Linda takes “in information differently” (118) from others, typically by observing them. She developed this skill from a lifetime of loneliness; rather than communicating with others, she studies them, perhaps because that method had been successful in helping her understand nature. When she needs to learn about wolves for her project, she goes about it in the same way she learns to watch people: stealthily, patiently, and from afar. She practices this most obviously with Lily, whom she follows before school. After hearing the story about Lily and Mr. Grierson, Linda becomes fixated on her beautiful classmate, but the obsession began long before: “For years I’d sat near her in class […] For years I’d felt vaguely protective and vaguely resentful of Lily, who lived in a trailer three lakes north, who was loved by everybody” (28-29). Linda’s compulsion to watch Lily closely suggests that her preoccupation is less out of sexual or romantic interest than a desire to understand what makes Lily desirable and visible to the whole world. 

When the Gardners first move in, Linda watches them from across the lake, fascinated by the newcomers as she is with Lily. Soon, Linda’s interest in Lily is usurped by her fixation upon

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now