Bioshock Infinite

Derek Williams
SBCW 2015

Hurlach, Germany
Tutor: JP

Table of Contents

1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
2. Analysis....................................................................................................................................4

2.1 Observation.......................................................................................................................4
2.1.1 First Look..................................................................................................................4
2.1.2 Storyline.....................................................................................................................4
2.1.3 History.......................................................................................................................5
2.1.4 Gameplay...................................................................................................................6
2.1.5 Major Groups.............................................................................................................7
2.1.6 Other Characters......................................................................................................14

2.2 Analysis of Presuppositions............................................................................................16
2.2.1 Comstock/Columbia................................................................................................16
2.2.2 Fitzroy/Vox Populi..................................................................................................17
2.2.3 DeWitt.....................................................................................................................18
2.2.4 Elizabeth..................................................................................................................19
2.2.5 The Luteces'.............................................................................................................20

2.3 Consequences..................................................................................................................21
3. Comparison to Biblical Worldview.......................................................................................22

3.1 Analysis of Biblical Christian Perspective......................................................................22
Cosmological....................................................................................................................22
Anthropological................................................................................................................22

3.2 Development of an Alternative.......................................................................................22
Multi-Verse.......................................................................................................................22
Racial Purity.....................................................................................................................23

4. Application.............................................................................................................................23
5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................24
Appendix....................................................................................................................................26
Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................27

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1. Introduction

We live in a world of infinite possibilities. This is what we are lead to believe when we
step foot out of our schools and into the world. We can go to college, straight into work, the
military, the drug house, the psychiatric ward, the grave; each and every situation can be
possible as there is no end to the possibilities. It sounds daunting. To know that we can do
anything and be anything leaves too much room for error and doubt, yet we still press forward.
This is our life. As children we are told we can be astronauts or firemen, and to make sure we
abstain from drugs and alcohol so we can stay in school. All of this sounds enticing and
important. We live our lives and through the “infinite possibilities,” the one we choose
becomes the only possibility that could have happened. Instead of having all of the roads
opened to us, only one road remains. We call it “fate” or “destiny”, the grand design of our
lives where all of our choices determined we would enter that one point.

Now, imagine there is another world out there where “destiny” converged at different
points to create an alternate reality much different than the one you are living in. This alternate
you nows lives a life by walking down the road that was once opened to you, but you
neglected to take it. Of course, you can imagine the possibilities of what would have happened
had you taken a certain class in school, or if you had gone to St. Louis instead of Chicago for
work. They do not exist for you, but they exist for another person. That person who is, and is
not, you.

Bioshock Infinite explores the nature of this theory of a multi-verse. In the game,
Rosalind Lutece describes this idea in a simple form via one of her “voxophone” recordings:

“When I was a girl, I dreamt of standing in a room looking at a girl who was and was not myself, who
stood looking at another girl, who also was and was not myself. My mother took this for a nightmare. I saw it as
the beginning of a career in physics.”1

The analysis of her dream is this: there are worlds out there in which she exists as her,
but not as her. She is this other woman, but she is not this other woman. Appearance alone
does not determine whether they are the same, just like twins are not the same person but
rather their own individuals.

By delving into the game, we are looking for how the absolutization of Puritanism can

1 “Viewing the Infinite,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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effect change in not just one reality, but many. Where is God in this multi-verse? And as we
proceed to the conclusion it is important to keep in mind one solid truth, much like I did when
I finished the game: Booker Dewitt is Father Zachary Comstock.

2. Analysis

2.1 Observation

2.1.1 First Look

Bioshock Infinite is the third installment in the Bioshock franchise. However, it should
not be looked at as a prequel to the first two games as the story itself does not follow the first
two. Where Bioshock and Bioshock 2 take place in an underwater utopia called Rapture,
Bioshock Infinite takes place in the flying city of Columbia. The game shares a common title
due to the various themes and similarities found in the series that continue to be seen. It is said
that the title of the game comes from System Shock, a game released in 1994 where a
malevolent artificial intelligence has taken over a space station and the protagonist must stop
the A.I before it has a chance to escape to the greater population.2 Breaking down the name,
bio- is Greek for human/organic life, where shock is a sudden and violent blow or impact. By
taking the two terms and combining them, Bioshock can, in some fashion, stand for a sudden
and violent blow or impact on life. As we look further through the game, we can see that the
ideology, and even some of the mechanics of the world, have such an effect on the populace.

2.1.2 Storyline

This is a hard topic to tackle because the story-line of Bioshock Infinite has so many
complexities that it reacts as an organism. The main story of Bioshock Infinite revolves around
two main characters, Booker Dewitt and Elizabeth Comstock. Booker believes he has been
tasked by someone to retrieve Elizabeth and bring her to New York. As he goes through the
city of Columbia, he makes contact with Elizabeth and deceives her into following him.
During their journey, they see the decadence of Comstock's absolutized racial purity ideology
on the people and how he has tried to indoctrinate the people into believing that Booker is the

2 “Update: Ken Levine Speaks,” Josh Engen, January 2014.

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villain.
The deeper the two of them go through Columbia to escape the city, the more they

witness the churning of the Vox Populi and how Comstock's people have forced them into
believing that their only recourse is to fight back. As the story progresses, Elizabeth reveals
her ability to open Tears—small pockets of alternate realties—that allow her to manipulate
what exists in their reality and what does not. On two separate occasions, Elizabeth uses this
ability to bring them into an alternate dimension where one event has either not transpired or
never happened to begin with. The results from traveling to different Tears is seen in both the
imprisonment of the Vox Populi in one reality, and the fruition of their revolution in another.

Near the end of the game, Elizabeth and Booker both learn the truth of what has
happened to the both of them. Robert Lutece, an alternate version of Rosalind Lutece,
approached Booker with the chance to wipe away his gambling debt by selling his daughter to
Father Comstock. He agrees, but quickly changes his mind. He chases Robert and Comstock
to a Tear where the two of them entering their dimension when Booker tries to pull his
daughter, Anna Dewitt, back into his reality. Booker realizes that Elizabeth is actually Anna,
his daughter, and that by traveling to Columbia he had actually entered the dimension
Elizabeth lived in. The story, “Deliver the girl and wipe away the debt,” was his mind's
method of reconciling his existence in the new world, which is explained later.

