Examples Of Characterization In Hunters In The Snow

1. Write a precise, well-developed sentence that states as fully as possible the theme of the story. Remember to avoid clichés or oversimplification.

The setting of the short story “Hunters in the Snow” by Tobias Wolff has significant importance in relation to the theme. The bitterly cold and snowy weather of Spokane, Washington illustrates the coldness and the tension between the three friends, Frank, Kenny, and Tub and helps unlock the theme of the story. The theme is to be respectful and selfless within friendships.

Hunting is very valuable to me, but the value is deeper than just hunting. There are so many aspects of hunting that I love. But I cherish my bow above all of them. Having my bow with me when I’m in the stand or when I’m at my neighbor’s house practicing, gives me a since of dominance. Also brings me pride knowing I’ve worked hard and stayed committed to something I truly love. There are all kinds of animals to hunt and different ways to hunt them. My favorite type of animal to hunt, is the white tail deer. While hunting the allusive deer I like to follow a code of ethics, which a lot of people don’t follow. Even though I would have liked to be given all my hunting needs, I’m proud of myself for going out and getting those needs by myself. Buying my bow and getting into bow hunting, caused me to take responsibility and taught me to stay committed to a true value in my life.

The short story Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff depicts three men that go on a hunting trip that changes the course of their lives. Each character lies to himself to accept his actions in his life. Kenny, Frank, and Tub need to successfully fool themselves before they can deceive anyone else. Each of the men are immature and selfish. They don't realize how their decisions impact other people's lives. They justify their lies with their own insecurities about their lifestyles. Their lies impact the situations they encounter and change their lives forever.

As I read the short story Hunters in the Snow, I was very intrigued in finding out what was going to happen next. One thing I didn’t understand was why Tobias Wolff did not provide information as to how the three men met. It kind of throws off the story in the beginning because we don’t know any information about any of the men. I was very disappointed in the ending of the story because the author didn’t let readers know whether or not Kenny made it to the hospital. Tobias Wolff’s Hunters in the Snow was surprisingly a very compelling story, I also love the outdoors and hunting is one of my hobbies so it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Kenny at the start of the story drives recklessly in his truck on his way to pick up Tub. This could have been an attempt to impress Frank and to continue to mess with tub. Tubs distance from the other two friends is shown immediately when he has to ride in the bed of the truck, while Frank and Kenny are in the cab of the truck. The separation between tub and his friend’s continues to show throughout the story. An example of this is when “Kenny and Frank pulled ahead of him [Tub], to where he couldn’t even hear their voices anymore” (169). Tub continues to be separated from the group because he is the weakest of the three. Tub is the only one who continues to complain about the trip and is the worst hunter out of the other men. This only causes him to be the target for Franks and Kenny’s jokes. Tub’s experience on the trip was not what he had expected. For Frank he follows in Kenny’s path rather than tub because he would rather be like Kenny more than Tub. So when Kenny continues to follow a trail faster than Tub can keep up with he chooses to keep up with Kenny and leave Tub behind. “Cruelty a result of a lack of empathy, is apparent throughout” (Constantakis). Franks choice provokes Kenny to act out more and continue to be violent and makes Tub feel like more of an outcast.

The third Saturday of November was one filled with conflicting emotions: excitement, fear, optimism, and nervousness. The screeching sound of the alarm at 4:00 a.m. initiated a sense of panic and thrill throughout me; it was the opening day of the gun deer hunting season. Within minutes, I was dressed from head to toe in bright, blaze orange that could be recognized from miles away. I reluctantly, yet willingly, climbed into the truck to head to the hunting land in Adams County, Wisconsin. My stomach felt like it was tied into knots. My mind was again flooded with conflicting emotions. I began to wonder: will I get a deer? Will I not get a deer? Will I get a buck?

