Wikia

Lisbeth Salander

English Name

Lisbeth Salander

Alias

Wasp

Occupation

Computer hacker

Relationships

Mikael Blomkvist & Miriam Wu

Appearances

All three novels

Swedish Actor

Noomi Rapace

American Actor

Rooney Mara

Lisbeth Salander is the main character of the Millenium Trilogy. She posses a photographic memory and legendary hacking skills. She works as a freelancer for Dragan Armansky at Milton Security. She teams up with Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to solve the mystery surrounding Harriet Vanger's disappearance.

Physical Description

24 years old. "Salander was dressed for the day in a black T-shirt with a picture on it of E.T. with fangs, and the words "I AM ALSO ALIEN". She had on a black skirt that was frayed at the hem, a worn-out black, mid-length leather jacket, rivet belt, heavy Doc Martin boots, and a horizontally striped, green-and-red knee socks. She had put on make-up in a colour scheme that indicated she might be colourblind. In other words, she was exceptionally decked out."&nbsp

Lisbeth is described as being rail-thin, with short black hair, with a tattoo of a wasp on her neck. Mikael Blomkvist wonders if she might have asperger's syndrome because of her strange behavior. She has multiple piercings and has a boyish body with non-existent hips and small "child-like" breasts. In the films she has a large tattoo of a dragon on her back.

Early Life

From early chilhood Salander has a history of violence and vindictive behavior seemingly consistent with an Antisocial Personality Disorder. Most of the incidences are triggered by attacks either to herself, or to the few people she cares for. At twelve, Salander threw gasoline on her father and set him on fire after he administered a vicious beating to her mother, causing her brain damage. As a reprecussion of the incident, her father almost died, but managed to survive, but with severe scarring. She was declared a danger to herself and others by the court at age thirteen, and sent for treatment at the St. Stefan's Psychiatric Clinic for Children in Uppsala. She refused to talk with psychologists, police, teachers, and social workers. The one person that she would speak to was Advokat Holger Palmgren who was assigned as her trustee until she came of age. At fifteen, it was decided that she wasn't a danger to herself and was released from St. Stefans and placed with a foster family. After running away from her first few families, Palmgren explained that she would be placed back in the psychiatric clinic which convinced Salander not to run away from the next family. At eighteen, she proved to be uncooperative, disdainful of most authority figures, and frequently fought with others. After a particularly violent altercation with a man that attacked her, the court psychiatrists felt she would be safer institutionalized. At the court hearing, Palmgren acted as her legal representation and worked hard to convince the court that she was not dangerous, and should instead be put under a guardianship. Palmgren, went from being her trustee to her guardian. Their relationship grew to be one of the most important in Salander's life.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

At the beginning of Dragon Tattoo, Salander is hired by Milton Security to do a background investigation of disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, on Henrik Vanger's behalf. Vanger's attorney, Dirch Frode, demands to speak with the person who wrote the investigation to get their personal beliefs on the matter and he is surprised when he meets Salander. She tells him that she believes that there is more to Blomkvist's trial than was revealed and Frode asks her to continue her work, except training her eye on Blomkvist's nemesis, Hans-Erik Wennerström.

{C {C}{C Salander learns she has a new guardian, Nils Bjurman, since her previous guardian, Holger Palmgren, had a heart attack and cannot continue with his duties (A guardian is someone appointed to protect individuals unable to take care of themselves. They oversee their finances and personal life. Their role is similar to a parole officer but they have complete control and can send them back to a mental institution at will). "She was not afraid of Bjurman-Salander was rarely afraid of anyone or anything. On the other hand, she felt uncomfortable with this new guardian. His predecessor, Advokat Holger Palmgren, had been of an entirely different ilk: courteous and kind." Bjurman's first order of buisness as Salander's new guardian is to get access to all of her accounts. Previously, Palmgren had allowed Lisbeth to manage her own finances and served as more of a support system, but Bjurman wants complete control over Salander's life.

Their first few meetings go alright, but when Lisbeth's laptop is destroyed she is forced to go to Bjurman to ask for her money. He uses the opportunity to teach Salander how their guardianship will go. He molests her. Salander, not being the sort to go to the police on any matter comes up with her own plan to take care of the situation.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

After seeing Mikael Blomkvist and Erika Berger walking arm in arm, Lisbeth flees Sweden for 18 months, travelling around the world. While in Gibraltar, Salander takes stock of her newfound Wennerström wealth and buys a multi-million dollar apartment in Stockholm, but splurges on little else. In the book, Salander investigates another Caribbean tourist and uncovers a plot that involves a man attempting to murder his wife for her $40 million inheritance. While rescuing another man during a fierce hurricane, Salander saves the man's wife and beats her would-be murderer of the head with a lead pipe, leaving him to die.

Upon returning to Stockholm, Lisbeth meets up with Dragan Armansky, where she is informed that her former guardian Holger Palmgren did not die of a stroke and is recuperating in a nursing home. Upon reuniting with Palmgren, Lisbeth sets up a fund with the nursing home to get Palmgren the best rehabilitation care possible. Lisbeth then reconnects with Miriam Wu and sells half of her apartment to Lundagatan to her.