Olivia Prior in Gallant: Character Analysis

Overview of Olivia Prior in Gallant (2021) by V.E. Schwab, Olivia Prior is a mute orphan who has spent her life at Merilance School, a grim institution for unwanted girls. She can see ghouls—intangible remnants of the dead—and has never known a family or a home. When a letter arrives from an uncle she has never met, summoning her to a place called Gallant, Olivia leaves the only world she knows and steps into a house that holds both her mother's secrets and a supernatural duty. Over the course of the novel, Olivia transforms from a girl who plans escapes but never leaves into a young woman who chooses to belong, confronts the master of a deathly realm, and claims her place as a Prior. Her arc is defined by silence, defiance, and the slow discovery that home is not a place you are given but a choice you make. This analysis traces Olivia's role, motivations, relationships, decisions, and the themes her character illuminates, grounding every claim in the events of the novel and distinguishing explicit facts from interpretive readings. For broader context, see the book overview and the ending explained. ## Plot Role Olivia is the protagonist and point-of-view character of Gallant. The story follows her from the opening chapter at Merilance, where she hides in a garden shed and watches a small ghoul, to the epilogue, where she tends roses in the garden at Gallant. Her arrival at the estate is the inciting incident that reveals the Prior family's secret: the house stands beside a wall that separates the living world from a decaying realm ruled by a master who feeds on the dead. Olivia's role is twofold. First, she is an outsider who must learn what it means to be a Prior—both the burden of guarding the wall and the legacy of madness that Matthew warns her about. Second, she becomes the active force that ultimately stops the master. In the climax, she breaks a soldier's armor, freeing the bones inside, and then storms up the path to face Death herself after Matthew is wounded. The epilogue shows her as the one who remains at Gallant, pruning weeds and keeping the garden alive, suggesting she has taken on the guardian role. ## Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions Olivia's primary motivation is the search for belonging. At Merilance, she dreams of escape but never follows through, as the text shows: she plans a hundred futures but wakes in the same bed every morning. When the letter from Arthur Prior arrives, she is drawn by the words “You are wanted. You are needed. You belong with us.” Even though her mother's journal warns her to stay away from Gallant, Olivia chooses to go because the promise of family outweighs the warning. Her actions throughout the novel demonstrate several core traits: Resourcefulness: She picks locks, steals food, and uses a hairpin to open a locked desk drawer. She also learns to survive in the other world by moving like a thief, as when she crosses the garden in chapter 24. Defiance: She refuses to be cowed by matrons, by Matthew's hostility, or by the master. She fights back against Anabelle at Merilance by dumping insects and ash over her, and she later drives a knife into the master's chest without hesitation. Silence as strength: Olivia cannot speak, but she communicates through sign language, writing, and actions. The text notes that when she cries, people stop listening to her hands, so she holds back tears. Her silence is not weakness; it forces her to observe and act. Curiosity and determination: She explores Gallant on her own, traces the family portraits, and seeks answers even when Matthew refuses to explain. She is willing to cross the wall to find Thomas, despite knowing the danger. Compassion: She tries to heal a ghoul, even though it tells her it is not hers to save. She also risks her life to rescue Thomas, only to discover he is a puppet. These traits are shown through her choices rather than stated directly, making her a character defined by action. ## Chronological Arc Olivia's arc can be divided into four phases: 1. Merilance (Chapters 1–3): She is an orphan who sees ghouls and endures a harsh institution. She burns her hand, is punished, and steals food. She reads her mother's journal, which ends with the word “Gallant.” She is summoned by a letter and leaves. 2. Arrival at Gallant (Chapters 5–9): She meets Matthew, who is cold and tells her to leave. She discovers her mother Grace is dead, sees the portrait of her uncle Arthur (who is the ghoul she met), and learns that the house is cursed. She begins to explore the garden and the wall, and she experiences her power to revive dead things beyond the wall. 3. Crossing the Wall (Chapters 18–27): She enters the other world, sees the master, and is captured. She learns that the master created her father as a shadow and that her mother stole him away. She is offered a deal—her parents back in exchange for a drop of blood—but she refuses because she recognizes they are not real. She escapes, finds Thomas (who is a puppet), and returns to Gallant. 