Waking up before the rising sun on the morning of the hunt left me feeling groggy with my eyes slow to open and close when blinking. Being extra quiet to not wake up my mother was a main challenge, trying to tippy toe around the cabin and dodging the creaky spots in the floor. Prior to eating breakfast, I began getting dressed. Due to the fact that I was in northern Minnesota, the weather was bone chilling and the wind would seep right through your layers onto your unexpecting skin. Once I had put on my long johns, sweatpants, and long sleeve shirt with a tee shirt on top I began to make my breakfast. I had decided to have scrambled eggs that were cooked to perfection with the yolk golden mixed in with the pure snow white egg white and flakes of pepper sprinkled throughout and toast with butter melted onto the crunchy outside making it soft with homemade strawberry jam spread thick on top.

Tobias Wolff, in his short story Hunters in the Snow, creates a world where moral lines are blurred to the point of nonexistence and his characters have no real guidelines or goals. The subjects of their aimless pursuits seem to be as absent as the deer whose tracks have been covered by the snow. This colorless, pointless world fosters a sense of hopelessness, and each man’s purpose is as impossible as road signs under the fallen snow to identify. Without any moral guidelines, the men resort to aggression to assert their dominance and self-worth, associating affection with weakness and constructing friendships that are short-lived. Kenny’s accident alludes to the futility of a self-centered approach to life; however, even in the triumphs of

While true friendship can weather the storm, superficial friendships can change with the seasons. In the short story “Hunters in the Snow” by Tobias Wolff, a trio of men go on a hunting trip in the snow that ends abruptly when Tub shoots Kenny and they have to drive to the hospital. On their way there, Frank and Tub stop a few times, and they begin to talk and learn more about each other, all the time becoming less concerned with Kenny. These talks bring them closer while the snow outside dies away. The snowy setting is a symbol for being cold and distant to one another, drawing attention to the message that superficial relationships are not as strong as real ones.

Power is a characteristic that most people strive to obtain. It represents strength and dominance in society, and many strive to be in control. Even those who are close to one another can fight for power among themselves if it would serve to elevate one of them above the others. In “Hunters in the Snow” by Tobias Wolff, this conflict among friends is exactly what happens. Frank, Tub, and Kenny all have inherent flaws (lust, gluttony, and wrath, respectively) that allow them to be callous and exceedingly selfish. The three hunters show how humans can be unjust and corrupted by the mere thought of becoming more “powerful” than another. Through the elements of surprise, suspense, and conflict, “Hunters in the Snow” depicts a trio of so-called friends fighting one another to become more the most powerful and important in the group.

This quotation comes from a conversation that Frank and Tub have after Kenny’s left to ask the farmer permission to his on his land. Frank gives Tub this statement after Tub asks Kenny why he doesn’t stand up for him anymore. Frank digs into Tub’s insecurity and his weakness while also hinting at his own issues, yet to be revealed by Kenny. However, it’s also in this statement that Frank and Tub are connected, because they both do have personal problems, both tangentially involving Kenny. So when Tub shoots Kenny, both Frank and Tub reap the rewards of having a portion of their problem “solved”. For Frank, it’s Kenny’s volatility with his secret and for Tub, it’s Kenny’s picking on him. Though neither of their issues are actually fixed, (in fact, they’re exaggerated) Frank and Tub aren’t self-aware enough to realize that their problems run much deeper than Kenny.

The narrator is a round character because the relationship with Sonny is in the beginning quite cold and bad. They do not know each other, and they are not interested in each other. When they meet, he was disappointed with Sonny at first due to his interest in becoming a musician. His experiences with musicians have led him to believe that they are unmotivated, drug users, seeking escape from life. He is a round character because at the end of the story he understands Sonny’s music and feeling and he starts to accept who Sonny

“You fat moron,” “You aren’t good for diddly” (Arp 94). Being told these words over and over again, a person eventually becomes discouraged and insecure. In Tobias Wolff’s story, “Hunters in the Snow,” main character, Tub is emotionally abused throughout the story. Tub’s two friends, Frank and Kenny haggle him about his personal appearance and sensitivity as he struggles throughout the story. Frustration and insecurities lead him to the conflict that he always tries to avoid. The emotional abuse causes Tub to be illogical and sensitive, but then eventually pushes him to become inconsiderate and self centered.

“Muzzleloader Hunting: Beginners Guide.” Big Game Hunt. Big Game Hunt, 15 March 2003. Web. 8 November 2013.