Empire of Wild

Joan is the protagonist of the novel. Her motivation to find and win back her husband Victor drives the action of the plot, creating conflict when Heiser resists these efforts by trying to keep Victor for himself.

Joan is a Métis woman in her late thirties. She is confident, bold, and self-aware. Joan typically finds it easy to trust her gut and her instincts. For example, shortly after meeting Victor, Joan “knew that she wasn’t getting back on the bus” (9) because she is going to change her plans to pursue a relationship. This quality serves her well when she sets off on an improbable quest. Joan is also deeply in love with Victor such that “without [him], Joan was half erased” (7). Joan is also self-assured about her sexuality and her body and often thinks longingly about the sexual connection that she shared with her husband.

Over the course of the novel, Joan remains quite consistent as a character. She responds to events around her, but she does not change any of her core characteristics. Joan’s consistency is important because it is what allows her to resolve the central problem of how to get Victor back. Many of the other characters are rendered vulnerable because they lack a strong sense of themselves and their values; as a result, they can be exploited, manipulated, or seduced by false promises. As Ajean reflects, “Joan wouldn’t get Victor back if she went at him with any doubt in her—about him or herself” (191). On a practical level, Joan faces many objections and hurdles, and if she lacked self-assurance, she would easily give up on her quest in the face of all the obstacles.

While Joan’s consistency and persistence are strengths for her, she is fallible and subject to making mistakes. It takes Joan a long time to realize that Victor is a rogarou and even longer to learn that he killed her grandmother. Joan also resists cutting and stabbing Victor for a long time, even though Ajean suggests this strategy early on. Joan’s intense affection for Victor is something of a blind spot for her as well. Joan arguably makes a mistake by leaving Zeus alone in the motel room in her eagerness to reach Victor because this leaves him vulnerable to being transformed into a rogarou. However, Joan’s consistency and bravery continue to shine through because as soon as she learns that Zeus is missing, Joan responds with a statement that functions almost like a motto for her character: “I’m already on the way” (291).