I Will Save You

To hide the mark on her face, Olivia wears a ski cap, which symbolizes hidden truths. Kidd describes her in one of his dreams: “She’s looking at me with sadness in her eyes, her hair and ski cap hiding the left side of her face like always” (56). In hiding the mark, Olivia is also hiding her real self and vulnerability. Kidd associates her sadness with the cap’s presence.

When Olivia tells Kidd about her rare skin condition, she removes the hat. She unveils herself both physically and emotionally: “She opened her eyes and looked at me, more tears going down her cheeks. She moved her hair to the side and turned her cheek toward me” (232). The ski cap provides safety and comfort; when she removes it for Kidd, she is exposed and terrified. As she later says: “‘We only reveal what we want other people to know, right? It’s like we create these fictional characters for the public. And inside we’re somebody totally different’” (267). Although she is accusing Kidd of hiding things, Olivia’s observations about public personas also explain why she wears her ski cap. She does not want others to think she is flawed, either in her appearance or internally.