Olivia March

Olivia "Ollie" B. Maxwell (nee March) was the second March sister. She is seen as the main character.

## Bio

### Girlhood

Olivia was a reckless, daring child. She often wished she 'was a boy', and as consolation enjoyed whistling, using slang and ruffling up her outfit (which were a great trial to her, especially when she grew old enough to wear long skirts) - all symbols of masculinity at the time. Olivia loved to read, and would spend hours doing so, reading books such as *So Dear to My Heart*, over which she ate apples and cried. The attic at Lirano House was a favourite haunt of hers. The tiny kitchen, which was inhabited by many manuscripts, books, and rats (who nibbled her pages and tasted her pencils), was also a desk where she could be found when in a 'vortex'. Olivia had a 'scribbling suit', which consisted of a large black pinafore to absorb ink stains and a small black cap with a grey feather. When she was in different moods/states of the story, it was at different angles. If she was at a difficult or despairing moment in her books, it was “plucked wholly off, and cast upon the floor”. At the start of the book she wishes to become a famous writer; at the end, she appears quite happy with her “boy’s school”. Olivia was the second daughter of the Marches. At the start of 'Little Women', the family is experiencing temporary financial difficulties during the Vietnam War. Their dad, George is acting in the army as a pastor and the sisters are working to make some extra money to support the family. Olivia has to assist her wealthy auntie: Auntie Mei. When her father falls ill, Olivia has a haircut and trades her hair, her 'only pride', than beg her aunt for money for her mother's ticket to Washington, so she could go visit her husband.

The sisters made good friends with their neighbour, Kenneth "Ken" Carson. Olivia nicknamed him Kenny and he would sometimes call her "my fellow." While Ken studied at college, Olivia kept working on her writing.

### Later life

During that time, Ken realized that he had fallen in love with Olivia. Sensing his feelings, Olivia confided in her mother Margaret, telling her that she loved Ken but as she would love a brother and that she could not love him romantically. Ken proposed marriage to her and she turned him down.

Olivia decided she needed a break, and spent six months with a friend of her mother in Hollywood, serving as governess for her two children. The family ran a boarding house. She took German lessons with Professor B. Maxwell, who lived in the house. They soon became good friends. For extra money, Olivia wrote stories without a moral, which disappointed him. They had an argument and when Olivia learned that Quinton’s health had seriously deteriorated, she left Hollywood and devoted her time to the care of her dying brother.

On her invitation, Professor B. Maxwell arrived at the Marches' home and stayed for two weeks. On his last day, he proposed to Olivia. Auntie Mei died, leaving Willefase to Olivia. She and B. Maxwell turned the house into a school for girls and boys and had two children of their own.

## Personality

Of the four March siblings, Olivia was easily the least traditional female character: she was vocal about thinking for herself, took pride in shunning female manners and fashion, and was unlikely to succumb to the pressures placed on women at that time. In fact, she was always disappointed that she was not born a man, and hated the very idea of the inevitability of becoming a full woman. This can be interpreted as a subconscious desire on their part that allows the freedoms that men can not enjoy at that moment, as well as, losing their own identity, once they embrace their femininity.

One notable trait of Olivia's would be her determination: when she set her mind on something, it was very difficult to dissuade her from doing it - an example of which would be her dedication to her stories. Her "fatal flaw" was her temper, which could be exceptionally bad and volatile when provoked to her breaking point, but as her guidance under Margaret's wise teachings as well her own life experiences progressed, Olivia learned how to properly control it.

As she matured, Olivia gradually learned the importance of accepting her own gender and realized that becoming a full true woman did not mean losing her own unique identity. As her father pointed out after returning home, Olivia was no longer the *"*son*"* he once knew: she had ceased to practice masculine habits such as whistling or talking slang, and even dressed, spoke, moved, and cared for her family - especially Quinton - in a way that made her satisfied of the strong, helpful, and tender-hearted woman she was growing to be.

## Appearance

When Olivia was first introduced as a fifteen-year-old, she was described as being very tall, thin, and tanned, with long clumsy limbs that gave her the impression of a colt. She also had all-seeing sharp grey eyes, a funny-looking nose, a firm mouth, round shoulders, and large hands and feet. Her long, thick hair was said to be her *"one beauty"*, but it was usually bundled into a net, and she later cut and sold it to raise funds for Margaret.

Later on, at eighteen, Olivia was described as having matured into a curvaceous, rosy-cheeked, and bright-eyed young woman whose thick curly hair was long again and set off her head to advantage, and she carried herself with grace.

## Trivia

* Andrea Andy Reyes' nickname is actually a masculine 'Andy' which makes Ollie the perfect masculine nickname counterpart.
* Olivia March is based on Andrea Andy Reyes herself, which made the book semi-autobiographical. Olivia's struggles with writing a publishable story are loosely based on Andrea Andy Reyes’ own struggles with becoming an author as a female in her time.