In the Lake of the Woods

This story was written by Tim O'Brien in 1994. The story starts off with a man named John. His childhood was frequently interrupted by an abusive father. His father commits suicide and even though he was an abusive father it hurt John very much. He finds this girl Kathy in college and they "fall in love." He spies on her which she knows and she cheats on him. He is then sent to Vietnam. He keeps in contact with her however he participates in a slaughter of a village which he keeps a secret. He then tries to go for the Senate. He losses in a landslide and retreats with is wife to a cottage in the woods. His Nam memories haunt him and they boil to the surface. In his mind on night he takes boiling water and pours them on a plant saying "kill Jesus." The next day she is gone and so is the boat. A search ensues which he does not take part in which draws suspicion towards him. At the end his friend Claude helps him prepare a boat which he takes out north of the lake.

The story ends with no actual ending which is a very interesting choice. I believe that he killed his wife by pouring the water down her throat and then hiding the body in the boat. He then would use rocks to make the boat sink. He seems to be suffering from schizophrenia. His alter ego is the sorcerer. He also his haunted by his past memories of the village and his fathers suicide. The setting also plays a role in this story. Minnesota is a isolated place that is a desired emotion to escape the failed election that John suffers. The American political environment tears the relationship apart which i believe sends John over the edge. Kathy is happy because she can spend more time with John. They move to the cottage to repair their relationship however it seems they have gone in different directions. I think that this story ends in a man who has gone crazy due to mental illness/his past and kills his wife. He then flees into the wild where he can be alone and in his own mind. Although, I also thought that this could have been his last "magic trick". He could have made her disappear and wait until the search dies down. Then flee himself so they can be alone together. Those are my only two theory's.