John Wade A character Study--In the Lake of the Woods

John Wade: A Character Study John Wade is by far the most intricate and perplexing character examined throughout the novel In The Lake Of the Woods. His character hinges on the brink of order and chaos; on one hand, he is defined as a man who is obsessed with controlling the events and people around him. It is this obsession with control and order that lies alongside the central idea of the novel; that John …

…the text, the 'author' asks us to look at John Wade's actions in the context of his background. Can we believe that he was not a monster but a man? That he was innocent of everything except his life? Could the truth be so simple? So terrible?(p306) John Wade is essentially a tragic character corrupted by forces within himself. A piteous protagonist who - plagued by circumstance - received more than he ever deserved.