The game ends with Booker realizing he is Comstock as Elizabeth takes Booker to the
place where Comstock was born (he had previously declared he would strangle Comstock as a
baby.) Comstock was born when Booker gave his life to the Lord in a baptism, coming out of
the water as a new man: Zachary Comstock. Booker is then drowned by numerous Elizabeths'
having accepted his fate.

2.1.3 History

The history covered in Bioshock Infinite revolves around Columbia. In the Soldier's
Field, there is a museum called the Hall of Heroes. The building houses two major attractions,
one being the history of the Battle of Wounded Knee, and the other being the Chinese Boxer
Rebellion. It is interesting to note that these are actual events in the history of the United
States and both spell out aggression between other races. These events, in the game, help push

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Comstock's racial propaganda. In the center of the Hall of Heroes, there is a timeline of the
Columbia's history from the birth of Comstock to the present day in the game. These events
are as followed:

1874: Comstock the Prophet is Born
1890: The Battle of Wounded Knee: Comstock leads the charge and wins the day for
the United States. His actions earn him the title “Hero of Wounded Knee.”
1893: The City of Columbia is Launched: Columbia is sent around the world on a
goodwill tour.
1893: The Lamb is Born Unto the Prophet
1895: Lady Comstock is Cruelly Murdered: A foul band of anarchists are found to be
guilty of murdering Our Lady, and a new battle begins on the home front.
1901: The Boxer Rebellion Incident: Columbia Secedes From The United States:
Comstock retaliates against the murder of Americans in the Boxer Rebellion. Columbia razes
Peking to the ground, and declares secession from the U.S.
1912: Present Day3

2.1.4 Gameplay

Bioshock Infinite is a closed world first-person-shooter sent in a fixed area and world
of Columbia set in 1912. First-person-shooter means the game revolves heavily around the
firing of weapons, from pistols, machine guns, shot-guns, and the occasional explosive
weapon. The goal is to get from one point of the map to the other while traveling with
Elizabeth. Different points of the map bring hordes of enemies that you must fend off, whether
they are Columbian soldiers or the Vox Populi.

In the game you come across specific objects you can interact with. You can look
through bags, trash cans, crates, and barrels to find helpful items like “Salt”, food to increase
health, Silver Eagles, lock-picks, and ammunition for your weapons. You can look through the
telescopes found in at the edge of the road to see the buildings you are trying to get to, some of
the local attractions, or just to observe things. There are also small stations called

3 Note: This history is taken in-game from the statue in The Hall of Heroes during the mission, The Hall of
Heroes.

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“Kinetoscopes”4 that you can look at, as well as pick up Voxophones found throughout
Columbia.

There are two things that add to the game that Elizabeth can perform and Booker
cannot. She can open locked doors with her lock-picking skill, granting Booker access to
closed off areas. Often these areas house valuable items such as special weapons, secret
voxophones, “Infusions” that can increase your Health, Shield, or Salt capacity, or combat
Gear. This creates an element of strategy to the combat as not every battle can be won by
blowing a hole through everyone (though it is the easiest way). The second are special Vox
Populi ciphers that Elizabeth can decode once you find the code book tied to the message.
Once the cipher is decoded, you gain access to more of the valuable items listed above.

2.1.5 Major Groups

Father Comstock and Columbia
“The Lord forgives everything, but I'm just a prophet...so I don't have to. Amen.”

-Father Comstock
Zachary Hale Comstock is the main antagonist of Bioshock Infinite. He is credited with
being the founder and Prophet of Columbia through the use of the Lutece Quantum-Physics
technology.5
Zachary Comstock was born Booker Dewitt, who also happens to be the protagonist of
the game and the character the player controls. As is the nature of the game, Booker and
Comstock belong to separate realities so while they are genetically the same person, the
choices and worldviews they have developed are different. To speak on Comstock's history is
to speak of Booker's, save for one moment shared in both of their lives that branches off and
changes them forever.
Between the years of 1890-1892, Booker, wrought with guilt from the Massacre at
Wounded Knee, sought forgiveness in the form of Christianity through Preacher Witting.
After receiving the baptism, Booker Dewitt changed his name to Zachary Hale Comstock. In
the Hall of Heroes, a museum showcasing the victories of “Comstock” and what made him a
war hero, none of the points of historical views show the truth that it was actually Booker who

4 “Kinetoscopes”, Bioshock Infinite Wiki, 2013
5 “A Window,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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was at Wounded Knee, not Comstock. No one besides Cornelius Slate and Booker Dewitt can
contest this fact, having been there themselves.

Comstock's hatred for other races comes to a head when the player discovers a
voxophone depicting a rather gruesome portion of Comstock/Booker's past:

“In front of all the men, the sergeant looked at me and said, “Your family tree shelters a teepee or two,
doesn't it, son?” This lie, this calumny, had followed me all my life. From that day, no man truly called me
comrade. It was only when I burnt the teepees with the squaws inside, did they take me as one of their own. Only
blood can redeem blood.”6

As Comstock became an influential man in politics and religion, he came across
Rosalind Lutece and discovered her theory of quantum-locking particles suspended in air at a
fixed point. If they could fix specific points and suspend them in air, they could do the same to
larger objects. This gave birth to the city of Columbia, and soon, the discovery of the Tears
and the machine that would lead to their manipulation. Due to his close proximity with the
machine, Comstock aged rapidly and became sterile. He firmly believed that a child of his
bloodline should continue to sit on the throne of Columbia, as told by the angel Columbia, to
see his true vision completed. However, he could not have children. This ultimately lead to
him using the tear to bring Elizabeth into his reality from Booker's.

