# Ellador — Herland character guide

> Ellador in Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

**Role:** major

**First appearance:** 0004-v-a-unique-history

## Snapshot

A Herland woman of wide intellectual grasp and serene conviction, who becomes Van's guide, partner, and most searching questioner.

## Who they are

Ellador takes Van to see the children, the teachers, and the books, always seeming to know what he wants to understand; she is convinced that a world with two sexes must be richer than her own. When Van tries to warn her about his country's vices, she listens with starry hope, unable to feel what she has never seen. Her eagerness to leave paradise for the wider world forces the novel's hardest question: what happens when innocence meets a civilization that has none.

## Relationships

### [Terry O. Nicholson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/terry_o_nicholson)

_social_

Ellador is a curious observer of Terry, finding his attitudes alien and troubling, but engaging with him as part of the cultural exchange.

### [Jeff Margrave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/jeff_margrave)

_friendship_

Ellador and Jeff share a deep intellectual and emotional friendship, built on mutual respect and curiosity.

### [Alima](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/alima)

_friendship_

Alima and Ellador are close friends and fellow Herland women, though Alima's rebellious nature sometimes strains their bond.

### [Celis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/celis)

_friendship_

Celis and Ellador are close friends and confidantes, sharing their experiences with the male visitors.

### [Epictetus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/epictetus)

_friendship_

Ellador and Epictetus share a close bond, with Epictetus being a trusted companion and confidant in Herland's society.

### [Jeff Margrave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/jeff_margrave)

_friendship_

Ellador and Jeff share a deep intellectual and emotional friendship, built on mutual respect and curiosity.

### [Jeff Margrave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/jeff_margrave)

_friendship_

Ellador and Jeff share a deep intellectual and emotional friendship, built on mutual respect and curiosity.

## In the story

### [II: Rash Advances](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/ii-rash-advances)

One of the young women glimpsed in the trees; flees upward with the others, observed by the men.

### [A Unique History](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/v-a-unique-history)

Mentioned as one of the 'girls' the men are getting acquainted with during their months of study.

### [The Girls of Herland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/viii-the-girls-of-herland)

Ellador is one of the three forest girls who first met the men. She and Van talk things out together, leading to an easier experience when their relationship develops. She is described as a friend and a thoughtful partner.

### [IX: Our Relations and Theirs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/ix-our-relations-and-theirs)

Curious about the men's world; explains Herland's child-rearing and education; shares a story about a butterfly that led her to become a forester.

### [X: Their Religions and Our Marriages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/x-their-religions-and-our-marriages)

Van's partner; she is deeply disturbed by Christian concepts of damnation and seeks comfort in the temple.

### [Our Difficulties](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/xi-our-difficulties)

Ellador skillfully woos and wins Van through psychological insight and companionship, embodying Herland's ideal of love based on friendship and shared purpose.

### [Expelled](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/chapters/xii-expelled)

Eager to see the outside world but struggles to understand the male perspective on love and marriage; maintains a reserved but loving relationship with Van.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters/ellador
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/herland_se/characters