In The Lake Of The Woods Character Analysis

The story In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien can be regarded as a novel of events that occurred in the Vietnam War but beneath the surface of its the complexities; it is a story about love. The majority of the book unfolds with the human soul of John Wade unyielding desire to be loved. This story navigates through his troubled childhood, his experiences in Vietnam, his attempt to jumpstart his political career and his strive for the succession of his marriage. O’Brien uses John’s past experiences as a way to define who John is as an adult. For instance, the death of John’s father when John was young, serving twice in Vietnam, running for president and lastly, the marriage he conceived with Kathy which caused an odd relationship. This all leads to John’s double personality that is classified in what many would describe as abnormal. The relationship that John had with his father was difficult and ultimately shaped him to be the man that he grew into. John was full of admiration for his father, yet he found it difficult to understand the hurtful remarks his father would make about his …show more content…
John falls insanely in love, desperately wanting Kathy to reciprocate the love. His desire to be loved becomes an obsession and he begun to constantly spy on her. This unlocked more of John’s character because he began to do this for his own satisfaction and pleasure. While John was in Vietnam he wrote to Kathy comparing their love to a pair of snakes that consume each other, “a bizarre circle of appetites that brought the heads closer and closer until one of the men in the Charlie Company used a machete to end it… one plus one equals zero” (p.61). This symbolized the ability that love can consume individuals until there is ultimately nothing left of their individual selves. The only solution to redefine themselves is, separation from one another, which can be symbolized by the machete which separates the