The desire for love is a basic and fundamental human characteristic. Without even realizing it, people constantly seek out the approval and attention of others in instances of their everyday lives. This natural impulse to gain the acceptance of others is inherent within nearly every single individual, and serves as the basis for the majority of his or her actions. Tim O'Brien, author of the 1994 novel In the Lake of the Woods, understood from personal experience the dangers and implications of this universal sentiment, as he "went to the [Vietnam] war purely to be loved, not to be rejected by my [his] hometown and family and friends, not to be thought of as a coward and a sissy", and thus sought to incorporate the concept of the absolute desperation for love as a major theme in his novel. Throughout In the Lake of the Woods, the protagonist John Wade's reliance on illusion and necessity to exert control due to his unfulfilled yet incessant longing for his father's love that adversely affects the actions and relationships throughout his life, such as in his marriage and his political career. Similar to most children, John Wade had always felt the natural and implicit love for his father, and consequently sought for his love to be reciprocated. However, John's father, a struggling alcoholic, would not only neglect to express his love for his son, but he would also verbally abuse him while drunk, leaving John with a void in his heart that had effectively halted any further mental or emotional development for the rest of his life. Thus, because "the teasing hurt [John] so bad  that "he tried to keep it secret ”how much it hurt , a clear and distinct barrier between his internal sorrow and his outward appearance formed in order to cope with his father's abuse and lack of love for him (O'Brien, p. 10). After his father's suicide, this façade had only intensified as John "tried to pretend that his father was not truly dead. He woul