State of Fear

Evans is a round character, undergoing a major transformation in the course of State of Fear. At the start of the novel, as Morton’s personal lawyer and a close associate of Drake, he is a card-carrying member of the environmentalist camp. In the course of his encounters with Sanjong and Kenner, as well as his involvement in their counter-terrorism efforts, however, he is persuaded to join their side. By the end of the novel, he believes in the media conspiracy to overdramatize climate change. Morton undergoes the exact ideological transformation, yet while he disappears for most of the novel, Evans’ evolution becomes the lens through which readers experience it. When he first views the DVD that reveals Drake’s true intentions, for example, Evans “felt as if he were going to be ill. A wave of dizziness passed over him” (297).

Evans’ transformation is more remarkable given that he is weak and unsure of himself for much of the novel. For example, he admits his inexperience with guns in contrast to the ease with which Sarah, Sanjong, Kenner, and others handle weapons. Yet he is given his chance to shine, later saving Sarah and earning her respect after she is struck by