Jack London's To Build A Fire

     To Build a Fire is a story is a perfect example of the writing genre Naturalism. It contains elements like survival depends on instinct, nature is impersonal, man lacks free choice, and heredity and environment direct and influence our lives. In the story nature is the antagonist and is very impersonal, as it is in life. The dog

In “To Build a Fire,” Jack London presents the story of a man against nature as he tries to survive in the harsh winter of the Yukon in the early 1900’s. He begins a nine-hour hike through, temperatures as low as -75 degrees Fahrenheit, and he plans to meet up with friends in the area. With him is a local husky, with whom he has little companionship. The narrator builds a fire to warm himself. However, as the fire starts to reach a good warming point, snow falls and douses the fire. Finally realizing that things are getting drastic, the man starts running for the camp in desperation, with hopes of warming his body and possibly getting help. Eventually though he falls from exhaustion. While on the ground, he falls asleep and

In Jack London's “To Build A Fire” the story follows a man and his dog in the Klondike and their obstacles of trying to get to the boys which are his compatriots. The story revolves around the winter and how mankind reacts to the wild. The author uses nature to illustrate the poem’s tone by vilifying nature and using it as an obstacle.

In Jack London’s two most famous stories, Call of The Wild and To Build a Fire, many attributes, such as environment and setting, are shared. But many characteristics differ as well, such as the plot and characters included in the two books. As London continues the dangerous, unforgiving environment from Call of The Wild into To Build a Fire, both tales share a center or conflict and survival. While Call of The Wild includes account from several different sled teams and is told from a dog’s perspective, To Build a Fire shares a story of struggle in the wilderness told from a man’s point-of-view. London’s two books have many similarities, such as a treacherous environments and life-threatening situations.

Imagery is another important element which London uses to illustrate and emphasize his theme. In “To Build a Fire” Earl Labor sees the “mood and atmosphere, which is conveyed through repetitive imagery of cold and gloom and whiteness,” as being “the key to the story’s impact” (63). London does rely heavily on imagery to set the mood of the story, and in this way he draws a picture of the harsh environment that his character must endure. London uses imagery with such skill that the reader can almost feel the deadly cold of the environment and can almost hear the “sharp, explosive crackle” when the man’s spit would freeze in mid-air (119). Through the use of such vivid imagery, London guides the reader toward the realization of the story’s theme; the reader can visualize the man “losing in his battle with the frost” and therefor can picture man in his conflict with a cruel and uncaring universe (128). Symbolism is also an important element in “To Build a Fire”. David Mike Hamilton’s criticism, he says “the fire symbolizes life as does the white snow that falls at the beginning of the story.” He also views “the dark point in the midst of the stamped snow, foretelling the end of the fire, and thus of life” (2). I strongly agree with Hamilton’s criticism; “the dark point in the midst of the stamped snow” because it not only foretells the end of the fire but of the end of life itself.

In her passage, Ms. Vollmer argues about McCandless failing to hear the warnings provided by Jack London through his stories which McCandless had read and reread many times. In his story 'To Build a Fire' Jack London has shown the difference between a person who did not care about the risks and a dog with pure instincts. The similarity between this man and McCandless was that both were inexperienced to the adverse events of nature and both failed to see the dangers. The main purpose of London's story was to warn the adventurers about the risks to the wilderness. As an enthusiast of Jack London, McCandless had read these stories many stories many times and yet failed to understand London's warnings. Shreds of evidence lie in every mistake he had made as he continued his journeys making Vollmer's argument agreeable.

Readers of all ages, literature lovers, and book fanatics often find conflicts within their own lives just as the characters of the stories they read do. Some are able to find a way to overcome and conquer, while others get stuck behind or can not find a way to beat them. In Jack London’s short story called “To Build a Fire,” the main character conflicts with mother nature, who keeps tearing him down at every possible point. The main character, who is only referred to as the Man, is battling his way alone through the harsh temperatures of the Yukon. On this journey he runs into many obstacles and challenges. The Man does not listen to the advice he is given, leading to his inevitable death at the end. The most notable theme London builds

Have you ever thought about sticking your hands in a dog? Jack London’s protagonist in the short story “To Build a Fire” was considering that for real. The man went on a long trip, in the Yukon, by foot. He eventually died because he made a few horrible mistakes. The mistakes he made were that he went on the trip alone, he built the fires in bad locations, and he didn’t listen to the Old Timer.

London exemplifies the man's desperation by using imagery when he writes, “caught in a blizzard, who killed a steer and crawled inside the carcass” This shows the man’s desperate thoughts and willingness to resort to extreme

In “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, a man travels to the Yukon with a dog while it’s more than fifty degrees below. Before his venture out to meet his friends at 6 o’clock at an old claim, a man warns him that he shouldn’t go alone and of the danger he will be in. The man did not listen, and when the time came, he then realized that the man was right. He was freezing to death and unable to build a fire. He even was going to kill the dog to use its fur for warmth.

“To Build a Fire” Jack London In Jack London’s story “To Build a Fire”, it teaches young adult’s the importance of observing your surroundings in a new environment, as well as listening to people who know the area and what not and what to do. In this story, it will show the reader why they must observe and listen. The first reason in London’s story is focusing on what you must do is if you’re told something very important, you must follow that person’s warning. In paragraph 6 on page 30 it states, “It was seventy-five below zero.”

You ever felt the edge of death? The beckoning scream for sweet release that comes with its pros and cons. Well the story, “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, is based on the theme of that. This story is about an unnamed man and his dog traveling to a village. A simple voyage in the summer but in the cold, harsh winters of the Yukon, it is not as bright.

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a short story about a man traveling through the Alaskan Yukon to meet up with his friends for lunch. The author keeps the character nameless and refers to him only as “The Man” which is used to show a connection between humanity and nature. The story shows the hardships the man goes through to get to his destination through the Alaskan Yukon, yet unfortunately doesn’t make it. The conflict is a man versus nature theme which contrasts strong and direct relations of the hardships in nature. Throughout this analysis, I am going to explore the conflict between the man and the merciless nature he has to go through before his death.

Jack London was born on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco. Having only completed through the 8th grade, Jack educated himself in public Libraries. In 1893, Jack became very serious about his writing when his mother pushed him to enter writing contest. Jack took home first place, surpassing the college students with his eighth grade education. Soon after, he returned to high school to finish his education and graduated. Before long Jack published stories in the Overland Monthly in 1899. At age 27 London obtained fame when he published “The Call of the Wild”. London’s new found fame did nothing to dent his devoutness and passion towards writing. London worked among the first writers in the movie industry, and he a few of his books become films.

To build a fire is a short story written by Jack London. It is a story about an individual’s choice. The main character’s self-centeredness overcomes him, as he tries to survive the wintery weather in his travel in the Yukon Trail. He made a choice of ignoring the weather warnings, which evidenced danger in his journey. There were warnings like the absence of fellow travelers due to the cold season, but his egoism made him still embark on the journey alone, despite the warnings. The protagonist’s pride and arrogance leads to a regrettable outcome, as it leads to his downfall. The protagonist made the wrong choices because of his egotism, and arrogance and they led to his downfall. He defied nature due to his lack of logical judgment, and