The Last Graduate

Because Orion Lake often behaves as traditional hero, he serves as a foil and love interest to El. As a handsome, gangly, silver-haired child of powerful enclavers, he soon demonstrates that his defining characteristic is his obsession with killing mals. However, although he does not hesitate to use his superpower (killing mals), he often does so without thinking through the practical and ethical consequences of his actions. Despite (or perhaps because of) his ability to kill mals, Orion lacks emotional depth and maturity, and he also lacks the emotional intelligence to make connections with others. As a result, he is just as isolated and awkward as El is at the beginning of the novel.

Two acts define Orion’s character arc. The first takes place before the events of the novel. When he was only 13 years old, he drained all the mana from New York enclave’s reserve of mana by using a power-sharer while he was hunting mals. His action left his enclave vulnerable to attack and destruction. From that point on, he has carried deep guilt, as well as the fear that he will inadvertently hurt others because of his voracious appetite for mana. That guilt drives him to accept the exploitation of his enclave—both within and beyond the Scholomance.

The second act that defines his character arc comes at the end of the novel. His decision to stay behind and fight the formidable mal, Patience, complicates his character and raises the question of whether his guise of heroism hides his true essence as someone who is too fatally flawed to resist the lure of a large source of mana.

A gifted artificer, Aadyha is also a foil to El. Whereas El is awkward and impulsive, Aadhya is more polished and thoughtful about her decisions. Her presence in the novel proves crucial to El’s inner development, for Aadhya serves as the pragmatic voice of reason and gives El the emotional support that she needs to carry out her plan to save everyone. Unlike El, Aadhya fully understands the importance of connecting with others and forming alliances in order to survive. Because she comes from an indie wizard family, she doesn’t have the ruthlessness of the enclave students. Her loyalty to El therefore stems from a genuine emotional connection with the protagonist. However, Aadhya is not a naïve idealist, nor is she a helpless person who waits for opportunity to find her. Instead, she proves herself to be an active participant in her own salvation and a hard worker whose no-nonsense attitude facilitates the survival of everyone in the school.

Liu is a dynamic character who is initially a loner who relies on malia to fulfill her family’s goals. However, she eventually finds a healthier balance between individual and collective needs. In this volume, the pivotal moments for Liu include her decision to stop using malia and her decision to reject a politically advantageous marriage with Zixuan. Liu initially adheres to the idea that her use of malia is justified by her need to advance her family’s plans for an enclave, but under the influence of El and Aadhya, she rejects the use of malia as corrupt. She also readily participates in the plan to save everyone. Ultimately, Liu becomes an adult when she asserts her own needs and acts to protect everyone in the school regardless of their political affiliation.

Liesel is one of the most pragmatic and strategic thinkers. Her leadership skills prove crucial to the plan to save everyone in the school. Part of her authority comes from the fact that she is the valedictorian, which stands as proof of her mastery of magic and her ability to plan and achieve goals. Liesel is another foil to El. Whereas El rejects authority and prefers to function alone, Liesel thrives in worlds built upon rules and structure, and she forms social relations with others in an intentional fashion.

Liesel is a utilitarian who believes that the ends justify the means, and in the first part of the novel, she gives little thought to The Moral Implications of Survival Tactics. As a rival to El, Liesel does not hesitate to commit unethical actions, functioning instead with a ruthless form of logic that is designed to garner her a seat in New York enclave. However, she eventually decides to go along with El’s belief that no one should be left behind to die in the Scholomance. In this way, she makes the shift from prioritizing herself to prioritizing the needs of the collective, and she also pushes El to become a better leader.

Gwen Higgins is El’s mother, and she is also an influential magician who is famous for her freely giving away her healing spells to anyone who needs them. One of her primary motivations is to protect El, even she must give up the chance to live more securely in an enclave in order to do so. Although Gwen is not present in the Scholomance, her influence can be seen in El’s frequent consideration of key ethical dilemmas. El is marked by a dark prophecy foretelling that she will destroy the enclaves, but Gwen persists in countering her daughter’s destructive (and self-destructive) tendencies. In the absence of adults, El must survive in the Scholomance by relying upon her mother’s lessons about self-control and mindfulness, both of which are designed to contain the darkest parts of El’s power. Gwen’s kindness and care for others influence El to value the lives of everyone equally.

Chloe is a dynamic character who is initially a member of New York enclave. Early in the novel, she persistently makes friendly overtures to El despite El’s rudeness. However, beneath Chloe’s friendliness and willingness to take abuse is a strategic thinker; she has realized how powerful El really is, and she sees the benefit of joining El’s alliance. Her willingness to join forces with El paves the way for enclavers to accept El, and Chloe also teaches El to embrace the idea that enclavers can change.