The Hunter In The Snow By William Carlos Williams
In the poem “The Hunter in The Snow” by William Carlos Williams, Williams addresses his observations and interpretations of the 1565 painting Hunters in The Snow by Pieter Brueghel. Williams starts the poem off talking about the landscape of the painting. He says “the overall picture is winter icy mountains in the background.” By saying this, he wants us to understand the setting of the painting, and probably wants us to focus specifically on the winter time, and what people do at this time. Moving forward, Williams then states in lines 3-7 “the return from the hunt it is toward evening from the left, sturdy hunters lead in their pack.” This part of the poem shows how people get food, and that during that time you had to be strong to survive.
If you weren’t “sturdy” or very strong and athletic, you probably wouldn’t be effective in hunting. In lines 12-13 it states “deserted but for a huge bonfire that flares wind-driven tended”, which also portrays a theme of survival. In the cold winter, a fire is needed for heat, and even to cook food. Moreover, Williams describes the roles and interactions of people in the painting. For instance, in lines 13-15 he states “by women who cluster about it to the right beyond.” This line portrays that the women at that time were more responsible for creating the fire, probably cooking food and taking care of the house, while the men were hunting and doing more of the hard jobs. A form of interaction that Williams states is in lines 15-16, when he says “right beyond the hill is a pattern of skaters.” Here he wants to show the other side of the winter. In the front of the painting we see the chores and survival side of winter, where people are hunting and setting up fires, and towards the back we see that people are enjoying it. There are groups of people ice skating, and they seem like they’re having a good time. Lastly, the author talks about “a winter-struck bush for his foreground to complete the picture.” This observation shows the result of winter on nature and life. The bush cannot survive the winter like anyone else can in the painting. To conclude, the main theme that is shown in the poem “The Hunter in The Snow” by William Carlos Williams and the painting Hunters in The Snow by Pieter Brueghel is survival, and what people do during the winter time.
If you weren’t “sturdy” or very strong and athletic, you probably wouldn’t be effective in hunting. In lines 12-13 it states “deserted but for a huge bonfire that flares wind-driven tended”, which also portrays a theme of survival. In the cold winter, a fire is needed for heat, and even to cook food. Moreover, Williams describes the roles and interactions of people in the painting. For instance, in lines 13-15 he states “by women who cluster about it to the right beyond.” This line portrays that the women at that time were more responsible for creating the fire, probably cooking food and taking care of the house, while the men were hunting and doing more of the hard jobs. A form of interaction that Williams states is in lines 15-16, when he says “right beyond the hill is a pattern of skaters.” Here he wants to show the other side of the winter. In the front of the painting we see the chores and survival side of winter, where people are hunting and setting up fires, and towards the back we see that people are enjoying it. There are groups of people ice skating, and they seem like they’re having a good time. Lastly, the author talks about “a winter-struck bush for his foreground to complete the picture.” This observation shows the result of winter on nature and life. The bush cannot survive the winter like anyone else can in the painting. To conclude, the main theme that is shown in the poem “The Hunter in The Snow” by William Carlos Williams and the painting Hunters in The Snow by Pieter Brueghel is survival, and what people do during the winter time.