Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of violence and murder.

Jess Cooper is the protagonist and narrator of I Am Still Alive. She is 16 years old when she meets her father after many years of estrangement. When Jess’s mother is killed in a car accident, Jess is left without a parent and with mobility issues due to a wounded leg. Coming to terms with her disability and resolving to improve it is Jess’s first demonstration of The Importance of Perseverance, long before she ever goes into the wilderness. Jess wears the scars from the car accident with pride, feeling as though they present her with a tough appearance. She also observes that the tense feeling that her scars create on her skin is just a reminder of all that she has been through. Even so, she harbors frustration toward her disability, and this aspect becomes apparent in her irritation toward her father’s lack of understanding. When she goes to live with her father, Jess enters a totally different world, and she is unaware of just how many risks exist there.

Jess is shaped by the people she knows and the advice they have given her.