In the Lake of the Woods

The motif of tricks and magic recurs through the novel. John’s interest in magic begins when he is a child as a way of coping with his father’s abuse, alcoholism and eventual suicide, and continues throughout his life. The magic tricks he learns earn him the admiration of others, and soon he internalizes the mirror that he practices his magic tricks with. These psychological mirrors help John to cope with feelings and situations that he finds unbearable.

In Vietnam he acquires the nickname Sorcerer, as a tribute to his ability to perform magic tricks. Again, John internalizes this magical name, creating Sorcerer—an alter-ego to help him overcome the feelings of powerlessness and rage that result from his experiences of war. John brings Sorcerer home with him, and Sorcerer remains with him until his death.

O’Brien uses magical terms for other characters, including Kathy, and he has Tony Carbo in particular describe John’s personality and the political machine in terms of magic tricks. Ultimately, all of reality becomes something of a magic trick, or a series of illusions that people must decide the meaning of for themselves.