# The Snow Man explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

The narrator, snowbound at the Bay Horse Ranch with Ross Curtis, reflects on the transformative and often maddening effects of snow. A stranded opera singer turned palmist, Etienne Girod, stumbles in, and tensions rise as the cook, George, takes decisive action to protect a young woman from the deteriorating situation, ultimately riding off with her to safety.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Irony

The narrator's wry observations about the snow's effects and the cook's deadpan demeanor provide a humorous contrast to the grim setting.

### Ambition and Failure

Etienne Girod's failed career as an opera singer and palmist exemplifies the theme of ambition thwarted by circumstance.

### Social Class and Wealth

The cook's lowly position contrasts with his decisive authority, and the narrator's initial dismissal of him as a 'petty chef' highlights class assumptions.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The first-person narrator who seeks shelter at the Bay Horse Ranch and observes the events.

### The Captain

Ross Curtis, the host of the Bay Horse Ranch, who becomes increasingly erratic under the snow's influence.

### The Colonel

George, the camp cook, who remains level-headed and ultimately takes charge to protect the young woman.

### Young Murray

Etienne Girod, a stranded opera singer and palmist who stumbles into the ranch during the snowstorm.

## Key lines

> The man who can stand the test is a Snow Man; and this is his reading by Fahrenheit, Reaumur, or Moses’s carven tablets of stone.

A person who endures the snow's trials is a true 'Snow Man,' measured by any scale—scientific or biblical.

_The narrator sets up the snow as a crucible for character._

> In the waste places the snow is sardonic. Sponging out the world of the outliers, it gives no foothold on another sphere in return.

In remote areas, the snow is cruel, erasing the familiar world without offering any new ground.

_The narrator contrasts the snow's beauty in cities with its harshness in the wilderness._

> When it corrals man in lonely ranches, mountain cabins, and forest huts, the snow makes apes and tigers of the hardiest.

When snow traps people in isolated places, it turns even the strongest into wild, irrational beings.

_The narrator describes the snow's psychological effects on those confined by it._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-snow-man
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters