64 pages • 2-hour read
The Woods
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of rape, mental illness, death, and substance use.
The Unresolved Past Haunting the Present
The lack of closure regarding the events at Camp PLUS past haunts the novel’s characters, particularly Lucy and Paul, throughout their lives. As the mystery resurfaces, they must confront the lies, shame, and pain they’ve been running away from, which challenge them to overcome the fear of what they might learn.
For example, Lucy concealed that she unknowingly helped Wayne Steubens kill the teens at Camp PLUS by purposely drawing Paul away from his guard post. Ira helped Lucy hide this fact, but the guilt continues to trouble her. She’s so afraid of confronting the past that she changes her name and appearance and moves from place to place, trying to outrun her history. Lucy explains how she feels her life has been a constant struggle to forget the murders: “But the past always followed. Sometimes it would let her gain a comfortable lead—lulled her into thinking she had put enough distance between that night and the present day—but the dead always closed the gap” (156). In addition, Lucy pushed Paul away in the crime’s aftermath because she didn’t want him to know what she did. The inconclusiveness of their intense relationship leaves Lucy with questions and regrets about what their future might have been. The anonymous journals revive these emotions, and Lucy is freshly terrified and ashamed. She tries to find the anonymous writer to prevent the mystery from reemerging, but when she realizes that the past isn’t going away, she joins Paul’s investigation, hoping that his search for answers will not only alleviate her guilt but also give their relationship a second chance.
Similarly, Paul has nagging questions about the events at the camp, which Gil Perez’s reappearance dredges up. Camille’s death has always been a mystery for Paul because her body was never found. He describes how even the smallest glimmer of hope that she escaped felt worse than if he was sure she died: “Most people believe death is the cruelest thing. Not so. After a while, hope is a far more abusive mistress” (15). Even before the Camp PLUS case reopens, Paul can’t help but imagine what Camille’s life would be like. He’s doubly haunted by the murders because he feels partially responsible for facilitating Wayne Steubens’s crime. He believes that he could have stopped the murders if he’d done bed checks like he was supposed to and alerted the camp to the teens’ absences earlier. Lucy suspects that Paul is so keen to find answers about the murders—and perhaps find Camille alive—because he wants release from his guilt. Although Jane’s death isn’t a mystery to Paul, the circumstances of her dying and of his decision to leave her in her most vulnerable moment produce a parallel feeling of culpability. Paul thinks he’ll “never be able to make amends” (8) for what he did to Jane in her final hours because it was a total betrayal of his promise. Paul wonders what Jane thought of him as she died, but the questions are too painful to consider. He creates JaneCare as a way to do good in her memory, since he didn’t do right by her when she was alive.
Negotiating Justice and Truth
Paul passionately believes in legal justice and public punishment for people who choose to commit crimes. He holds a similar view of truth: that even if it’s painful, knowing the truth is better than living in a lie. However, several situations show Paul that people would rather cover up injustices and willingly live in a warped reality because it’s more comfortable.
Chamique’s rape trial exemplifies the pushback Paul experiences when he seeks justice for a complicated victim. Paul thinks Chamique deserves justice regardless of the poor choices she made in her past: “People would wonder what she was doing at that party. That sort of thing could discourage me. It makes me fight harder” (45). Paul knows that overcoming the jury’s biases against Chamique will be difficult, but he’s willing to put in the extra effort to punish the boys who thought their privilege would shield them from the consequences of their brutish actions. Flair and Mort mock Paul’s determination, since a settlement will spare Paul not only the work but the supposed embarrassment of putting Chamique on the stand. Paul withstands threats from all sides because he wants Chamique to understand that she’s as worthy of safety as anyone else and that intimidation has no place in justice.
Paul’s investigation into the murders likewise exposes him to people who want the truth to stay buried. He seeks answers about what happened the night of the Camp PLUS murders because his sister’s and Gil Perez’s deaths have always been in doubt. Wayne Steubens was never officially convicted of the Camp PLUS murders, so Paul wants to find definitive evidence of Wayne’s guilt, not only to ensure that he stays in prison but also to ease his doubts about what happened that night. Paul believes he’s on the trail of new evidence, but several characters thwart his efforts. FBI agent Geoff Bedford particularly upsets Paul, as Paul assumes a man in the legal field would want to know the truth rather than rely on theories and circumstantial evidence. Uncle Sosh and Ira both try to stop Paul from digging into the mystery of that night because the truth is too painful to bear after all these years. Sosh believes he’s protecting Paul by hampering his investigation, since the truth about Camille’s life will dredge up other unsavory facts about Paul’s family and threaten his happy life with Cara. Likewise, Ira wants to stop Paul’s investigation because the truth about Lucy and his involvement will threaten all their work to move on. By the end of the text, Paul learns that justice and truth depend heavily on the integrity of the individual, as it’s tempting to be swayed from an honorable path if deception provides an easier route to comfort.
Family Loyalty and Protection
Major crimes test the bonds of family and expose just how far the novel’s characters will go to protect their loved ones. EJ Jenrette’s crusade against Paul stems from his desire to prevent his son from serving jail time. Jenrette uses increasingly threatening and illegal measures to pressure Paul into dropping the charges and settling out of court, as such a mark on young Edward’s criminal record will undoubtedly hinder his opportunities in the future. Jenrette claims that Paul, as a father himself, should understand this predicament: “You have a child. […] What would you do to protect her?” (77). Paul, however, rejects Jenrette’s desire to conceal the crime, as for Paul, the best thing Jenrette could do for Edward is let him understand the consequences of his actions. Jenrette isn’t ashamed of what he does to Paul because, as he says, “A man does what he can to protect his children” (383).
While Jenrette investigates Paul, he exposes several secrets that force Paul to confront who he considers “his family” and what he’s willing to do for them. Jenrette tips off the authorities about Bob’s embezzlement, and Paul’s immediate reaction is feeling betrayed. Paul sees Bob’s actions as a breach of loyalty, so he doesn’t agree to lie on his behalf. Conversely, Greta feels like her entire life is at stake if Bob goes to prison because of Paul’s inaction. Greta considers Paul’s lack of understanding for their predicament a betrayal of family and asks him, “You’re turning your back on us?” (241), because she knows if the roles were reversed, she would do anything to help Paul. His refusal to act, after all Greta has done for him and Cara, feels like a complete rejection of their relationship. When Paul later learns about his own father’s betrayal of his in-laws, he confronts his selfishness. Vladimir claimed that he betrayed Natasha’s parents to the authorities so that he could give Paul and Camille a better life in the US, but Paul can’t accept that his father traded Natasha’s family’s freedom for his own. He tells Sosh, “People don’t sell out their family members” (386), and this statement helps Paul understand that he doesn’t want to prioritize only his security if it means that his family, even those not related by blood, will be ruined in exchange.
In addition, family loyalty propels Paul’s search for his sister, Camille, throughout the text. Paul and Camille were extremely close, and his love for her compels him to understand the circumstances of her death. On his deathbed, Vladimir tells Paul, “We still need to find her” (2). Paul recalls his father’s grief and how he dug in the woods night after night looking for Camille, so he takes up his father’s mission as his own. Paul feels like he owes it to Camille and his father to learn the truth, even if the answers are painful.
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