The dominant impressions for each of these short stories are as follows.
1. The dominant impression of to build a fire is the naturalistic Point of view both man and beast, even though their own two hands of the spectrum they share in a naturalistic Point of view
2. The dominant impression of a Wagner matinee is and Georgina's sacrifice through her Exile from art and beauty
3. The dominant impression of the jilting of granny Weatherall is denial. Granny is in denial that she is dying, she is I denial that her illness is causing her confusion. She is in denial that George jilting her still plays a huge role in her attitude and demeanor and she is in denial to the fact that she treats Cornilia with such
harshness.
4. The dominant impression of a clean well lighted place is one of despair. The old man and the old waiter. Throughout the narrative the characters struggle to deal with their despair. The old man tries to deal with his despair by sitting for hours in a clean, well-lit café.
The old waiter tries to cover up his despair through mock prayers, but ultimately the way he tries to deal with his despair is much the same way as the old man, by waiting out his nighttimes in a well lit cafe.
The emotional tones of each story or as follow
One: The emotional tone of to build a fire is one of austerity, indifference and melancholy
Two: The emotional tone of a Wagner matinee is simply sadness
Three: The emotional tone of the jilting of granny Weatherall is solemn and bitter
Four: The emotional tone of a clean well lighted place is one of dreariness and bleakness with a tinge of danger
Each of these stories share similar tones and themes of angst, bitterness, hurt and raw emotional crisis. One could say that hope is not on the forefront of the horizon in any of these stories but rather a darkness of humanity that exists within the main characters and in a literal sense exists in us too.