After seceding Columbia from the United States, Columbia became an ultra-
nationalistic city.7 A various number of races and nationalities were represented in the city:
White, Black, Indian, Chinese, and Irish. There is a heavy xenophobia instigated by
propaganda found in Kinetoscopes and Voxophones around the city stemming from the beliefs
and teachings of Father Comstock. He makes it very clear what his views of white people and
their superiority and rule over the minority. As they have no other model to compare
Comstock's views, they are left to be subjected to it.

Comstock is later drowned by Booker close to the end of the game.
Daisy Fitzroy and the Vox Populi
“God made foolish girls so he could have something to play with.”

-Daisy Fitzroy
Daisy Fitzroy, the secondary antagonist, and the Vox Populi are the antithesis of
Father Comstock and Columbia. She adopts this role after Booker and Elizabeth proceed to an

6 “The True Color of My Skin,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
7 “We Secede From The So-Called 'Union'”, Bioshock Infinite Kintescope, 2013.

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alternate reality where the Vox Populi not only had the weapons they needed, but implemented
their assault against Columbia.

Daisy was among a group of Negro convicts Jeremiah Fink, a wealthy businessman,
procured from the world below to perform menial labor. She was given the job as a housemaid
to Lady Comstock. Daisy worked and served Lady Comstock, regarding her as someone she
could genuinely appreciate. She endured the xenophobia produced by racial purity among the
Founders during this time. Events transpired in the Comstock house that lead to the death of
Lady Comstock. While the rest of Columbia believed Daisy killed her, she tells a different
story:

“They argued somethin’ fierce at night --Lady Comstock and the Prophet. Could never make out what it
was about from my bunk, though. After the worst, I seen she ain’t left for morning prayer ... so I crept upstairs to
check in on her. And like a fool ... I lingered. “Scullery maid” was what they called me when I walked into
Comstock House. “Murderer” was what they shouted when I ran out.”8

Daisy was subsequently arrested and forced to undergo interrogation through
psychoanalysis. She escaped shortly after and founded the Vox Populi (“the voice of the
people”) with the hope that they could have such a following and numbers to force the
Founders and Comstock to rethink their ideology. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain.

Originally a peaceful movement with protests and hopes for equality, things took a
drastic turn. More and more lower/working class people joined the Vox, as well as Negroes,
Native Americans, Irish, and others considered immigrants and unworthy of a place in
Columbia. The response they received from the Founders show them the futility of their
movement. They became increasingly militant, taking up arms and tasking Booker with
retrieving the weapons they needed from a weapon maker, Chen Lin. In a reality where the
Vox Populi obtained their weapons, they wreaked havoc across the city and even executed
innocent civilians on their path to the House Comstock.

Daisy, at the behest of the Lutece twins in order to groom Elizabeth, takes it upon
herself to execute Jeremiah Fink and his son in front of Booker and Elizabeth. Though her
intention was never to kill the boy, she needed to play her part so that Elizabeth could go
through a sort of change as noted by the Luteces. Holding the gun to Jeremiah Fink's son,
Elizabeth crawled through an open air duct and stabbed Daisy in the back with a pair of

8 “Terminated,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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scissors, killing her and thus ending her story. Despite the loss of their leader, the Vox Populi
continue to press their attack against Columbia.

Booker DeWitt
“One thing I've learned: if you don't draw first, you don't get to draw at all.”

-Booker Dewitt
We have established that Zachary Comstock and Booker Dewitt are the same person
and their lives converge and separate at one specific point in their shared history: their
baptism. Their lives prior to that moment are very much similar, which goes to say that the
alternate realities between Comstock and Booker share very minuscule differences, aside from
the fact that if Booker does not become Comstock, then Columbia does not exist either.
Through this, it is understandable why Booker knows nothing about Columbia because it does
not exist in his timeline.
Booker Dewitt was born on April 19th, 1874 in New York of partial Native American
descent. When he was 16, he enlisted in the 7th Cavalry Regiment and fought at the Battle of
Wounded Knee. Because of his race, and as mentioned in Comstock's history, Booker scalped
and killed Native Americans during the fighting in order to avoid being isolated by his fellow
soldiers. These acts gave him the title of the “White Injun,” and his comrades hoisted him as a
hero. Booker, on the other hand, felt a great amount of shame and regret that drove him to seek
forgiveness by means of a water baptism. At the last minute, however, Booker pulled away
from Preacher Witting.
With his refusal to undergo the baptism, Booker went to work for the Pinkerton
National Detective Agency where he assisted in ending labor strikes with not so little violence
as noted by Jeremiah Fink. It was during this time that he married a woman named Annabelle
who died giving birth to their daughter, Anna Dewitt. Consumed with grief, Booker fell into
alcohol and gambling, leading to his meeting with Robert Lutece. He brokered a deal with
Booker over the sale of his daughter, Anna, in order to absolve Booker's gambling debt. Filled
with remorse, Booker tried to renege on the deal. He found Robert, Comstock, and Rosalind at
the Tear and tried to pull Anna away. The Tear closed before he could do so and Anna was
pulled into Comstock's universe, severing her pinky finger in the process.

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This leads us to the present time of the game where Booker goes to Columbia. In the
beginning of the game, Booker believes that he is on a mission to get rid of his debt by taking
Elizabeth to New York. However, after being pulled into Comstock's universe, as
hypothesized by Robert Lutece, his mind was unable to cope in the quantum state and had to
fabricate new memories in order to rationalize his existence. Once he got his story straight, his
delirium stopped and he made his way through Columbia to find Elizabeth and escape.

Even though Booker kills Comstock, Elizabeth warns him that there are other
Comstocks out there with the capacity to do what has been done. With her power to see
through the probability space, she can see all things as they happen and tells Booker that this
will not end until Comstock does not exist at all. Thus, Booker steels himself to “smother him
in his crib.”

