Arrogance In To Build A Fire

By analyzing the story from a psychological standpoint, it can be clearly seen that the man’s arrogance is also conducive to his downfall. An interaction with the “Old Timer” is what drives many of his decisions, and it blinds him from the risks of his environment. He pompously criticizes the Old Timer, applauding himself for his manliness while thinking “the fire was a success. He was safe. […] The old-timer had been very serious in laying down the law that no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below. Well, here he was; he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself. Those old-timers were rather womanish, some of them, he thought. […] Any man who was a man could travel alone. But it was surprising, the rapidity
It is inverted because we as humans usually view animals, such as dogs, as inferior beings. This belief stems from the fact that they are not capable of feeling complex emotions and thinking logically in the same way humans can. London counters this argument, instead implying that instinctual “animal” knowledge outweighs our sensible knowledge in importance. In To Build a Fire, it is evident that the dog is superior to the man both physically and mentally. Even at the beginning of their journey, “[The dog] knew that it was no time for travelling. Its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgment. In reality, […] it was colder than sixty below, than seventy below. [...] The dog did not know anything about thermometers. Possibly in its brain there was no sharp consciousness of a condition of very cold such as was in the man's brain. But the brute had its instinct” (London 2). Author Jeanne Reesman describes the dog as having “natural wisdom” and the man as having “foolish rationality” (“Never Travel Alone” 43). The dog’s “natural wisdom” in this story is clearly more useful than the man’s knowledge. Because of the dog’s instincts, it is able to gauge the temperature much more accurately than the man’s thermometer and is feeling the appropriate response – fear and apprehension. The absence of those two emotions for the man is
He brings these concepts down to a personal level, portraying the man as a complex human being with thoughts, feelings, and relationships similar to our own. These parallels to real life show us how easily we could self-destruct for the same reasons the man did, which is what makes the story particularly frightening. As stated by author Earle Labor, we gain a sense throughout the story that “the man’s frailty is also ours” (37). When it comes to the man’s capacity to make such mistakes, we are no different. We have all potentially evolved past our abilities to survive; our instincts have gradually been replaced by reason and it has consequently become easy to fall victim to our egos such as the man did. In To Build a Fire, Jack London underlines the limitations we have as humans and eloquently brings awareness to the subtle weaknesses that our society often overlooks. Being attentive to the message behind London’s work can bring us strength and prosperity; creating a society with a peaceful balance between instinct and reason with the competency to coexist in harmony with