This story stars an unreliable, unkempt, and quite honestly, stupid man left trapped and barren as his life crumbles. The narrator is first depicted as a rather aloof man with strict plans to “stiff” his landlord on rent and leave town. He begins by describing how some hunters from out of town have been recently active on his property. We are also given information that tells us that both his wife and friend have left him alone to his own devices as he has lost his source of income due to blatant incompetence on his part.
This brings us to our first real conflict of the story. As the narrator returns home he is visited by two hunters, presumably the ones who have been active on the property, as they hold up a dead buck. They are both heavier set female characters dressed in masculinizing clothing. The narrator seems to fixate on their weight, detailing it every chance he gets. He goes as far as to compare them to his wife, who is described as stick thin and child-like. His fixation on their weight borders on fetishism. He says, “I’ve often though that fat women might be better.” I think this over sexualization and negativity regarding the female gender is what enabled the two women to ultimately seduce him to steal his money and train tickets.
As the story progresses you see the women become more and more suspicious in their actions. Acting in an off putting manner, knowing a surplus of information about the narrator, avoiding questions, and eventually offering to “cuddle” and “clean” for him. During all this the narrator is none the wiser as he naively follows these two sweet, incapable women. In the end, he becomes like the deer they killed. He was left laying limply outside with snow melting inside him. He sits empty and alone in his home after they had taken what they wanted from him. He was their pray and they were, in fact, hunters.
I think it is because of his perspective on women’s body types that he is easily manipulated and tricked. I wonder though if he is truly interested in these women who seem to have come and lift him up by, as he sees, cleaning up for him and we know the other, but he thought of offering them to stay the night and spend the holidays with. He was probably lonely and feeling upset, and thought to take it out on these women. Maybe mocking them in a way compared to his wife before somewhat gathering the idea that maybe these women could fill his life up the way he sees them fill the room. Maybe that they wouldn’t leave him like his wife had.
Thank you so much for your comment. I completely agree! I think he was searching for something to fill the loneliness he was left with. He saw two women who weren’t particularly desirable to social standards and believed they were naive. He saw them as soft and docile and wanted them to fill his life with some sort of happiness, maybe even love. This delusion of power is what makes the story so compelling.