What elements of "Hunters in the Snow" suggest that it is a serious literary work rather than merely an entertaining yarn?

Two prominent literary elements, among others, signify the
literary seriousness of "Hunters in the Snow." One is the thematic ideas that Wolff
develops and the other is the psychological treatment he gives the characters. Firstly,
Wolff explores the issue of male bonding in a uniquely American social and cultural
setting. At the start, the three friends adhere to the contemporary socio-cultural myth
that men are rugged individualists for whom any show of affection is anathema. Then
Kenny, the most physically fit man among the three, gets injured and Frank and Tubs fall
into a period of male bonding, which Wolff carries to its logically illogical extreme as
they would rather neglect Kenny's potentially fatal wound than give up their prized
moment of affectionate male bonding.

Secondly, rather than
tell the tale as an action-focused or behavior-focused story, Wolff tells it as a
psychological study in which the emotional and cognitive reasons and motivations for the
men's behaviors are reveale. For instance, Frank is suddenly more open to male bonding
with Tubs because of his insecurities and guilt resulting his marital infedelities--and
perhaps also because of a sense of psychological liberation since Kenny, the alpha male
of the group, is injured and out of the way.