a sense of finality about what has happened. They may still feel sadness about the loss but can maintain a hope for the future.^(19) Renoir’s actions in the narrative are indicative of this behaviour, where his primary motivation is to force Aline and later Alicia out of the canvas, so they can grieve together as a family. Renoir had told Alicia that he had to erase the canvas so Aline couldn’t return, and after Alicia protested so she couldn’t stay there either (Back to Lumiére). Renoir motivates his actions by saying “For the sake of the living, we must part with the dead.” (Back to Lumiére). Renoir primary motivation is to make his family move on from Verso death. He was even willing to destroy the last piece of his son’s soul to achieve that goal(Let’s save Lumiére). The last stage of grief involves the bereaved being able to live without being paralysed by their sadness. Renoir willingness to sever the last tie to his son, so allow his family to move forward is indicative of him having reached this stage. While the rest of his family expresses their grief through Verso, Aline hiding in his canvas, Clea chasing his killers and Alicia wanting to say with the painted visage of her brother, Renoir expresses his grief by trying force his family to move on. “You couldn’t save Verso, so you want to save us. Except you’re not. Destroying the Canvas won’t help us move on[…]” (Let’s save Lumiére). The way Renoir expresses his grief then, is to think beyond his dead son which is in accordance with acceptance.

Beyond Renoir’s drive to move on, his acceptance of Verso’s death is also showcased through Renoir’s ability hope. Alicia tells him that she feels like she doesn’t have anything left in the real world, feeling she can’t find any joy in life. To this Renoir responds “Child, it will get better. I promise you.” (Let’s save Lumiére). Here, Renoir expresses hope that Alicia can find joy in her life. His hope in Alicia is also shown through his axon of her, the Reacher. The Axon is a symbol for Alicia, which Renoir endowed with the meaning of hope, as Alicia speculates. (The Reacher). His hope for Alicia is finally made apparent when Renoir allows her to stay in the canvas, hoping that she won’t be like her mother. Renoir tells Alicia that he wants to believe that to be true, allowing himself to be convinced against his better judgment, as Verso later point out (Let’s save Lumiére). Renoir who had previously been adamant about the dangers of the canvas allows Alicia to stay regardless, due to his hope. This hope is a sign that one has entered the final stage of grief, and Renoir’s immense hope in his daughter’s future stands in contrast with the rest of his family. His hope and determination to push his family forward is what ultimately makes it clear that Renoir has entered the final stage of grief, acceptance.

TL;DR: Aline’s act of creating a copy of her dead son and willingness to believe his death as a falsehood showcases her being in denial. Clea’s general frustration and anger at those she believes responsible for Verso’s death shows her belonging to the stage of anger. Alicia’s insistence of sacrificing her life, simply for more time with her late loved one, her engaging in “only ifs” and pleading with Renoir makes it clear that she is in the stage of bargaining. Verso’s loss of hope about his future and his want for death which betrayed his previous ambitions of salvation is indicative of her belonging in the stage of grief. Finaly, Renoir’s willingness to sacrifice the last tie to his son for the purpose of moving on and his great hope for Alica’s future shows him belonging the final stage of acceptance. In conclusion, each of the members of the Dessendre family belongs to one of the different stages of grief, due their goals and actions throughout the narrative being symptomatic of the stages.

Primary Source:

Sandfall interactive, Clair Obscur: Expedtion 33, April 24, 2025

Transcript: https://www.dawnborn.com/game-transcripts/clair-obscur-expedition-33-game-transcript-all-dialogues/

Video: https://youtu.be/r1ppZs_tujI?si=-DpTtIEuqjvM_uO5

Secondary Source:
Cleavland Clinic, What Are the Stages of Grief?, April 22, 2025

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-stages-of-grief

Wikipedia, Five stages of grief, 8 May 2026

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_stages_of_grief

Dawnborn, All Journals, 2025
https://www.dawnborn.com/game-transcripts/clair-obscur-expedition-33-game-transcript-all-dialogues/all-journals/

Dawnborn, Lune (Romance), 2025

https://www.dawnborn.com/game-transcripts/clair-obscur-expedition-33-game-transcript-all-dialogues/lune-romance/

Dawnborn, Maelle, 2025