Claire's affection towards Stewart has vanished immediately and she desperately wants to seek some truthful answers and the reasoning behind Stewart's appalling actions. She irritatingly emphasizes Stewart for answers because she loved him dearly and didn't want to spend the rest of her life with an individual that she fails to comprehend, despite loved. Claire is seen as a strong woman and she articulates her womanhood by reminding Stewart and her friends about women's dignity and how the case of a rape is a substantial factor and cannot be neglected. .
Stewart on the other hand is a much removed, self-isolated character. He cannot face the harsh reality of life and has emotional setbacks that are bound to make him unstable. He is seen at the beginning of the film where he notices a strand of white amongst his dark, colored brown hair and becomes amused of his age becoming older; therefore he dyes his hair again to hide what he cannot confront. The message that is conveyed to the audience through the act of Stewart dyeing his hair demonstrates his inability to accept the basic factual realities of life which provides reasoning of his insecurity. Stewart's original reaction when he found the confronting body was a very predictable reaction. He felt highly petrified and staggered to be witnessing the sight of a dead body, vulnerably floating around a river he used for fishing. The next step Stewart takes is bewildering to watch as an audience. He decides to tie up the murdered girl on a tree that leans down on a river and leaves her tied up, bounded by a fishing line, alone whilst he and the other men continue fishing. Stewart's unusual act is the fundamental turning point of this film. Somewhere within his instincts, he recognizes the fault of his decision, yet denies it throughout the film. He continuously neglected Claire's advice to feel remorseful and apologetic because of the possibility of feeling egoistical about the fact that he was, in reality one to blame for.