The game ends at the baptism scene where Booker, in any reality, is about to accept his
baptism that will set into motion the course the game, and their worlds, will take. At first, he
does not know why Elizabeth brought him back to this point again, but then as multiple
Elizabeths converge at his point she reveals that he is, will be, and was Zachary Comstock.
And so he submerges into the water, drowning and therefore ending any reality in which
Comstock ever existed.

Elizabeth (Comstock)
“What is a tear?”
“It's like a...a window. A window into another world. Most of the time they're dull as
dishwater, a different colored towel, or tea instead of coffee. But sometimes...sometimes I see
something amazing. And I pull it through”

-Elizabeth explaining the Tears to Booker

Elizabeth Comstock, born Anna Dewitt, is a girl out of her own time and space.
Zachary Comstock believed that he needed a blood heir, as told by the angel Columbia, to sit
the throne of his city in order to see his vision come to fruition.9 Since he could not produce an
heir due to his own sterility, he procured Elizabeth from Booker Dewitt.10

Elizabeth perceives her ability to manipulate the Tears as a form of “wish fulfillment.”
She could see what was in the Tears and bring it forth, which ultimately allowed her to open

9 “A Broken Circle,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
10 “On the Entropy of Genes,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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the realities in the game that bring Booker and herself into alternate realities. The primary
reality is out of reach after that point, leaving them in the reality where Booker is a martyr for
the Vox Populi.

Once the Siphon, the inhibitor the Lutece's built to dampen her power, was destroyed
by the Songbird, Elizabeth power increases exponentially. She is able to see all of time and
space, all the events that were, are, and will be. She becomes omniscient, thus allowing her to
have access to these alternate realities. She says to Booker, “Booker, are you afraid of God?”
to which he replies, “No, but I'm afraid of you.”

After Booker and Elizabeth escape Columbia, they appear at a lighthouse to which
Elizabeth exclaims about the doors. Booker can only see the stars, but to Elizabeth, they are
doors, portals into other worlds and numerous lighthouses that lead to more realities. She can
see what is on the other side. As they come to a great ocean of lighthouses and bridges, across
from them is another Booker and Elizabeth, and across from them, Booker and Elizabeth. She
explains to them that they are millions of worlds, millions of choices, and all of the choices
lead to the same place: where it started.

The entirety of the game focuses on her retrieval and her growth until the final
moment where she stands before Booker at the river. Booker, at that time, came to grips that
he sold Elizabeth/Anna to Comstock and wanted to do something about Comstock. And so
they smother him, just as Booker asks. In one reality, he never accepted the baptism. In
another, he did, and from that stems all of the worlds and realities that Elizabeth can perceive
and see. And the Elizabeth's (from different realties) gather just as Preacher Witting asks what
name Booker would like to be changed to and declare his identity: Zachary Comstock and
Booker Dewitt.

As Elizabeth drowns Booker, they all fade due to causality except one, thus ending the
game.

The Lutece “Twins”
“Comstock has sabotaged our contraption. Yet, we are not dead. A theory: we are scattered
amongst the possibility space. But my brother and I are together, and so, I am content. He is
not. The business with the girl lies unresolved. But perhaps there is one who can finish it in

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our stead.”
-Rosalind Lutece, A Theory of our “Death”
Rosalind and Robert Lutece are the same person, save one chromosome.11 They exist
in separate universes: Rosalind in Comstock's and Robert in Booker's. However, it was
through Rosalind's initial discovery of the quantum Tears that she was able to make contact
with Robert.12 They are the only people mentioned to have alternate versions of themselves to
be of the opposite sex.
Rosalind Lutece is the primary reason why the city of Columbia exists in the clouds.
Her work with Quantum Mechanics allowed her to suspend Quantum Particles in the air,
locking them in place in a perceived form of “levitation.” She theorized that if she could lock
small objects in a fixed space, what would be the difference of doing so with an entire city?13
Zachary Comstock took notice of this and through their collaboration, they pursued the
venture and the city of Columbia was born in the cloud.
Once contact was made between Rosalind and Robert, she fashioned a device that
would allow Robert to enter her universe. The result: the fragmentation of Robert's mind. He
hemorrhaged blood from his nose as his mind tried to reconcile in a quantum state. It was not
until a familiar sound, a musical chord, gave him the capacity to square his own reality and
ground his thoughts.14 After that, she introduced him as her brother, much to the amazement of
Columbia.15
Much can be said about their involvement with Comstock and Elizabeth, but the most
important is to note that Comstock arranged for them to be killed once they learned of his
plans to destroy New York City through Elizabeth. However, the sabotage backfired and they
were scattered through the multi-verse. Robert desired to fix their mistakes, where Rosalind
endeavored not to. And so, they recruited Booker Dewitt to be the harbinger of their plans
because they could not directly interact in the world for fear of losing the gift of observing the
universe unhindered.16 The two of them could help Booker and Elizabeth along the way, but

11 “One and the Same,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
12 “Whispers Through the Wall,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
13 “A City, Suspended,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
14 “The Constancy of Music,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
15 “Lutece's Brother Arrives in Columbia,” Bioshock Infinite Kinetoscope, 2013.
16 “The Lazarus Project,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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do nothing. They were, after all, dead.

2.1.6 Other Characters

Jeremiah Fink
Jeremiah Fink is a businessman who, in eyes of the people of Columbia, is credited

with the invention of the in-game bio-genetic weapons called “Vigors.” It is later established
in a separate follow-up game, Burial At Sea, that Jeremiah used the Tears to peer into the
world of the original Bioshock, thus gaining the idea for Vigors. He also created the
Voxophones and has his own factory that produces vending machines where the player can
purchase health, Salt, weapons and Vigor upgrades.

Much of his workforce consists of the lower/working class and minorities. He pushes
ideas such as hard-work and imprints the idea that if people want to live, they ought to give
their all no matter what. He tries to hire Booker to be his Head of Security while Booker and
Elizabeth are in Finkton, but Booker refuses.

