The Woods

The motif of death links to the theme of The Unresolved Past Haunting the Present. Paul philosophizes about death and what it means both for the deceased and the living. As tragedy colors both his professional and personal lives, Paul cultivates an attitude about death that helps comfort him throughout these troubling events: “And to me death is death—final, the end, nothing coming after, the finish line, no more” (140). Paul views death as the definitive end of a person’s life and influence, which is a concept meant to help him rebuild and still live a fulfilling life. However, this perspective becomes complicated when deaths are mysterious or untimely, like Camille’s murder and Jane’s terminal illness. Although their physical bodies are dead (or, in Camille’s case, assumed dead), the uncertain and shameful circumstances surrounding their deaths prevent Paul from moving on entirely. In both cases, Paul has a lingering sense of culpability for abandoning the women he loved in their time of need, so he can’t accept that they’re gone forever and that he can’t be absolved or redeemed.

Other characters weaponize the belief in death’s finality against Paul to prevent him from digging into the past. Ira, for example, uses his last words to tell Paul that Camille is dead because he believes this will force Paul to abandon his quest for answers: “It’s over. The dead are gone. The living are safe” (336). Similarly, Sosh pleads with Paul to let the dead rest. Both men think the Camp PLUS murders happened so long ago that Paul should have moved on by now, and his continued questions only threaten to resurrect old wounds for those who have tried to move on.