Hunter in the Snow

"Frank, when you've got a friend it means you've always got someone on your side, no matter what. That's the way I feel about it anyway." pg 198, paragraph 197
Hunter in the Snow
Tobias Wolff


I find it ironic that Tub considers Frank to be a good friend of his, when earlier in the story, Tub was telling Frank, "You used to stick up for me," and complaining about how Frank was being mean to him. In the beginning of the story, Frank was mainly friends with just Kenny, joking around with him and making fun of Tub.  Yet once Kenny was hurt, Frank sided with Tub. It seems that Frank is a follower, rather than a leader.  He follows the stronger person in the situation; at first he went along with Kenny, the reckless, talkative guy, yet once Kenny was hurt he turned his attention toward Tub. I don't think any of these men know the meaning of friendship because they don't really seem to know when the appropriate time to tell each other things is. For example, Kenny shoots the dog. Tub mistakes that action as an action of cruelty, causing Tub to then shoot Kenny ..(and because Kenny said he hated Tub). All of this may have been avoided if Kenny had maybe said something about being told to shoot the dog because it was sick...then Tub probably wouldn't have shot Kenny. Also, though Tub and Frank were having a heart to heart in the restaurant and being friends, I think they should have been doing more important things like taking their supposed friend Kenny to the hospital, rather than leaving him in the cold in back of the truck. Yet Tub and Frank decided to be selfish and warm themselves in a sheltered building, and they left Kenny to be outside bleeding to death. All of these characters need a lesson or two about friendship...