In the Lake of the Woods text response

[shademaker]

Hey i did this essay just under an hour for exam revision and as I am on holidays i need to find somebody to correct it/give me their opinion
thanks

the topic was "John Wade’s downfall was due to his refusal to acknowledge the truth about himself"


Tim O’Brien’s In the Lake of the Woods is a novel which deals with morality and responsibility and how these may overlap and change our lives. Throughout the novel we see many character’s struggling against their reality, however, it is through the character of John Wade that this is seen most evidently. From the decisions he makes and the subsequent consequences it is clear that John Wade’s downfall was due to his refusal to acknowledge the truth about himself.

During the novel, O’Brien takes the reader through the many stages of John Wade’s life. It is at the earliest stage, his childhood, that we begin to see John’s refusal to accept his reality. From the culmination of having little friends and an unfulfilling relationship with his father John begins to take solace in magic and illusion and it is here where John begins to create a false reality to hide in. In his “head full of mirrors” John escapes from the harsh truth of his father’s death and caries out imaginary conversations with a father who is far nicer in death than he ever was in life. From this simple act of pretending John never gets over his empty relationship with his father, which causes his insatiable thirst for love and acceptance from those all around him. O’Brien is perhaps making the point that a healthy relationship between parents essential for the emotional health of  a child. As John never received this, he is forced to find his love elsewhere and even towards the end of the novel John speaks to his father again who’s “attention he know demanded”, showing that his denial of his childhood has caught up to him and ripped apart anything left that he loved.

Following his unhappy childhood, John decides to join the army. Though hoping to boost the chances of a successful political career, it is the events that tale place here which destroy it. The massacre at Thuan Yen is deeply disturbing to nearly all those who witnessed or partook in it. John does all he can to erase the memories of that day from his head and even removes his name from Charlie company. However, the illusion was not perfect and discovery of John’s involvement demolished his political career. Tony Carbo mentions to John that had he known, he would have been able to spin it and perhaps make him look like the good guy. Unfortunately John’s inability to accept reality has consumed his actions which makes it impossible for him to release the secret and forces the truth to get out by other means, furthering the damage he takes both physically and emotionally.

In addition to the devesating political loss John faces, the Thuan Yen massacre also takes its toll on his psyche and damages his relationship with Kathy. Though he tried to forget his involvement in the massacre John knew “the weight of this day would ultimately prove too much”. John’s reliance on a false reality helps him deal with his turmoil at first but leading up to the final chapters of the novel we see the line between reality and illusion begin to blur and John and Kathy become increasingly distant. The weight of many aspects of John’s past had been gradually building throughout his life and his political loss is the breaking point. His false reality and all the pain and secrets held in it come flooding forward and are released in his psychotic rage the night of Kathy’s disappearance. This is the event that depicts his ultimate downfall as all his hopes and dreams have vanished and he is left empty and confused.

Throughout his life John faces much trauma and finds the best way of coping is through creating an illusion of a better life. Because of this, John is never able to accept responsibility and the truth of several events and causes his unfulfilling childhood, the destruction of his political career and the disappearance of Kathy. John is finally exposed to the secrets he has hidden his entire life and accumulation of all these facts have left him unhappy and alone. Even in the final pages of the novel we see John struggling with reality forcing his final decision to disappear in shadows of illusion forever.