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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 ....

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.... his uniqueness- fails to satisfy his father. John's father teases and ridicules him throughout his childhood. John's mother sees this as the beginning of his need to escape from reality, the need to take on a different persona: John had all kinds of different names. I remember his father used to call him Little Merlin or Little Houdini, and that Jiggling John one. Maybe he got used to it. Maybe he felt- maybe it sort of helped to call himself Sorcerer. I hope so. (p268) Ultimately, John's feelings of helplessness lead to a hunger for control. As a youngster, John is presented to the reader as a would-be magician who tries desperately to achieve the g ....