Elena Gilbert is at the heart and soul of The Vampire Diaries series by New York Times best-selling author L. J. Smith. The novels follow her romances and dramas with the Salvatore brothers, Damon and Stefan. Both are vampires who were turned centuries earlier and find their way to Elena's hometown of Fells Church, VA.

Elena meets and falls for Stefan, who is kindhearted and striving to live a moral life as best he can, given that he must drink blood to stay alive. But it's not long before Damon, the sexy older brother with a dark edge and no interest in being good, arrives in town, wreaking havoc and even pulling at Elena's heartstrings. At first, Elena is unaware of a startling fact and significant force in all the complicated attraction ahead: She is doppelgänger of the vampire who turned the Salvatore brothers nearly 500 years earlier—Katherine von Swartzchild. As the series unfolds, Elena finds herself being pulled between the two brothers as she struggles to find her place in the human and supernatural worlds.

*Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Vampire Diaries series.*


 

How is Elena Gilbert described in the books?

Many listeners might be familiar with The Vampire Diaries through the CW TV show adaptation rather than the novels, which were originally published from 1991 to 1992. But the Elena of the book series is a bit different than portrayed on the screen. She's introduced as blond, very beautiful, popular at school, and somewhat vain about her appearance and her status in the community. She can have a bit of a mean streak at times, and she knows that she can get almost anything she wants. She's still grieving the death of her parents, who died in a car accident, but she finds support and love in her Aunt Judith, who took her in, and her best friends, Bonnie McCullough and Meredith Sulez. She's also friends with Matt, her ex-boyfriend and childhood friend who loves her and supports her, even when he struggles with his jealousy over Elena's love interests.


 

What happens to Elena in the books?

Elena is the protagonist of the first book in the series, The Awakening. Elena meets Stefan and, despite his aloof manner towards her, is completely drawn to him. Although Stefan tries to stay away from Elena, they end up dating, and all seems to go well—until Damon shows up in town. As more mysterious attacks on innocent people are reported, Stefan explains to Elena that he is a vampire, confiding his fear that he's perhaps responsible for losing control. But Elena isn't fazed by this revelation, and together they work to uncover the truth.

In The Struggle, Elena and Stefan confront Damon about the attacks, particularly when one results in the death of their history teacher. With Damon maintaining his innocence and Stefan being accused by the town, they decide to work together to determine who is responsible. Meanwhile, a new teacher named Alaric Saltzman shows up in town, raising Damon's suspicions. As they look into what the town actually knows about vampires, Elena finds herself targeted by evil—ultimately, she's run off a bridge and drowns. But she's brought back from death as a vampire. 

The Fury picks up where The Struggle left off, revealing that Elena's killer and the evil force tormenting the town is none other than her doppelgänger: Katherine von Swartzchild. As Elena struggles to cope with life as a vampire—which comes with supernatural abilities and the heavy knowledge that people think that she's dead—tensions between Stefan and Damon grow and Katherine wreaks more havoc on Fells Church. Eventually, the group must confront Katherine in her lair beneath the cemetery. A vicious battle ensues, culminating, shockingly, in the deaths of both Katherine and Elena.

The first book where Elena isn't a narrator or the protagonist, Dark Reunion opens with Damon and Stefan mourning her death. The brothers leave town, wanting to get as far away as possible from Fells Church and their bad memories. Elena's close friend Bonnie calls them back when she has dreams of Elena warning them about more evil to come. Klaus, the Original vampire who turned Katherine, has arrived—and he has dark plans for them all. Damon and Stefan continually try to defeat Klaus but find themselves thwarted at every turn. When almost all hope is lost, they are shocked to discover that only an army of the dead, summoned by Elena, can take on Klaus. For her role in vanquishing him, Elena is resurrected and made human once more.

The ending of Dark Reunion leaves the characters in relative peace and happiness, and the series took a 10-year hiatus before returning with spin-off trilogies. Elena appears as a protagonist in The Return trilogy, which consists of Nightfall, Shadow Souls, and Midnight; The Hunters trilogy, which consists of Phantom, Moonsong, and Destiny Rising; and The Salvation trilogy, which includes Unseen, Unspoken, and Unmasked. Although she often finds herself wavering between Stefan and Damon, Elena consistently chooses Stefan over and over again through the series and spin-offs, ultimately deciding to be with him for all time.


 

How is Elena on the TV show different from her character in the books?

In the CW adaptation, Elena is portrayed by Nina Dobrev, and she's probably the most changed character from book to screen. In the TV show, Elena is pretty (though brunette in lieu of blond), but she's not nearly the most popular girl at school. The series producers have said that their goal in creating Elena's character for the show was to make her more relatable, more like the girl next door. Still, TV's Elena is well-liked and admired among her friend group, is on the cheerleading squad, and has dated football player Matt. She is still grieving the recent death of her parents, and is finding it hard to cope with the new loss. She's curious about Stefan, the new boy, but she doesn't pursue him the way Elena in the book does.

Even though Elena of the book series and the TV series differ in some minor and not-so-minor ways, her character has captured so many imaginations. Her love triangle with Stefan and Damon is one of the most compelling romances in the vampire canon.


 

Best Elena Gilbert Quotes

“I'm playing with fire, with something I don't understand.” — The Vampire Diaries, Book One: The Awakening 

“I want him to love me as much as I love him.” — The Vampire Diaries, Book One: The Awakening 

"I…don't think it's vain to say that I am beautiful. If I did not know I was, I would have to have never looked in a mirror or heard a compliment. It's not something I should be proud of—it's just something that was passed down from Mom and Dad." — The Vampire Diaries, Book Two: The Struggle