In the reality where the Vox Populi obtain their weapons and have assaulted Fink
Manufacturing, Jeremiah is executed by Daisy Fitzroy while Booker and Elizabeth watch.

Cornelius Slate
Cornelius Slate was a decorated war hero of the United States military before

becoming a follower of Comstock and joining Columbia. He encountered Booker Dewitt at
the Battle of Wounded Knee and was one of the men who called him the “White Injun.” After
joining Columbia, he learned of Comstock's falsified war record which consisted of his heroics
at the Battle of Wounded Knee and the Boxer Rebellion. Slate fought at both battles and
adamantly denied Comstock's claims which resulted in his removal of the Columbian military.

During the events of the game, Slate and those soldiers loyal to him attack the Hall of
Heroes at the behest of the Vox Populi and deems that only Booker, known for his ferocity,
would be able to grant them a soldier's death. As Booker fights through hordes of Slate's men
and Slate himself, he comes to find Slate lying against a fountain with a single pistol. It is here
where the player can choose to kill Slate or not. If the player does, Slate comments on how
Booker has not changed; if the player does not, Slate calls him a tin-man. Whether he lives or

14

dies has no affect on the main story, though if he lives he can be encountered again at the
Police Station in a catatonic state from the interrogations. Again, the player can choose to kill
him or keep him alive, neither of which Elizabeth approves.

Lady Comstock
Lady Annabelle Comstock was the wife of Zachary Comstock. Born Annabelle

Watson, she had many suitors and often manipulated them into getting what she wanted.17
When she met Comstock, he offered her a second chance at life and way to achieve
forgiveness from any sin and guilt that she had because of her actions. These actions and the
sense of unconditional love lead her to becoming Comstock's wife and the First Lady of
Columbia. Where Comstock was the sword and the word, Lady Comstock was the gentle
hand.

When Comstock could not produce a physical child due to his sterility, he had Robert
and Rosalind Lutece bring Anna Dewitt, or Elizabeth, from Booker's reality in order to have a
blood heir to the throne of Columbia. Lady Comstock questioned the existence of the child,
accusing Rosalind and refusing to listen to explanation. When she threatened to reveal the true
parentage of the child, Comstock had her killed and framed Daisy Fitzroy for the act. Thus, the
events of how the Vox Populi came to be started.

Songbird
There is not much to be said about Songbird other than the fact that he was

created/crafted to be Elizabeth's protector. Though people believed the Songbird to be the
watchful eye of Columbia, his true purpose was to ensure that the False Shepherd would never
be able to reach Elizabeth and take her away.

Elizabeth considers the Songbird to be her one true friend. He brought her books and
supplies when she was young, though later in life she grew to hate him as he had become more
her warden and less her friend. At the end of the game, with the instrument used to control the
Songbird destroyed and Elizabeth's full power realized with the destroyed Siphon, Elizabeth
opens a Tear to Rapture for Booker, herself, and Songbird. Though Booker and Elizabeth
remain unharmed inside the city, Songbird is stuck outside in the depths of the ocean and

17 “Unconditional,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

15

succumbs to the crushing pressure. The only comfort granted him is the nearness of the same
little girl he was made to protect.

2.2 Analysis of Presuppositions

2.2.1 Comstock/Columbia

Ontological
Zachary Comstock is a born again Christian, thus meaning that he and the people of

Columbia believe in God creating Man. However, it is likely that he does not believe that all
men are created equally due to the harsh treatment of Negroes, Chinese, and Irish people. This
is found in his voxophone titled, “The Lie of the Emancipator.”

“What exactly was the “Great Emancipator” emancipating the Negro from? From his daily bread. From the
nobility of honest work. From wealthy patrons who sponsored them from cradle to grave. From clothing and shelter. And
what have they done with their freedom? Why, go to Finkton, and you shall find out. No animal is born free, except the
white man. And it is our burden to care for the rest of creation.”18

Epistemological
In two voxophone entries, “The Gift of the Emancipator,”19 and, “The Broken Circle,”

there are mentions of Comstock receiving his knowledge from the angel Columbia concerning
the city sharing the namesake. There is not much said about the Bible aside from Adam, Eve,
and the Garden, and much of what Comstock says appears to be taken from is worldview and
not the Bible. The only information the people of Columbia receive are from Comstock,
therefore warping their worldview to the shape of his propaganda concerning the world below
(as “Sodom”) and Columbia (the New Eden).
Axiological

Comstock and the rest of Columbia value honest, good labor and the virtue of being
white. Much of Columbia sees the oppression of Negroes, Irish, and other minorities and there
are propaganda points scattered throughout the city that warn of the “lazy Irish” or the “black
man.” In two voxophone entries, “His Design For Cruelty,”20 “The Lie of the Emancipator,”
and, “A Dog's Leash,”21 Comstock justifies the treatment of non-Whites through reason and
“faith” and what should be done in order to ensure that the Negro recognizes where they stand

18 “The Lie of the Emancipator,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
19 “The Gift of the Emancipator,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
20 “His Design for Cruelty,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
21 “A Dog's Leash,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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in the world and what they can do.
The people honor the founding fathers, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and

Thomas Jefferson as their heroes and include them into their theology and worldview as to
what makes Columbia superior and true. They see Abraham Lincoln as a fraud for his attempts
to giving Negroes emancipation.
Teleological

There is not much in the manner of destiny for the people of Columbia. They do
believe in a God and believe that they will be lead to the New Eden by the Prophet and the
Lamb of the Prophet, Elizabeth. However, Comstock's destiny for Columbia and Elizabeth is a
bit different as he intends to condition Elizabeth to destroy the world, “Sodom,” below.
Therefore, their end goals revolves around destruction and not so much as a destiny for all
men.

