The Orphanage by the Lake

Madeline Hemsley acts both as a catalyst for the plot of The Orphanage by the Lake and as an antagonist. She is the catalyst in that she brings Hazel the case that drives the plot, all while criticizing and antagonizing her.

Madeline is wealthy, white, and entitled. From the moment she walks into Hazel’s office, Hazel recognizes that “everything about [Madeline] is pointed” (13), both physically and temperamentally. Initially, Hazel believes Madeline’s rude, aggressive behavior derives from Madeline being a wealthy white woman. She insists on Hazel working to an absurdly short deadline, upbraids Hazel for her lateness, drunkenness, and lack of progress on the case, and generally micromanages Hazel’s work. However, as with so many characters in the text, there is a difference between Madeline’s appearance and reality.

In Chapter 25, Madeline reveals that Mia is not her goddaughter, but her daughter. It is the only moment where Madeline “cracks” and reveals who she really is behind her “pointed” exterior. Hazel realizes that Madeline’s “haughtiness” is actually “a defense mechanism, protecting a softer side of her that’s always coming second to the needs of her family” (185). The revelation of Mia’s true parentage allows for a reinterpretation of Madeline’s behavior. She is not demanding of Hazel just because she is an entitled rich white woman, but because she is a mother desperate to find her child.

At the end of the novel, Madeline shows growth by demonstrating good character and breaking with her family’s expectations by bringing Mia home to live with her. Although she is not a perfect mother—Hazel notes she is “stiff and awkward with her daughter”—she “cares and is trying” (288), which is a promising start.

Kenny Shum acts as a secondary protagonist in The Orphanage by the Lake. He is Hazel’s childhood friend and roommate. He is studying to become a New York Police Department officer. Like Hazel, Kenny is Korean American and they bond over traditional foods. Kenny shows his care and affection for Hazel by cooking her meals. However, he sometimes goes a bit too far in his interest in Hazel. It is suggested he has romantic feelings for her that are unreciprocated by Hazel. Hazel notes “he dances on that fine line between protective and stalkerish” (98). For instance, he monitors her location using the “Find My Friends” app and seems jealous when Hazel begins dating Andrew DuPont.

Ultimately, Kenny’s care for and attention to Hazel saves her life because he is able to locate her using the application. As he says when he arrives with the police, “My stalkerishness finally paid off” (281). He is rewarded for this behavior when Hazel accepts Kenny as her assistant.

Dr. Thomas Mackenzie is the headmaster of Saint Agnes. He is a complex character whose strange behavior and spooky appearance make Hazel suspect he is somehow complicit in Mia’s disappearance. Over the course of the novel, his complicated relationship with Mia’s disappearance and that of other girls from Saint Agnes becomes clear.

When Hazel first meets Dr. Mackenzie, she is struck by his height (“he’s well over six feet tall”) and his “dour seriousness” (66). She is taken aback by his peculiar preferences. He does not allow the girls in his care access to cell phones or the internet, and resists installing security cameras. Hazel disapproves of the “order, cleanliness, modesty” he encourages in the students, finding it to be “sadistic” (74). Despite these character quirks, however, it becomes clear that Dr. Mackenzie cares deeply about the girls in his care.

Dr. Mackenzie’s affection for the girls, whose photographs he keeps in his basement as a sort of peculiar shrine, is at odds with his desire to protect his legacy and the institution of Saint Agnes. He obstructs police investigations as well as Hazel’s investigation and does not closely examine his own staff’s involvement in the girls’ disappearances. While Dr. Mackenzie is not directly involved in the trafficking scheme, he is still somewhat culpable as he created the conditions for it to continue unchecked.

Sonia Barreto acts as an antagonist in The Orphanage by the Lake. She is the director of child services at Saint Agnes. She began as a cleaner and worked her way up to a leadership position. She aspired to take over the headmaster position from Dr. Mackenzie but never had the opportunity. Ultimately, it is revealed that she is the person inside Saint Agnes coordinating with the sex trafficking scheme.

Sonia is an epitomic representation of the theme of Appearance Versus Reality. She presents herself as someone who cares about the girls in her care and Hazel. However, in reality, she is a craven manipulator who feels no guilt about kidnapping and trafficking young girls, believing that it was the price the girls paid for wanting to be famous.

From their first phone call, Hazel is immediately charmed by Sonia. She thinks to herself, “I think I want Sonia to be my mom” (33). Hazel’s admiration is only strengthened after their first in-person meeting. Hazel admires Sonia’s confidence and beauty, noting, “I am still a girl; this is a woman” (50). Sonia’s charm masks her essentially evil character. When Hazel learns the truth about Sonia’s involvement in the trafficking scheme, she realizes that Sonia is driven by delusion, greed, and resentment.

Like Sonia Barreto, Andrew DuPont acts as an antagonist in the novel and represents the theme of Appearance Versus Reality. Hazel is immediately drawn to him because he is handsome and kind. She is so dazzled that she overlooks his flaws and does not recognize his true character as a rapist, pedophile, and kidnapper.

Andrew DuPont initially seems like a charming if somewhat lazy trust fund kid. He presents himself as a dilettante with a tragic past: His mother died when he was young and he was raised by his father, with whom he is close. He is chivalrous toward Hazel. He catches her when she falls, makes her meals, spends the night with her without pressuring her into having sex, and takes her on a date to an extravagant bar.

However, at the end of the novel he reveals that this chivalrous behavior was entirely an act. His true character is depraved. He attempts to rape Hazel and generally sees women and girls as sex objects for his pleasure. It is implied that his behavior was enabled and encouraged by his father, Preston DuPont, whose model he aspires to follow.