Hunters in the Snow

Hunters in the Snow
Tobias Wolff

This story is awful in that the main characters are so mean to each other and they show no regard for their supposed friends.  While funny, many of the comments, such as "it's the first diet I ever heard of where you gained weight from it," (Wolff, page 189) are very offensive disrespectful to each other.
A major element in this short story is the characterization of Kenny, Tub, and Frank. Tub is described as being fat, which is constantly brought up by his two friends in an offensive manner. The audience often feels sympathy for this particular character because he is made fun of so often by Kenny and Frank and he seems to have a serious problem with eating. Frank is an interesting character who is apparently in love with a fifteen-year-old babysitter. Kenny is annoying and the most aggressive in my opinion; he immaturely runs around and randomly (well, not really...) shoots the old dog.
All three are characterized as children because of the way they behave and treat each other. After the shooting incident, they immaturely point fingers at each other and get nothing solved. They also make fun of each other constantly and seem to have no respect, much like young children.
I couldn't really determine the exact ages of the three men because the author left out certain details in the story. We can guess approximate ages, but it seems important to the actions of the characters, such as in Frank's case with his declaring his love for a fifteen year old babysitter...