4. Climax and Resolution (Chapters 28–Epilogue): The master crosses into Gallant, the garden withers, and Matthew is wounded. Olivia breaks the soldier's armor, then faces the master. The epilogue shows her a year later, tending the garden, wearing her mother's blue coat, and playing piano with her mother's ghoul beside her. She has chosen to stay and guard the wall. ## Relationships Olivia's relationships are central to her growth. With her mother, Grace: Olivia never knew her mother alive. She carries her mother's green journal and reads it obsessively. She learns that Grace ran away from Gallant, had Olivia, and died. In the epilogue, her mother's ghoul sits at the foot of her bed, a silent presence. Olivia's relationship with Grace is built on absence and the desire to understand. With Matthew: Matthew is her cousin and the master of Gallant. He is initially hostile, telling her to leave and warning that the house is cursed. He tries to protect her by keeping her away from the wall, but his secrecy causes conflict. Their relationship evolves: he saves her life by pushing her out of the way of a sword, and she honors him by continuing his work. In the epilogue, a white stone marks where he fell. With Hannah and Edgar: Hannah is the housekeeper who knew Grace, and Edgar is the groundskeeper. They are protective of Olivia, though they defer to Matthew. Hannah gives Olivia her mother's comb and portrait, and Edgar gives her a knife before she crosses the wall. They become a surrogate family. With the ghouls: Olivia can see ghouls, and they often help her. One ghoul in particular—her uncle Arthur—guides her and protects her. The ghouls are intangible but can communicate with her. They represent the persistence of the dead and the connection between worlds. With the master: The master is the antagonist, a pale figure who feeds on the dead. He claims Olivia as his own, calling her atonement for her father's defiance. Olivia rejects him and ultimately fights him. ## Key Decisions and Consequences Olivia makes several pivotal decisions: 1. Leaving Merilance: She chooses to go to Gallant despite her mother's warning. This decision leads her to discover her family and her purpose. 2. Crossing the wall: She decides to enter the other world to find Thomas. This puts her in danger but also reveals the truth about her parents and the master's plan. 3. Refusing the master's deal: When offered her parents back in exchange for blood, she refuses because she knows they are not real. This decision preserves her integrity and prevents the master from gaining power. 4. Fighting the master: After Matthew is wounded, she chooses to confront the master rather than flee. She breaks the soldier's armor and storms up the path, showing her courage. 5. Staying at Gallant: In the epilogue, she remains at the house, tending the garden and guarding the wall. This is her final choice to belong. ## Theme and Symbol Connections Olivia embodies several themes of the novel. Home as a choice: Her mother's journal says “home is a choice,” and Olivia ultimately chooses Gallant. She could run away, but she stays. This connects to the theme page home as a choice. Family legacy and inherited burden: Olivia learns that being a Prior means guarding the wall, a duty that has driven her family to madness and death. She accepts this burden, as seen in the epilogue. See family legacy and inherited burden. Silence and alternative communication: Olivia's muteness forces her to use sign language, writing, and actions. Her silence is a form of power, and the novel explores how communication transcends words. See silence and alternative communication. Grief and the persistence of the dead: Ghouls are the remnants of the dead, and Olivia's mother's ghoul remains with her. The novel shows that the dead do not fully leave. See grief and the persistence of the dead. Guarding the boundary between life and death: Olivia becomes a guardian of the wall, maintaining the boundary between the living world and the realm of the dead. See guarding the boundary between life and death. Symbols associated with Olivia include the green journal (her mother's words), the blue flower comb (her mother's memory), the piano (her unspoken voice), and the roses (the garden she tends). ## Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers 1. Why does Olivia leave Merilance? Olivia leaves because she receives a letter from her uncle Arthur Prior, who says she is wanted and needed and should come home. The letter gives her a chance at family, which she has never had. Even though her mother's journal warns her to stay away from Gallant, Olivia chooses to go because the promise of belonging outweighs the warning. 2. How does Olivia communicate if she cannot speak? Olivia uses sign language, writing on a chalkboard, and gestures. At Merilance, she was taught sign language by Matron Sarah, but the other matrons do not learn it. At Gallant, she communicates with Matthew and others through writing and actions. She also has a form of telepathic communication with ghouls, as when she calls for help and the ghouls respond. 3. What is Olivia's power beyond the wall? Olivia can bring dead things back to life when she touches them in the other world. She revives a mouse and flowers, and she transfers heat into a soldier to animate it. However, this power does not work in the living world, as she discovers when she tries to revive a rose in Gallant and it crumbles. 4. Why does Olivia refuse the master's offer? The master offers to bring her parents back if she gives a drop of blood on an iron door. Olivia is tempted, but she recognizes that the conjured parents are not real—they are made of ash and will crumble. She wants to return to Gallant and to the living world, so she refuses and escapes. 5. What does Olivia choose at the end of the novel? Olivia chooses to stay at Gallant and become the guardian of the wall. The epilogue shows her tending the garden, pruning weeds, and playing piano with her mother's ghoul beside her. She has accepted her role as a Prior and made Gallant her home. For more discussion, see the questions and answers page.