The Reptile Room

Violet Baudelaire is the oldest of the Baudelaire siblings, who as a group make up the protagonists of A Series of Unfortunate Events, including The Reptile Room. Violet is 14 in this novel and, like both her siblings, is wise and cunning beyond her years. Violet is especially interested in the mechanics of how machines work and how to build and fix them. She uses this trait throughout the series to help her and her siblings evade dangerous situations. Although Violet takes on a protective role toward her siblings, especially in their parents’ absence, it is only with their differing abilities combined that they are able to repeatedly escape Count Olaf while avoiding physical harm (although other tragedies still befall them and others around them). Violet is also kind and polite, and she can understand adults a bit better than her siblings. This is normally a strength, as evidenced when Violet recognizes the siblings’ opportunity to step away from the arguing adults quietly in order to gather evidence. However, she does sometimes need her brother Klaus’s assistance to ensure she is heard. For example, Violet is careful not to do things that upset adults, such as interrupting them, because she knows the children will need the adults on their side in order to escape Count Olaf.