Comparing The Necklace And To Build A Fire

In the poem published in 1899 titled “A Man Said to the Universe” by Stephen Crane, a man is seen informing the Universe that he does indeed exist. The thesis of this poem in particular is the universe keeps on going, whether you like it or not. The thesis of this poem manifests in the realist literature we have read thus far in this course because it upholds many of the realist themes. Such realistic themes include determinism and survival, which are also portrayed throughout the short stories “To Build a Fire” by Jack London and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant.
In the poem “A Man Said to the Universe” by Stephen Crane, the man declares, “Sir, I exist!” to which the universe basically responds by saying it does not matter because it is
The man also does not heed the warnings of an old timer in any sense of the matter and states that he “had laughed at him at the time” (London 823) and he even decides that it would be okay to travel in below freezing weather with no travelling partner even though the old timer stated “after fifty below, a man should travel with a partner” (London 826). Much like the man in the poem, the short story answers the desires the man has for survival and practically destroys all hope that he has for making it through the horrendous conditions, but his determinism does not falter and he pursues more attempts at trying to prolong his life, even if it involves “his flesh burning… still he endured it” (London 826). Though his efforts bare no results and he ends up perishing in the end, the journey he takes and the necessity of survival is what makes the poem and the short story relatable. It is through the scenes in “To Build a Fire” that the themes of survival and determinism are accurately portrayed, and the story shows how the thesis of the poem is able to manifest itself in this piece of realistic