Stock Characters

"'Tub,' he said, 'you havn't seen your own balls in ten years.' Kenny doubled over laughing. He took off his own hat and slapped his leg with it. 'What am I supposed to do?' Tub said. 'It's my glands.'" -"Hunters in the Snow"

     In contrast to "Everyday Use" and "Bartleby the Scrivener," "Hunters in the Snow" relied more on stock characters. I believe the goal of the story was humor, which was accomplished. It reminded me of some "Three Stooges" clip or the movie "Dumb and Dumber" because of the characters' illogical, thoughtless decisions and constant banter. Due to the plot elements of the story, the characters are dynamic in that Frank turns from the conversational superior to soliciting sympathy, Tub goes from bumbling adolescent to sympathetic adolescent, and Kenny begins as an antagonizer and turns into doubting dependant. This story too made me question why a writer would employ mostly stock characters if their actions are predictable. The scene that stuck in my mind was when Tub and Frank returned from the tavern to the truck and almost scolded Kenny for his covers bunching up against the tailgate, as if it was Kenny's fault for losing his covers with a hole in his chest. This occurance and Frank's admitting to an affair shows that society tends to place importance in social matters over physical well-being. This is somewhat ironic because the author uses men to display this trend, when women are most likely to be dramatic and sympathetic.