2.2.2 Fitzroy/Vox Populi

Ontological
The Vox Populi are the antithesis to Comstock and the people of Columbia. There is

no definitive worldview in which influences their nature of being. However, they do believe in
the equality of all people, regardless of color or class. This is why they fight, to achieve this
state of equality where there is none. She believes the cause of the Vox to be righteous due to
their treatment. Thus, the worldview of Daisy and the Vox is maliciously shaped by the way
they have been received by Columbia. They believe they are righteous, and true.
Epistemological

There is not much in the way of epistemology concerning Daisy and the Vox Populi.
Experience alone would dictate what they believe about their endeavors as they have voiced
their dissension. Columbia has kept them down for far too long and Daisy was the only one
willing to rise up and gather together the fires in order to see the change happen. They believe
their cause is true because of how they have been forced to live in Columbia. Experience has
taught her she is a victim of Columbia and brings about a conflict inside of her concerning her
justification: self-preservation of those she wants to save or the pitiless murder of those who
afflicted her?22

22 “The Quality of Mercy,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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Axiological
If Daisy and the Vox Populi are the antithesis of Comstock and Columbia, then it can

be said that they value themselves, their people, and their cause higher than the lives of those
in Columbia who are impartial to the revolution. They value Abraham Lincoln as a hero,
dressing one of their war robots in his fashion, similar to how the Founders dress their Iron
Patriots as George Washington. As you go through the city during the revolt, you come across
the Vox Populi executing civilians who have nothing to do with the conflict, thus showing the
main character that they do not even value the lives of those fleeing. No one is safe.
Teleological

Through their actions and cause, the true goal and essence of being for the Vox Populi
is to bring down the Founders of Columbia and institute their own magistrate of equality and
freedom for those oppressed. Originally they were trying to be a voice for the people, as their
name implies, so that they can achieve these means peacefully. Since this did not come to be,
they had no choice but to move towards violent means. Daisy believed she did not share a
place in their world, so after raising the red flag, she is trying to carve out a new place.

2.2.3 DeWitt

Ontological
Booker has no strong beliefs as to where he comes from, differing from the course of

Comstock who believed he could become a new man through baptism and acceptance of
Christ. However, he strongly believes that “a dunk in the river is not going to take away the
things he has done.” Much of his life has influenced who he has become and how he came to
be in Columbia: his military career, the work with the Pinkertons, the death of his wife, the
selling of his child, and the gambling. All of them creates an essence of deep self-loathing.
Nonetheless, his mind fabricates the idea that he is in Columbia to retrieve Elizabeth for his
employers once he has entered Comstock's universe.
Epistemological

Experience has been a good teacher to Booker, to which he coins the phrase, “If you
don't draw first, you don't get to draw at all.” Due to this, he believes in pre-emptive measures
to ensure his safety and security, even if it means blasting anyone out of the way. He is stern
and tactical and, out of his protective nature of Elizabeth, deems it is better if he does the dirty
work because he is better suited for the task. Nonetheless, there is not much in the way of

18

epistemology until he encounters the space of endless possibilities.
Axiological

In Columbia, Booker seems to be adamant about getting the job done which shows that
he has a value for hard work and ethic. He also shows a deep concern for Elizabeth, refusing to
accept her notion of killing her when the time comes, chasing after her endlessly when she is
taken by the Songbird, and even going so far as to kill for her so she does not have to do it.
During the game, the value shifts from completing the job to ensuring that Elizabeth never has
to endure the troubles she faced; even if that means killing himself.
Teleological

Initially, Booker's mind gave him the impression that he was in Columbia to retrieve
Elizabeth for his employers. The deeper he went through Columbia and the chaos that ensued,
the more he realized that this was not to be. He does not believe that he can gain a measure of
salvation, thereby reducing any notion of eternity or destiny. But, he does believe he is control
of his own destiny. He states, in the possibility space, “Nobody tells me where to go,” which
Elizabeth replies, “Booker, you've already been.” Though this implies the non-linear, non-
conformity of time, it still denotes Booker's demand to be in control of his life rather than be
subjected to the fates.

2.2.4 Elizabeth

Ontological
Elizabeth's being comes into knowledge when we learn that her ability to manipulate

the Tears come from a part of her body being left behind in her original universe. Thus, the
nature of her being stems from that occurrence and has repercussions throughout the other
realities where she has control of the Tears. Prior to this, she never really knows who she is
due to being locked up on Monument Island and having no visitors aside from her books. Until
the Siphon is broken, she is limited in her understanding. However, once the Siphon is
destroyed, she begins to understand the true nature of her being at a near omniscient level.
Epistemological

Before destroying the Siphon, much of what Elizabeth dealt with came from the books
she read and her naivety due to not coming into contact with people. She only knows what she
has been allowed to know. However, once the Siphon is destroyed, she views the stars as
opened doors to all of the realities. In this powerful state, it could be said that she knows what

19

is going to happen and must force it to. She sees the constants and variables of each universe,
what makes them different but similar at the same time.
Axiological

Elizabeth, in the beginning, values her books, music, dance, art, knowledge, and
generally being able to express her freedom outside of the tower she had been locked up in.
The more she ventures with Booker, however, much of that slips deep inside of her in order to
survive. It is not until she kills Daisy Fitzroy that anything she once valued disappears, even
going as far as asking Booker to kill her in the event that Comstock should be on the verge of
taking her away.
Teleological

Elizabeth was destined to be the Lamb of the Prophet, to sit the throne of Columbia
and destroy the Sodom below as determined by Father Comstock.23 She does so in one reality.
Once she destroys the Siphon, however, she is no longer forced to enter into those events. She
can see all of the possibilities in the reality and recognizes that they can start from the same
place, and end in another. The idea of destiny and fate does not control her as she can see what
happens and what must be done to ensure that it does happen.

