Tobias Wolff's Hunters In The Snow

As the title implies, snow and cold is a very dominant element in “Hunters in the Snow.” In fact, the icy weather is so common a factor that it evolves from a simple motif to a key symbol that carries much significance in the story. Tobias Wolff, the author of “Hunters in the Snow”, utilizes these symbols to such a degree that the weather correlates with the underlying meaning of every plot development. From the gradual buildup of conflict to the resolution, the mood of the weather reflects the mood of the characters and reveals deeper aspects the author wished to convey. In the story, there at least two examples of the physical setting’s reflection of the plot and actions of the characters. These instances communicate the nature of both the universe and mankind.

One instance in which ice and snow reveals deeper meaning can be found within the struggle between nature and the protagonist of “Hunters in the Snow.” Tub this particular type of conflict is commonly known as “man versus nature,” and characterizes Tub’s experience

When Tub and Frank abandoned their “food chain” structure, nature set itself against the pair until natural order overcame their initial sense of concern. The weather, a symbol of natural forces and the universe at a whole, pits itself against Tub, a symbol of humanity, revealing the theme that the universe is not a conducive environment for order and meaning, but for one of chaos, devoid of intelligent design and structure. Human nature, as “Hunters in the Snow” holds, is vulnerable to the pull of nature itself, and all efforts against the natural flow of human nature will slowly but surely be overridden. Simply put, the theme of ‘hunters in the Snow” is this- natural order reigns supreme and all attempts humankind take to create meaning and order are in vain, for in the end, no man can separate himself from human