Male Friendship in ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘Hunters in the Snow’ Essay Example

slowing them down during the hunting process. This is despite the fact that Tub receives similar or even worse treatments from other people and thereby, as a friend Kenny ought to have been more supportive. This, nonetheless, is not to say that the three friends had no moments of agreement. For example, after discovering a deer track and arriving at a restricted area, they resolve to seek for the owners permit. This is perhaps an affirmation of the argument that friendship is way stronger than all other challenges put together (Kazecki 148).

The foundation upon which friendship is anchored in the two stories is dissimilar. Whereas the male characters in the ‘Hunters in the Snow’ are bound by the passion of hunting, the characters in The Big Lebowski are brought together by crime and love for money. ‘The Dude’, who is the main character in this film, becomes victim to a gangster that intends to ambush a namesake millionaire. This marks the onset of the growth of friendship between the Lebowskis and the betrayals later witnessed in the movie. It also strengthens the ties between the kidnappers who have seemingly gotten a platform to expound their creativity and to exploit their ‘talent’ (Arp & Perrine 87).

Secrecy and deception is a common feature among the characters in both stories. Kenny, who is rather rowdy, has a secret mission to shoot dead the landowner’s dog. Upon defeat in their hunting mission, he violently kills the dog and jokingly points the gun at Tub. Mistrust and panic takes the better of Tub who retaliates by shooting Kenny on the belly. Ironically, as they are headed to the hospital, Tub

and the calm Frank reveal to each other their inner secrets and as if in a trance, they go to a restaurant and afterwards drive away from the health facility. Their lack of alarm and concern about the well being of Kenny is questionable. Is there friendship so calm as to give comfort to one where another suffers? Just as these three friends demonstrate greed and betrayal, the male characters in ‘The Big Lebowski’ form a mesh of intertwined scenarios of the same. For instance, when the Dude is asked by Jeffrey Lebowski to deliver the ransom so that his wife is let free, the Dude’s close friend by the name Walter Sobchak hijacks the plan in order to keep the money to himself. This is regardless of the danger such an act would impose on the Dude ((Kazecki 152).

In a dramatic irony, we get to learn that Lebowski’s wife was not kidnapped but rather a pioneer of the scheme to rob her husband. The husband also betrays the family by illegally withdrawing the family money to settle the ransom at the expense of the rest of the family. According to him, this is a demonstration of his love for his wife and that by any mean, it is his responsibility to keep her safe (Arp & Perrine 88). From a philosophical perspective, some may justify the rather selfish acts illustrated above as a genuine response typical of human beings. In other words, is friendship for the sake of humankind or humankind for the sake of friendship? If friendship is to make life better, why then should people be blamed for forming cocoons within which

they exploit benefits of friendship?

Dialogue in both cases has been used not just as a style but also as a tool through which friendships are born, weak and broken ties are renewed. As evidenced in ‘The Big Lebowski’, it is dialogue that gets ‘The Dude’ to know the lies revolving around the millionaire’s family. This pushes him to help his namesake to expose the lies as well as to mend his own. Similarly, in Wolff’s short story, although love for own self seems to lead the path of friendship between, Kenny, Tub and Frank, dialogue helps Tub to open up to Frank about his love for food while Frank tells him of his intention to leave his spouse. Most importantly, it partly resolves the difficulties which were witnessed during exposition and the climax stages of narration. Communication is thus an essential element if love and friendships are to flourish (Beck 88).

To sum up, friendship between male characters in both ‘The Big Lebowski’ and the ‘Hunters in the Snow’ mirrors what happens in the contemporary society. As discussed herein, friendship which materializes from sharing similar dreams and interests may not necessarily be motivated by good acts. Some are brought together by evil in the form of crime, lies and greed. Either way, it is inevitable that challenges will stand out as the test through which the strong will pass and on which the weak relationships stumble. Literary and stylistic devices explored by respective authors also make it clear that dialogue is one sure remedy to sustaining relationships. This is because through it, secrets are shared, plans made and, hence, bonds strengthened.

Works cited

• Arp, Thomas R., and
  

Laurence Perrine. Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College, 2008. 86-88. Print. Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff