AP English 12-- Reading Guide for In the Lake of the Woods
This course focuses on the choices authors make, the techniques they use, and the
thematic effects of both. You need to approach this novel with your “literary eyes” wide
open-- look carefully at how O’Brien crafts his novel.
Point of view, Narrative Stance, and Plot Structure
In Honors English 11 you studied point of view: the first person narrator and the issue of
reliability. Pay attention to O’Brien’s narrative stance--that is, his selection of point of
view and his narrator. Who is the narrator? What is O’Brien’s purpose in choosing a
fictional first person narrator? How do you know that the narrator is not O’Brien
himself? Why does O’Brien work so hard to present this story as carefully researched?
In order to think about these questions…
1--First, read the disclaimer on the page preceding the title page:
Although this book contains material from the world in which
we live, including references to actual places, people, and
events, it must be read as a work of fiction. All dialogue
is invented. Certain notorious and very real incidents have
been altered or reimagined. John and Kathy Wade are creations
of the author’s imagination, as are all of the characters who
populate the state of Minnesota and the town of Angle Inlet
in this novel.
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Whose voice is behind the disclaimer?
2--Next, read the first thirty pages, paying attention to the differences in how O’Brien
presents the story in each chapter.
 How does O’Brien present the story?
 Do you find this organization challenging?
 Why might O’Brien choose to present his story in this way?
3--Read carefully and paraphrase the footnote on page 30:
Yes, and I’m a theory man too. Biographer, historian,
medium--call me what you want--but even after four
years of hard labor I’m left with a little more than
supposition and possibility…Even much of what might
appear to be fact in this narrative--action, word, thought-must ultimately be viewed as a diligent but still imaginative
reconstruction of events. I have tried, of course, to be
faithful to the evidence. Yet evidence is not truth. It is
only evident. In any case, Kathy Wade is forever missing,
and if you require solutions, you will have to look beyond
these pages. Or read a different book.
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Who speaks in this footnote on page 30?
What does the footnote mean to you?
What do you think is O’Brien’s purpose for the footnote on page 30?
Is the narrator reliable? On what basis are you deciding the reliability?
What does the narrator want readers to understand about the story he tells?
4--Now read the next six chapters (through page 101). Read footnote 36.
 What does this passage add to your understanding of the narrative stance?
As you continue to read the novel, pay particular attention to the footnotes in which
the narrator offers commentary. The footnotes are not decoration; one of their
functions is to give you the narrator’s viewpoint and allow O’Brien to comment
through this narrator. If the narrator is reliable, then consider the footnotes as a
guide to how you are to view the events, the evidence, and the hypotheses.
See footnotes 36 (p.101), 67 (p.146), 88 (p. 199), 117 (p. 266), 124 (p. 295), 127 (p.
298), 133 ( p.301)
Motif, Structure, and Thematic issues
O’Brien uses various narrative structures and the motif of magic to build thematic
implications.
[ Note: You need to have some prior knowledge about the Vietnam conflict and why it
had such a devastating impact on American soldiers and American society. What do you
know about this topic? You may want to do some brief research.]
In Honors English 11 you studied “peeling the onion.” Is the novel more than a mystery
story? What are the thematic layers of the novel?
1--Look at the chapter titles:
1--How Unhappy They Were
2--Evidence
3--The Nature of Loss
4--What He Remembered
5--Hypothesis
6--Evidence
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7--The Nature of Marriage
8--How the Night Passed
9--Hypothesis
10--The Nature of Love
11--What He Did Next
12--Evidence
Etc.
Do you notice a pattern? How would you characterize the narrative structures and
their pattern? What do you think that O’Brien is doing?
In the “Evidence” chapters, notice that some characters are obviously fictional
(Eleanor K. Wade, Bethany Kee, Ruth Rasmussen, Richard Thinbill, etc.) and
some references appear real (Lieutenant Frederick Mackenzie, Patricia H.C.
Mason). How do you know which characters/references are fictional and which,
if any, are real?
Why do you think that O’Brien mixes “references to actual places, people, and
events” with fiction?
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How hard do you have to work in order to get to the bottom of the characters and
the story? By the end of the novel what do you know? Why wasn’t O’Brien more
direct?
2--Trace the motif of magic/sorcery throughout John’s life:
Childhood--the role of magic in John’s childhood
Vietnam--the role of “sorcery” in John’s Vietnam experience
Politics--the “magic” involved in John’s political experience
 What does O’Brien’s use of magic suggest about the nature of John’s life (and,
possibly, ours)?
3--Consider the following comments about the novel. Which of these comments most
resonate with your reading of the novel and with your attention to point of view, narrative
stance, motif, and narrative structure?
 “At bottom, this is a tale about the moral effects of suppressing a true story, about
the abuse of history, and what happens to you when you pretend that there is no
history.”
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“O’Brien’s…specialty is that twilight zone of chimeras and fears and fantasies
where nobody knows what’s true and what’s not.”
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“…haunting ambiguity…”
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“unrelenting exploration of the darkest recesses of the human heart and psyche.”
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“This remarkable book about the slipperiness of truth…”
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“O’Brien aims our gaze at the complexity of human motivations but does not
pretend to understand them entirely…”
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“…captured Vietnam’s aftermath…”
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“…major attempt to come to grips with the causes and consequences of the late
20th century’s unquenchable appetite for violence, both domestic and foreign.”
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“…is one book I’ve read this year that keeps nagging at me. Did John Wade kill
his wife? Does it matter? Isn’t it as important, or more important, that O’Brien
got up close to deception and what it does to the soul, to a marriage?”
4--By the way, what do you think happened to Kathy Wade? What is the evidence for
your inference?