2.2.5 The Luteces'

Ontological
Robert and Rosalind are physicists and make no mention of God or any firm belief

systems that drive them. hey do not fret about what Comstock does and Rosalind pursues her
research of Quantum Physics and Mechanics. They view their nature and being as “relative”
due to the fact that they were able to find each other through the Tears with the difference
being a chromosome. And since their “death”, they have been scattered across the possibility
space which means they have access to all of time, space, and reality to indirectly exist in.
However, Robert wants to use this to mend what they have done, where Rosalind is simply
content with just being with her “brother.”24
Epistemological

Much of what Rosalind and Robert knows comes from their experience and knowledge
in the field of physics. The scientific method plays an important role, but more important, it

23 “A Reward, Deferred,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
24 “A Theory of our 'Death',” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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was Rosalind's dream of alternate realities25 and the ability to communicate with her brother
through the universe that gave way to the Lutece Tear and bridging their realities. After their
death, however, they became open to the different possibilities of time and space and the
events that could transpire as they were, as they are, and as they will be.
Axiological

Rosalind values two things: her research in the Lutece Atoms/Field/Tear, and her
brother. Aside from that, nothing else matters to her and she has little in the way of reaching
out for more. Robert shares the same notion, though unlike his sister he is more determined to
set things right when they have gone awry. This shows that Robert has a sense of justice,
rather than allowing things to be as they are. In the case of Elizabeth, he threatens Rosalind
with departing from her should she not wish to assist him in this endeavor. She consents.
Teleological

Rosalind is a fatalist and believes that things will end in a certain parameter regardless
of what event transpires, whereas Robert still has the optimist notion of trying to change things
for the greater good.26 Nonetheless, they continue to do the work set before them in order to
explore the endless realities and the possibilities given to them through their “death,” stopping
only to ensure that Booker has the help he needs to rescue Elizabeth. Other than that, they
offer no clear inclination as to the nature of destiny aside from the constants and variables of
what makes realities different but similar.

2.3 Consequences

The consequences of these worldviews are manifested in the game for the player to see
and work through. Because of Comstock and Columbia's worldview of their racial purity, the
Vox Populi rose up to challenge the status quo for freedom. Elizabeth is stolen by Comstock
thanks to the Luteces so that he can have an heir to sit the throne of Columbia. Booker is
drawn in because the Luteces' wish to fix the mistake they made by helping Comstock. And in
the end, when the fire spreads through Columbia and all is lost, Booker/Comstock return to the
place where they began in order to be smothered in the crib. Their death, the penultimate
consequence of each over-arching worldview, results in the negation of all of the events that
transpired due to causality.

25 “Viewing the Infinite,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.
26 “An Ultimatum,” Bioshock Infinite Voxophone, 2013.

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3. Comparison to Biblical Worldview

3.1 Analysis of Biblical Christian Perspective

Cosmological

From Genesis chapter one, we learn that God created the heavens and the earth, the
stars and the sky, the animals, and Man. Through our present knowledge and understanding,
the universe stands to be the only universe in existence. There is no mention of a multi-verse
in the Bible, or any facet of science. Though many scientists would believe there is a multi-
verse, there is no Scriptural backing or evidence of this. Therefore, many of the choices we
make in this reality are the only ones, and everything that happens has a single consequence
that leads us to the end of all days, or the end of our days. The destiny of the cosmos, the
universe, is to expand at the creative notion of God until Christ comes back to bring about the
New Earth, New Heaven, and New Jerusalem.

Anthropological

Man is created in the image of God. All men, from White, Black, Indian, Chinese,
Irish, or any other race or nationality living on the earth today. The only divide that is created
between man is the one he fashions for himself which can result in racism and racial purity.
This, however, is not the intention and destiny of man. Rather, man was made to take
dominion of the earth and, after the fall, make disciples of all nations to bring them into the
inclusive relationship with God27. Since all nations have been grafted into God's family tree,
this makes us sons and daughters.28 And ultimately, the highest commandment on our lives is
to first love God before any other god, and to love our neighbor. Through this, the whole law
is fulfilled according to Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40.

3.2 Development of an Alternative

Multi-Verse

Bioshock Infinite would have you believe that there is a fabric of space dividing this

27 Matthew 28:16-20, The Holy Bible: ESV, 2011.
28 Romans 11:17-24, The Holy Bible: ESV, 2011.

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universe to another in which there are constants and variables. These constants and variables
describe how an alternate universe may be different in some ways, but very similar in others.
For instance, a cup of tea may be a cup of coffee. However, this leaves room to the fact that if
God created the universe, then he kept creating universes in which I exist in a million different
ways, thereby drawing away from the creativity and nature of God as being a Creator and
more of a Mass-Producer. I exist to serve my role, as does Derek B, Derek C, and Derek G.
However, this is not the nature of God as he creates in His image. One God, over a million
universes, over a million different and similar versions of myself; God would not create a
million universes in order to have a million copies if we are made in His image.

That would mean that Man is not created in the image of God, but a model of
something else, and God is passing the time by creating individuals which branch out other
realities from a simple choice. Our choices have one consequence, and we do not have the
availability to recognize the other option in our choices being utilized. One choice, one
consequence, and we continue to move forward. There is beauty in our finality of choices.

Racial Purity

The worldview of the Founders/Comstock, and of the Vox Populi, are in contention as
the Founders believe they are superior to every other race, and the Vox Populi believe there
should be equality among all people. Even if it is found through the means of force. However,
a biblical worldview does not support either of their views. On the one hand, all men and
women are created in the image of God, thereby granting them rights and dignity as humans
that cannot be taken away by any man. Second, Man is fallen, so regardless of whether
someone places themselves above others, they are no better than those they judge. Third,
unless the cause is just and righteous, violence should not be wielded as a means of securing
rights. Daisy Fitzroy commented in a Voxophone about how she wondered if she was doing
this out of vengeance or to help those she wanted to protect. Therefore, even if the cause may
be just, there is no justification in the subjugation of one people in response of the oppression
of another. Two wrongs do not make a right.

