Hunters in the Snow

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Explore the significance of nature and the winter setting in Tobias Wolff’s “Hunters in the Snow.”

• How do the characters’ interactions with nature contribute to the theme of Man Versus Nature? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 or more passages in which the characters’ hunting activities or encounters with the natural setting contribute to this theme.
• Finally, conclude your essay by summarizing the way in which the setting shapes the characters’ relationships and moral dilemmas.

2. Dirty Realism explores the darker side of human nature in contemporary life, focusing on the mundane lives of average, unheroic people in an unglamourous world.

• Why does the story “Hunters in the Snow” fit the subgenre of Dirty Realism? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 passages from the text where the characters and/or storytelling embody the qualities of Dirty Realism; analyze and explore the significance and purpose of each.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize what the subgenre of Dirty Realism contributes to the theme of Narcissism and Neglect.

3. The dynamic between the three friends undergoes a shift from the beginning of the story to the end, but it is arguably no less toxic by the end.

• How does the dynamic between Tub, Frank, and Kenny shift throughout the story, and what does this illuminate about toxic friendships? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 passages that showcase the initial power dynamic, the point at which the power shifts, and the new power dynamic; analyze and discuss how the shift in alignment is just as toxic in different ways.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to discuss what the friendship suggests about Toxic Friendships.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Explore the symbolic significance of one of the following: snow, Kenny’s truck, or hunting. In a well-organized essay supported by quotes from the text, analyze the symbol’s meaning as it relates to all three themes: Toxic Friendships, Narcissism and Neglect, and Man Versus Nature.

2. Discuss the role of communication, or lack thereof, in “Hunters in the Snow” and the impact it has on at least one theme (Toxic Friendships, Narcissism and Neglect, or Man Versus Nature). In a well-developed essay with concrete evidence from the text, explore how miscommunication, silence, and deceit affect the characters and contribute to the overall conflicts and consequences in the story.

3. Consider how Tobias Wolff uses irony to highlight inconsistencies between words and actions and/or between what the reader expects and what happens. In a structured essay amply supported by quotes from the text, discuss how Wolff’s use of irony underscores the themes in the story. What social or moral commentary do you think Wolff is making about Narcissism and Neglect, Man Versus Nature, and Toxic Friendships?