Tub Character Analysis: Hunters in the Snow

276 Words2 Pages
In the short story Hunters in the Snow, by Tobias Wolff, Tub is an overweight, compulsive eater who lets his hunting friends walk all over him. At first, when they are laughing at him and unhelpful as they tromp through the snow, Tub tries to brush off their comments and pretends to be unbothered by the snide remarks Frank and Kenny make. In a parallel fashion, at first, he pretends to have an issue with his glands causing him to be overweight. As the story progresses, Tub breaks down and reveals that he is hurt by Frank and Kenny's actions, and he has no problem with his glands. As he speaks to Frank about his compulsive eating and lack of any health issues causing it, he says that what bothers him most is not being fat, but lying about why he is so heavy, and hiding his eating from all his loved ones and acquaintances. Even his wife believes he has gland problems. This reveals that Tub is not as emotionally strong as he pretends to be, and both the judgments of others and the lies he perpetuates to try to prevent those judgments take a toll on his self-esteem and conscience. Tub isn't as tough as he wishes he was. Later, when Frank confesses his scandalous relationship with his kid's underaged babysitter, Tub is shocked, but tries hard to understand Frank's affair. He is compassionate because he knows how bad it can feel to be misjudged. Even though he senses a moral dilemma in Frank's relationship with Roxanne, he also feels bad about making Frank feel bad. This shows Tub's kind, thoughtful
Open Document