4. Application

Ken Levine, the lead developer of Bioshock Infinite, has made it known that he is not

23

religious.29 The religious symbolism is not meant to attack Christians or to devalue the beliefs
and thoughts of those who practice religion. Like the other games in the Bioshock franchise,
the game pushes a worldview, ideology and belief, to the extreme to the point where a body of
people are oppressed and one side is above the other. Therefore, it is easy to see who is the bad
guy and who is the good guy. It is not to say that those who are overly devout are bad, but I
view it as a means that should one person, devout or not, is given too much authority over man
with absolute power, then he will be corrupted absolutely in his quest to cleanse or perfect the
world around him. While these are elements most people recognize, I think in this post-
modern world of ours that such absolutes may not be completely accepted.

As an application thought, I want to start a dialogue with Ken Levine, through a letter,
discussing my infatuation with the game but some of the elements I do not agree with: the
more than excessive violence, the absolutizing of a worldview that leads to extremism, and
with reluctance, the multi-verse. As stated, I love the multi-verse, but even I know that it is not
a sustainable thought. Whether Ken believes in the worldviews presented in the game is yet to
be seen, but there is a message he is telling people. And I believe that message is: do not
absolutize your worldview.

5. Conclusion

Despite the fact that in a reality where there are multiple universes, the constants and
variables of the realities show that the absolutization of a worldview can lead to dire
consequences for all parties. Because of the extreme racial purity and the pursuit of a purist
society, people rose up to supplant the ruling government through excessive violence and
bloodshed. There are some Marxist ideas considered through the Vox Populi, and Religious
Puritanism/Social Darwinsim found in the Founders. All of it could have been avoided
through the knowledge and acceptance of the truth that is known: that man is created equally
in the image of God and all have rights bestowed upon them for freedom and prosperity. By
taking away someone's rights, regardless of which universe you find yourself in, you will
always find yourself on the path of destruction. The only way to fix it is to adopt a view in
which men can live in harmony together, or destroy the worldview through means of ensuring

29 “Bioshock Infinite's Creator on forced baptisms, meaningful violence, and 'The End',” Brian Crecente, 2013.

24

peace for all. Elizabeth and Booker did this against Comstock where Booker ultimately made
the sacrifice through suicide to see that the events never transpired. His reward: somewhere, in
some strange universe unaffected by causality, he awakes and finds that Anna may just be
sleeping in her crib.

25

Appendix

Battle of Wounded Knee: Also known as the Wounded Knee Massacre, this is an actual
event in which United States forces killed over 200 Lakota men, women, and children.

Boxer Rebellion: Based on the actual events, it was an uprising in China with the goal of
fighting against the influence of Western and Japanese culture.

Founders: The Elite party of Columbia, primarily White, that look to Father Comstock for
guidance and adhere to the teachings and propaganda he spreads.

Iron Patriots: Large automatons dressed like George Washington (Columbia) or Abraham
Lincoln (Vox Populi) in order to wreak havoc on enemies; usually carries a Crank Gun which
is a rapid-firing chain gun.

Kinetoscope: A silent, black and white movie device accompanied with music depicting a
particular piece of Columbian Propaganda

Lutece Machine: The Lutece Machine allows people to be able to manipulate the Tears in
order to open doors to another universe.

Multi-Verse/Possibility Space: The multi-verse/possibility space is an inter-dimensional
plane of existence that houses many doors that can lead to another reality or universe at the
behest of the one who is able to manipulate it.

Pinkerton Detective Agency: Based on the actual Pinkerton Detective Agency, it is a private
security guard and detective agency.

Rapture: The main location for Bioshock and Bioshock 2, it is a city founded at the bottom of
the ocean that focuses on capitalism and objectivism, putting more emphasis on private sectors
than government controlled subsidiaries.

Salts: Ammunition for the Vigors, Salts are a solution that allows the player to continue to use
the Vigors until it runs out.

Silver Eagle: A reference to American currency minted in 1986, hinting towards the strange
time distortion in Bioshock Infinite.

Siphon: A machine used to put a leash of Elizabeth's abilities and dampen her powers from
becoming too dangerous.

Tears: A rip in dimensional time and space that can reveal an alternate universe or a future
period in time.

Vigors: A special solution that can manipulate the genetic code of the consumer and grant
them a specific control over an element, whether it be fire, wind, water, or electricity.

Vox Populi: “Voice of the people,” the Vox Populi consist of the minority population and are
trying to supplant the Founders.

Voxophone: A fifteen to thirty second recording of a specific character explaining their views
as relevant to the world of Columbia and the story-line.

26

Bibliography

1. Crecente, Brian. "BioShock Infinite's Creator on Forced Baptisms, Meaningful
Violence and "The End"" Polygon. August 1, 2013. Accessed June 13, 2015.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/1/4576374/ken-levine-discusses-the-meaning-in-
bioshock-infinite.

2. Engen, Josh. "Update: Ken Levine Speaks - Gone Home, BioShock Share A
Universe." The Escapist. January 31, 2014. Accessed June 13, 2015.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131855-Update-Ken-Levine-Speaks-
Gone-Home-BioShock-Share-A-Universe.

3. 2K Australia, 2K Marin, Aspyr, Irrational Games. “Bioshock Infinite.” Novato,
California: 2K Games. March 26th, 2013.

4. "Kinetoscope." BioShock Wiki. November 30, 2013. Accessed June 13, 2015.
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Kinetoscope.

5. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2011 ed. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway,
2011.

Voxophones/Kinetoscopes Accessible in Game:

http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/A_Broken_Circle
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/A_Dog%27s_Loyalty
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/A_City,_Suspended
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/A_Reward,_Deferred
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/A_Theory_on_Our_%22Death%22
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/An_Ultimatum
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/A_Window
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/His_Design_for_Cruelty
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Lutece%27s_Brother_Arrives_in_Columbia
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/On_the_Entropy_of_Genes
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/One_and_the_Same
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Terminated
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/The_Constancy_of_Music
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/The_Gift_of_the_Emancipator
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lazarus_Project
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lie_of_the_Emancipator
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/The_True_Color_of_My_Skin
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Unconditional
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Viewing_the_Infinite
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/We_Secede_from_the_So-Called_%22Union%22
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Whispers_Through_the_Walls

27