Kiva is the 17-year-old protagonist in The Prison Healer, and she is defined by her resilience, compassion, and resourcefulness. Because Kiva is a sympathetic character who must survive a harsh and oppressive environment, she therefore embodies the novel’s thematic focus on Overcoming Oppression with Hope and Resolve. As the prison healer, Kiva must care for other prisoners, and this position both protects her and makes her a target. As the narrative states, Kiva “did what she had to—she healed people, but she hurt them, too. All to stay alive. All to bide time until her family could come for her, until she could escape” (25). While Kiva pragmatically bows to the most heinous of necessities—such as carving the “Z” onto each incoming prisoner—Kiva hates herself for her complicity with such injustices, and others—like Cresta—condemn Kiva and view her as a traitor and a puppet of the warden.

Kiva’s journey becomes intertwined with the Rebel Queen’s, Tilda Corentine, when she becomes Tilda’s champion. Throughout The Prison Healer, Kiva undergoes significant emotional and philosophical changes as she becomes influenced by those around her. Initially, she is just attempting to survive and is driven by the far-fetched hope of being reunited with her family.