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  • Essay / Chasing Authority in Hunters in The Snow

    “Hunters in the snow” is the story of three friends named Tub, Kenny and Frank. They are friends and decide to go hunting outside of Spokane, Washington. They fail to catch any game and Kenny shoots a dog that belongs to an old farmer. Kenney is the leader among the three and he regularly insults Tub and Frank. The three struggle to control the group at different points in the story. Everyone strives to outdo the other by controlling the group and things go wrong. The story uses conflict, suspense, surprise, and mystery to highlight the power struggles between these three friends. The conflict leads to fights that arise between the three friends and which escalate into fights and physical insults. Suspense refers to a style that places the reader in a dilemma as to what will happen to the friends next. Surprise refers to things that happen against the reader's expectations. Mystery refers to the abnormal events that occur in the story. The plot of “Hunters in the Snow” explores the power struggle between Tub, Kenny and Frank. “Hunters in the Snow” by Tobias Wolf brings out the theme of a power struggle between Tub, Kenny and Frank using mystery, conflict, surprise and suspense. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on "Why Video Violent" Shouldn't Games Be Banned?Get Original EssayThe perceived roles of the three characters in the story influence the way they interact with each other. Kenny sees himself as the leader of the group and he feels it is justified to insult Tub. Frank's allegiance at the beginning of the novel is to Kenny. However, when Tub becomes aggressive, Frank befriends him and shows his allegiance to him like Frank and Kenny and this increases his desire to be accepted by his friends. gets the role of leader and he is happy because he intends to get revenge for the way Kenny treated him from the beginning. The first element of fiction that highlights the power struggles within the group is suspense. Kenny decides to head towards Tub with the intention of scaring him. . This section builds suspense because the reader does not know if Kenny will crush Tub. Kenny seeks Frank's approval of his actions through a subtle gaze. To illustrate Tub says "You almost knocked me down, you could have killed me." He is sacred but the man next to the driver tells him that Kenny was only joking with him. This indicates that Kenny is insecure in the group and he thinks Frank is more powerful than him. Clearly, Tub and Kenny experience the leadership role at separate times, and at these times Frank endorses their roles by validating their actions. Frank is the “yes man” of the story and is instrumental in validating their leadership roles. The author uses mystery to highlight the seemingly never-ending power struggle between these three friends. The transformation of the characters in the story is mysterious. Tub goes from a friendly character to a cruel person. His transformation is brought about by the desire for more power. He ends up shooting Kenny. His action can be interpreted as an act of revenge. The author's reference to the hostile climate is symbolic of power struggles. The weather at the beginning of the story is cold and snowy. When Tub shoots Kenny, he loses his strength. They throw Kenny in the back of a frozen pickup who freezes and doesn't care about him. This action indicates the lack of empathy in Tub and Frank. Suspense plays a key role in the power struggle between Tub, Frank and Kenny. The three characters get lost while hunting. The episode that involves Kenny and Tub depicts a high”.