The God of the Woods

Louise is the counselor of the Balsam cabin and is the first to discover that Barbara is missing. Despite being young, Louise has lived a challenging life. Growing up with an emotionally absent mother has forced Louise to become the caretaker of her younger brother, Jesse. She does this without complaint and selflessly puts his needs before her own. Louise is keenly aware of her economic disadvantages and understands that the Van Laar family and their friends look down upon her as a result. However, she does not desire to marry John Paul for reasons of social advantage; instead, Louise works hard, taking on seasonal work to care for herself and her brother. She feels stuck in her station and decides that higher education is out of reach.

When Babara goes missing, Louise recognizes that she will inevitably be blamed, and she is determined to see that Barbara is located. She quickly recognizes, however, that her decision to break camp rules by sneaking out and causing John Paul McLellan to be harmed in a fight will damage her credibility. She therefore feels justified in lying about being absent from the cabin. Despite this initial dishonesty, Louise’s determination, pride, and sense of justice help her to stand up to the Van Laars, and she refuses to take responsibility for a crime that she did not commit. By the end of the novel, Louise evolves into a stronger person and presses charges against John Paul for his physical abuse. She is no longer at the mercy of the wealthy Van Laars and begins to consider ways to carve out a better life for herself in the future.

As Barbara’s bunkmate and friend, Tracy is a quiet, reserved young teenager who is content to read books and keep to herself. She is accustomed to remaining outside of social circles, and she accepts that her personality differs from the norms of an extrovert-focused society. Her parents’ recent divorce and her father’s lack of interest in her life hurt her, but she has resigned herself to never achieving a close relationship with her father. Likewise, as a first-year camper, Tracy recognizes that she is an outsider at Camp Emerson. She is therefore surprised when both Barbara and Lowell befriend her. These friendships prove genuine and meaningful to Tracy as she relishes their approval and support.

As Barbara and Tracy grow closer, Barbara shares the secrets surrounding her boyfriend and her nightly escapes from Balsam. Tracy proves trustworthy by protecting Barbara’s secret and by acting as a sounding board for Barbara to voice her hurt over her family’s neglect. However, Tracy also proves mature and intelligent and, out of love and care for Barbara’s well-being, ultimately informs Judy and the other investigators of these details. By the end of the novel, Tracy demonstrates that she is a supportive and caring friend.

In the earlier timeline, Alice Van Laar is portrayed as a kind and caring young woman who rater naïvely enters an arranged marriage with Peter Van Laar, who is much older. Alice quickly recognizes that their marriage is one of appearances only; Peter has no deeper feelings for her at all. She grows increasingly passive, allowing Peter to dictate her behavior and demeanor, and she remains helpless to challenge his many demands in the interests of propriety. Her son, Bear, becomes the center of her life. Alice is completely devoted to Bear’s well-being, and Bear loves and trusts her.

Alice undergoes a mental and emotional decline as the novel unfolds, due in part to her discovery of her sister and husband’s infidelity, but primarily because of her grief in the aftermath of Bear’s disappearance. Although the novel eventually reveals that Bear dies by drowning when he goes for a boat ride with an intoxicated Alice, the truth of his death is kept from her, as Peter Junior and Peter Senior conspire to hide the boy’s body and the associated scandal of Alice’s alcohol use disorder. Bear’s absence harms Alice severely in the years following his death. She is unable to overcome the grief experienced by his loss and sinks into dependence on pills and alcohol, which worsens her mental health. It is unclear whether Alice understands that Bear is dead and that she is ultimately responsible for the events leading to his demise. Regardless, she is unwilling to accept that he is deceased and conducts imaginary conversations and visits with him that she believes to be real. Because Alice’s mental health condition is regarded as socially unacceptable, Peter and the Van Laars respond by placing her in a mental health facility that merely keeps her out of sight rather than truly helping her. In the end, Alice suffers greatly from the misogynistic restrictions inherent in her community, which combine to make her powerless.