Mercy was a victory
"You taught me that 'evil' is just a word. For you, mercy was a victory. You sacrificed, you endured, and when given the chance, you forgave. Always. Mother believed this world was irredeemable, but she was wrong, Father. We are Utopia, you and I, and in forgiving we left the door open for her."
In moments like these, you wonder if your Eleanor truly gave you free will.
What does it mean, to have freedom? To choose mercy? To chose not to kill unarmed non-threats? Because you didn't go after non-threats as a big Daddy, and would never harvest your little sister who you protect. How did doing these things convince people you are not a monster, when they are what you would have done with the programming anyways? Don't attack a walking weapon, it should be common sense, you would think.
Then again, common sense was always something of a rarity in Rapture.
Was it the pragmatic outlook of preserving ammunition, that stayed your hand? Is it some great irony of Rapture, that the ones most capable of mercy and forgiveness, were the monsters they deliberately made? Was it mercy like your Eleanor believes? Are you capable of mercy? Or were you simply defying their expectations of you?
Would you have drowned Sophia, if you had been given the chance?
Perhaps if your Eleanor had asked you to. But she's never asked. She never cried out. Your Eleanor helped you hold onto your sanity after her heart stopped . Otherwise, you wouldn't have moved, wouldn't have fought your way out. It's all for Eleanor.
She's watched. And your Eleanor applied, her values to your actions. Here, in saving her mother, she has demonstrated a greater act of mercy and forgiveness then you could ever achieve.
Your Eleanor folds your arms across your chest, before she extracts your Adam. It's something you've never seen nor done to a splicer. Respect to a dead body was a rare find. Previously, you've left them dead on the floor, waiting for the little sisters to come. Do you deserve this courtesy?
The transition to becoming your Eleanor is soft, so unlike death. Together you and your Eleanor walk away from your suit. You are proud of your Eleanor, but you won't influence her. Your Eleanor doesn't need you anymore, and has much to teach you.
You see your Eleanor reflected in the water, and with her, the little sisters. The one innocent thing in Rapture. They are worth protecting. You will help her with that.
Together you leave the doll in the water and look at your legacy.
The sun is rising. You are glad your Eleanor will see the sun today.
In the distance there is a lighthouse. And beyond there, a whole world for you and your Eleanor to explore. Together you look into the dawn.
"If Utopia is not a place, but a people, then we must choose carefully; for the world is about to change- and in our story, Rapture was just the beginning. "