A Character Analysis Of Hunters In The Snow By Tobias Wolff

Hunters in the Snow Character Analysis – Tub

More often than not, when there are a group of more than two characters made to be friends in a literary work, there is an established leadership hierarchy among them. Similar to a pack of wolves, there is an alpha, who holds the most power and influence towards the actions of the group—even if this power is not warranted by any of the positive qualities that leaders normally boast. Then, you have the beta, who is second-in-command to the alpha friend. Lastly there is the omega, the underdog of the pack, who is usually physically and/or mentally inferior in comparison to the alpha and beta friends. In “Hunters in the Snow,” by Tobias Wolff, Tub, who is also the protagonist of the story is clearly the omega. Bullied by his two friends—he is the subject of derogatory jokes and disrespected.

As his name suggests, Tub is an obese man. Though he faces constant mockery concerning his weight, he is of a rather passive disposition, allowing his friends to say whatever they please and even play practical jokes at

Tub struggles with the proper and mature management of his emotions, and his incapacity to express himself only fuels his gluttony and negatively impacts his decision-making. Specifically, as he found himself the brunt of yet another one of Kenny’s pranks in which Kenny suggests that he may shoot Tub (after shooting a post, a tree, and an old dog at the owner’s request), he shoots Kenny. Though it is understandable that Tub might shoot Kenny out of self-defense, Tub’s actions are not completely inexcusable. Had Tub taken the initiative to ask Kenny what he was doing, or remove himself from the line of fire, he may have realized that Kenny was just playing a cruel joke without having to injure him. In this moment, the power shifts from Kenny, the former alpha male in the story, to