While Alison DiLaurentis is a main character in the book, she also serves as a powerful symbol of the past, and of the deepest insecurities harbored by Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna. Even after she disappears, Alison binds the girls together even after they have all drifted apart. They continue to think about her, mourning her disappearance but also feeling relief that their secrets are safe. A few years later, when they all start receiving messages from A, their memories resurface, and they are forced to face the past once again.

Before she goes missing, Alison is considered “Beautiful, witty, smart” and “Popular” (3). She sees something in Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna that fosters their friendships with one another and brings them all together. The girls felt awkward until Alison “made them feel like the most perfect-fitting Stella McCartneys that no one could afford” (4). She alone is the reason they’re all friends and continues to serve as their primary bond after she disappears. The girls are strategically targeted by A, who torments them with secrets only Alison knew. After her body is found, Alison indirectly brings the girls back together at her memorial service.

Alison serves as a reflection of the girls’ deepest fears about themselves.