Russell Banks explores hunting and violence in Lobster Night for thematic and character development. The story follows the lives of Noonan, Stacy, and Gail among others to discuss critical issues that influence social interactions in the Adirondack society. A discussion of how Banks deals with hunting and violence in the story allows an in-depth understanding of his work. In Lobster Night, Russell Banks covers the themes of hunting and violence articulately to portray the former as a useful sociocultural element while exposing its cruelty, and showing society’s crooked view of cruelty and violence as masculine qualities. The author uses Stacy’s relation to Noonan, a violent and cruel man, to discuss hunting and the impact of violence on animals and people.
Through Noonan’s life, Russell addresses hunting in a way that explains his character and the influence of the practice on the Adirondack society. As described by the narrator, most of the men in the society were life-long hunters. Hunting is shown as a cultural practice passed on to society members, especially boys. Banks addresses the practice by showing its usefulness and negative impact on wildlife. Through the narrator, the reader learns that most society members engage in hunting to feed their families and society members. Referring to Noonan, the narrator says “Like most of the Adirondack men she knew, Noonan was a dedicated, lifelong hunter–mainly of deer, but also of game birds and rabbits, which he fed to his family and sometimes put on the restaurant menu as well” (Banks). The statement indicates that some society members practice subsistence hunting for the provision of food to their families and society. Additionally, hunting stories are a crucial part of social interactions among Adirondack residents. Noonan and other society members spend time sharing hunting stories.
Banks uses Stacy and Noonan’s characters to explore senseless hunting and cruelty towards animals. The integration of hunting and violence in the story highlights the use of hunting and violence as a way of demonstrating power and control. According to the narrator, Noonan “also shot and trapped animals he didn’t eat–foxes, coyotes, lynxes, even bears–and sold their pelts” (Banks). The authors portray the killing of animals senselessly as cruelty that should be disgusting and unwelcome. Regarding Noonan’s hunting behavior, Banks writes, “Normally, this would disgust Stacy… ” and continues to state that “She wasn’t noticeably softhearted or sentimental when it came to animals, but shooting and trapping creatures you didn’t intend to eat made no sense to her”. The use of diction comprised of disgust and stating that the practice made no sense indicates the author’s effort to portray it as senseless, disgusting, and uncalled for. Most characters, such as Noonan, hunt to demonstrate masculinity and power, which are seen as attractive in society. For example, Noonan’s cruelty and sadistic treatment of animals are oddly attractive to Stacy (Banks).
Further, the author uses cruelty and violence to examine the skewed view of masculinity in society. He utilizes Stacy’s character to show how society members encourage violence and cruelty as masculine qualities. According to the narrator, Noonan’s violent and cruel nature towards animals and employees made him more boyish in Stacy’s view. Banks writes, “and whenever he showed signs of cruelty,” his relentless teasing and mistreatment of employees made him “even more boyish than usual” (Banks). A man, according to Stacy, must show extreme differences from women. Stacy, in this case representing the Adirondack society, shows the people’s view that masculinity should entail violence and cruelty.
In conclusion, Russell Banks’s way of dealing with hunting and violence allows for an understanding of the themes and the story. Responsible practice of hunting is portrayed as an important part of the Adirondack society while unnecessary hunting of animals that one does not eat is shown as senseless cruelty. Moreover, violence is discussed in a way that shows how society can portray negative notions. Violence and cruelty seem to thrive because society intertwines it with masculinity and views it as attractive.
Work Cited
Banks, Russell. Lobster Night. 29 January 2007. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a1690/lobster-night-0300/. 3 February 2020.
