Sympathetic Characters in "Hunters in the Snow"

“Hunters in the Snow,” a short story by Tobias Wolff, introduces the reader to three very interesting and dynamic characters. Tub, Kenny, and Frank are all quite selfish and rude to each other, and their attitudes and lack of commend sense and intelligence is what pushes along the action in the story. However, even with the distasteful personalities of the three, one still stands out as the most sympathetic character. Tub, a very obese man, is constantly made fun of and verbally abused by his “friends.” All of these actions eventually wear him down until he finally stands up for himself, but his desire to be liked by his friends still affects his decisions. He allows Frank to abuse is excessive eating habits, and honestly tries to point out to Frank how ignorant and hurtful he is towards other people. Tub states, “That’s true, Frank…You never pay attention,” (Wolff, 197). In this story, Tub is the only one to get Frank to consider the way he treats others but pointing out one of his flaws. While all the characters are greatly flawed, Tub’s attempt to fix one of them is admirable. Furthermore, I found Frank in the story to be the least sympathetic character. His attitude and actions are inconsiderate and rude for the entirety of the story, and he often is two-faced towards his friends. Whether he is leaving his wife for a fifteen year old girl, making fun of Tub’s obesity, or taking blankets from a frozen, injured Kenny, Frank does not seem to care about the happiness of anyone but himself.