"Hunters in the Snow" literary analysis

“Hunters in the Snow”

            “Any piece of work is given the label as ‘literary’ if it illuminates some aspect of human life or behavior with genuine originality and power” (Hunters). “Hunters in the Snow” uses some of the same features as “The Most Dangerous Game,” such as the hunt and the incident with dogs, but that is as far as they parallel. Tobias Wolff’s short story “Hunters in the Snow” exemplifies literary fiction. The setting shows that through the weather and the symbolism that it carries. The deep, complicated, and real characters show a parallel to this earth we live on right now and its people. The short story has disturbing twists and turns in its plot that are not intended to give pleasure to the reader, but instead show the chaos that is prevalent in the r human lives.

            One characteristic of a literary piece is symbolism. “Hunters in the Snow” is full of symbolic references, such as the weather. In this case, the weather is snowy, cold, and miserable to be in. Tub had to trudge through almost knee deep snow and “the edge of the crust bruised his shins” (Wolff 89). This is near the beginning of the story when Tub was the main character getting picked on. This hostile weather represents how the people in his life are hostile. A change of events occurs after Tub shoots Kenny and Kenny becomes the weak, picked on friend. Kenny is dropped, rolled down snow, brutally throw in the back of a freezing pick-up truck, and even his blankets are taken away by his friends to keep them warm and leave Kenny to the elements (91-99). This cold weather that Kenny’s experiencing is also a symbol to the coldness of peoples’ hearts. The way his friends leave him in the cold conditions shows their lack of concern for Kenny and their lack of empathy and responsibility as friends. Another example of symbolism comes at the end of the story. “Right overhead was the Big Dipper, and behind, hanging between Kenny's toes in the direction of the hospital, was the North Star, Pole Star, Help to Sailors. … They had taken a different turn a long way back” (99). The North Star is a classic symbol, often used as a compass during the night. In opposition, Wolff uses the North Star to show that they are going in a direction opposite their desired destination.

            The characters make this piece literary because of the depth Wolff gives them and their realistic qualities of being egocentric and insensitive toward others. Man has an inborn desire to lean toward his own self-interest and his own needs. There was the self-interest and insensitivity when Frank and Tub took Kenny’s blankets near the end of the story, but Kenny also has acted in self-interest. Earlier, Kenny asked permission to hunt on a farmer’s land and he was asked to shoot the dog (91). One might figure that Kenny figured if he didn’t agree to put the dog down, the farmers wouldn’t let him hunt. So when Tub and the reader found out that Kenny was actually requested to shoot the dog, one might think nothing of his motivations but it could be that Kenny was completely self-driven and just wanted to go hunt his deer. Also, Frank shows a rather selfish quality when buying Tub the pancakes. He didn’t want to feed his food-loving friend, but to justify his own vices. If Tub gave in to his weaknesses so lustfully and eats four plates of pancakes, then he has justification to his own affair with a fifteen-year-old girl. Wolff shows readers a view of humanity that most people don’t want to see.

            Evidence that “Hunters in the Snow” is literary work can also been seen in the plot. Unexpected and disturbing plot twists induce the reader to analyze the intricate reasons for the story’s events (Hunters). The plot twists are not designed, nor intended, to give readers the pleasure or the suspense that commercial fiction gives. These plot twists make the reader jump back and question why the characters chose that course of action; they make the reader question people as they really are and their motivations. The sudden shooting of Kenny (91)  is unexpected and shocks the readers. Before this, there was no evidence that Tub even had it in him to shoot a man. This scene leaves the reader confused and wanting to figure out Tub as a character. The unsettling ending also takes this work away from the commercial fiction realm because it is not a happy or resolved ending. It is an unsettling and indeterminate ending that consigns a reader to think about the story long after they’ve finished reading it, pondering, and how they would have functioned in that sort of situation.

            Wolff helps readers see into humanity at an up close point. It may use some of the same elements as the commercial fiction story “The Most Dangerous Game,” such as the hunt and the presence of dogs, through the symbolism, character motivations, and plot twists, the reader is left to ponder about the world they live in.

Work Cited

“Hunters in the Snow.” Wikispaces. N.p., 13 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

Wolff, Tobias. “Hunters in the Snow.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Tenth

            Ed. Ed. Thomas Arp and Greg Johnson. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2009.

            86. Print.