When Hunting Hurts
Pam Houston’s “How to talk to a Hunter” reminds me of a few relationships my friends have been in, especially the relationship of my friend Sara. She reminds me so much of the narrator because both are in love with a man who doesn’t practice monogamy.
Sara has been seeing this man for six years now they even have a son together who in a way reminds me of the narrator’s dog, how the dog sees her pain but still loves the hunter. There son sees his mothers pain, but still loves this man. The whole time that Sara has been dating this man he has been out hunting other women. The narrator describes “one day he’ll leave you to go split wood or get the mail and his phone will ring again. You’ll sit very still while a women who calls herself Jane Coyote leaves a message on his machine : she’s leaving work she’ll say, and the last thing she wanted to hear was the sound of his beautiful voice.” This statement alone describes what Sara goes through with the anonymous text messages he gets and when she confronts him all he does is say that it is a friend, or he chooses his words wisely not mentioning the fact that it is another girl just as the hunter does. When Sara says there through he’ll win her back with his charming words or presents just like the hunter leaves chocolates. And as Sara friend I’ll try and give her advice like how the narrators best female friend does, but of course it never works his charm will always out do my advice. As for this other girl who is just like “Jane Coyote” will always be there. She’ll just send him a text message and he will run off to meet her. All the while telling Sara he has to work late. Sara of course will wait for him because she loves him and wants the relationship to workout at any cost to her heart, but deep down inside she must know she’s competing with a coyote.
In conclusion Pam Houston’s “How to talk to a hunter” and the relationship of Sara and this man are similar because both women are in love...