Summary Of Hunters In The Snow And Paul's Case

The central conflict of “Hunters in the Snow” and “Paul’s Case” are primarily more similar than different. Both stories revolve around a protagonist who craves for more fulfillment in life, and both suffer the cold hostility of the world around them when they are unable to find what they are searching for. However, Tub’s desires are more interpersonal, as he has trouble connecting to the people around him, while Paul’s desires relate more to the world around him as a whole, dissatisfied with his dysfunctional world that he is so out of sync with.

The antagonists of both stories are their worlds around them. They are both cruel, cold, and indifferent to the suffering of Tuba and Paul, diverting them from their goals of fulfillment. The central

The snow, therefore, symbolizes the cold world around them, that can in turn make a person cold as well, and destroy them if they cannot adjust to the cold. In such deadly weather one can find the means of survival in others, as the combined warmth of multiple people nourishes life, restoring vitality and fulfillment and vanquishing the cold emptiness that pervades so many people’s lives. As Tub, Frank, and Kenny start off in Kenny’s truck, they notice that “Some juvenile delinquents had heaved a brick through the windshield on the driver’s side, so the cold and snow tunneled right into the cab. The heater didn’t work… Tub tried to keep his hands warm by rubbing them under the blanket but Frank made him stop.”(27) The hole in the truck creates a coldness that should not be there, as the truck should provide some shelter in the cold. Instead, the truck is also a source of coldness, and none of the three can gain some sort of protection from the snow. Similarly, their “friendship” is cold. None of them seek to support each other and bond with each other as friends normally do; they instead mock and tease each other. Friendships should be sources of warmth and comfort for those involved, but this “friendship” does not provide any

As the three “friends” continue onwards, after Tub shoots Kenny, Frank and Tub drive on to find a hospital for him. Complaining of the cold, Frank and Tub stop at two diners, in which they both open up to each other. As they step inside the second cafe, “There was an automatic hand-dryer in the bathroom and they took turns standing in front of it, opening their jackets and shirts and letting the jet of hot air breathe across their faces and chests.”(97) During both times the pair visited the diners, they had both warmed themselves before opening up and bonding with each other. This seems to foreshadow the “warmth” to come -- the deepening of this bond into something closer, as they admit to each other the most depraved parts of themselves that they feel uncomfortable sharing with anyone else. The cold setting of the snow reflects the story on two levels: the coldness of the “friendship, and the inner coldness within that Tub seeks warm. During the beginning of the story, it is both cold outside and inside, in car and outside in the snow, as Tub feels empty inside without any human connection. Later, Tub and Frank become warm, going inside the diner to warm themselves, as they find connection with one another in the admission of their faults. While Tub and Frank find connection with each other, Kenny does not. After the upheaval of power, with Tub shooting Kenny, Kenny is now left alone, as Frank as switched sides, supporting Tub instead of