Five Survive

Oliver Lavoy is Maddy’s older brother and Catherine’s son. He is a pre-law student, highly ambitious, and opinionated, and he believes himself to be a leader. However, Oliver is extremely selfish, only thinking about himself and, to some extent, Maddy and Catherine. Oliver often takes credit for other people’s ideas and hard work. He exhibits The Dangers of Toxic Masculinity and becomes increasingly violent and abusive throughout the novel.

Alongside the sniper, Oliver develops into the other antagonist in the narrative. While the sniper is situated outside, Oliver is situated with the other characters inside and tries to control their actions. He believes that, as the leader, he should be able to decide for everyone else. However, his plans usually hurt the surrounding people; his plan gets Don and Joyce killed, for example. As revealed by Reyna, Oliver has a history of violence. He punches Jack so hard that Jack dies of a brain hemorrhage. He also chokes Arthur in the RV when he is angry, and he grabs Red by her throat and forces her to strip at knifepoint. Even though everyone tells him it’s a bad idea, Oliver insists that Maddy pretend to be Red, which ultimately leads to her getting critically shot in the leg. Even after getting his sister shot, he cannot accept responsibility for his actions. In the end, his impulsive violence gets him killed, as the sniper shoots him for attempting to stab Arthur in the book’s climax.

Maddy Lavoy is Oliver’s younger sister and Red’s best friend. While Maddy loves Red, she is also guilty of hiding the truth from her. Maddy knows from the beginning that Catherine most likely killed Grace. However, she does not share this with Red despite knowing how the mystery around Grace’s death haunts her. Thus, she betrays Red’s trust. While Red considers Maddy to be family, Maddy draws a distinct line between keeping her family safe and being honest with Red.

Maddy does genuinely care about Red, often taking care of her and acting protective toward her. However, Maddy is also easily manipulated. She often agrees with Oliver, even when she does not approve of his plans, and like him, she sometimes ‌takes credit for other people’s ideas. For example, when Oliver congratulates Maddy for Red’s idea about using the mirror to create a reflection, Maddy says nothing to refute Oliver’s praise. However, Maddy tries to contain her brother’s aggressiveness, and she is not malicious like him. Maddy is a dynamic character who moves past her compulsion to please her family; after she gets shot, she apologizes to Red and tells her the truth. In the end, she does not turn Arthur in, even though she assumes he killed her mother.

Reyna is a Mexican American pre-med student and an outsider to the group. She has been Oliver’s girlfriend for the past couple of years, but she cheated on Oliver with Jack, whom she loved. In an altercation with Jack, Oliver killed him accidentally, but he did not know about Reyna’s betrayal when they fought. Reyna struggled to choose between Jack and Oliver because of Jack’s low social standing compared to Oliver’s. She feels Oliver can provide a better life, but at the same time, she endures constant beratement and aggression for Oliver.

Like Red, Reyna has a strong moral code and stands up to Oliver when he antagonizes other characters. Unlike Oliver, who never admits to doing wrong, Reyna admits to her mistakes. She feels guilty for leading Oliver on and not breaking up with him to be with Jack since she loved Jack. Red and Reyna, living under the shadow of the Lavoys, have a special understanding. Ultimately, Reyna is a caring and kind character, often taking care of the others and trying to maintain a balance of power inside the RV.

Arthur Gotti is Frank Gotti’s son and an antagonist since his brother, Mike, is the sniper. Arthur is the newest addition to Red’s friend group and goes to a different school. His motive is to get Red to confess that Frank did not kill Joseph Mannino and find out who orchestrated Frank’s false prosecution. However, he is a round character who genuinely cares about his friends and does not want anyone to get hurt. He reciprocates Red’s romantic feelings and provides moral support for her, even after they learn the truth about each other. He also dislikes violence and is often a foil to Oliver’s impulsive and abusive nature.

By the end of the novel, Arthur’s life is uncertain; he admits that he is a fugitive and is trying to figure out what to do next. He breaks his no-kill rule to kill Catherine at the end of the novel for Red, who, after learning the truth, mentions that she wants Catherine to suffer in the same way Grace did. Killing Catherine is Arthur’s way of trying to make amends for lying to and hurting Red. Notably, the reader learns about his murder through a perspective shift, in a letter from Arthur to Red, so Red’s reaction to his actions is a mystery. With this, Jackson provides a snapshot of Arthur’s moral code without necessarily justifying his actions.

Simon Yoo, who is of Asian American descent, is Maddy and Red’s friend. He befriended Arthur outside of school, meeting him through basketball. Simon is presented as having a carefree, impulsive persona. However, Simon is also irreverent and one of the first characters to point out Oliver’s hypocritical attitude. Simon is also the first character who shares his secret: He occasionally helps his uncle steal cars since he needs the extra money. He wants to study theater but knows that his parents won’t support his dreams, aligning him with Red when socioeconomic divides split the group.

At times, Simon is quite selfish since he wants to survive the night, even at others’ expense. However, unlike Oliver, Simon does not impose his opinions on anyone, and he never uses violence. Simon cares for Maddy and Red and urges Oliver to stop when he acts violently. On multiple occasions, he helps Arthur get ahold of Oliver or stands up to Oliver’s tyranny.