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Jack London's To Build A Fire

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Imagine yourself trudging through the snowy Alaska tundra, alone and freezing; what do you do? Build a fire. Fire, a blazing orange undulation of destruction yet, we look to it as a safe haven. Deep insides man’s mind something compels us to it, portraying that fire is security, fire is power, fire is life. Some believe that man’s strive for fire comes from purely realism, something know true to man due to experience. However, many such as American author Jack London see this as not only realism, but also naturalism, a natural instinct due to supernatural properties. To inform others of his perspective on fire and other thing, Jack London revised an old article of his that appeared in a Youth’s companion magazine, changing it to appeal to a wider range of readers. Today Jack london’s “To Build a Fire” is known worldwide as a prime example of naturalism. By removing several of the …show more content…

Originally written to entertain young children the need for a realistic ending proved unnecessary, for London only needed people to like his story to make money. However, in 1908 his intention not for money, but education a more realistic ending seemed logical. The 1902 version originally ending with the man only having toes “very sensitive to frost” and “the scars on his hand” from the fire to live with as a consequence of his foolishness (London 121). In 1908 London revised his story to end with the death of the man. Death, the probable conclusion given the extreme conditions in which he traveled proves to be immensely realistic. This ultimately show that everything doesn't end happily even in stories. In reality we are only mortal beings, vulnerable to the forces of nature. Jack London’s fatal conclusion to his 1908 “To Build a Fire” ultimately shows the reality of life through a medium that all ages can

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