Stories with different theme,plots, mood, tones, and setting is what makes up a story. In the short story “ To Build a Fire” the main focus is setting. Setting is when and where the story takes place. Setting can also have a dramatic affect on characters. For example, the author Jack London has the setting take place in the Yukon Territory, making a dramatic affect on the character. The setting in “To build a Fire” impacts the character mentally, emotionally, and physically.…
“To Build a Fire” is a naturalist’s view of the harsh peril that the Yukon can hold. The characters were all in the Yukon and each had different fates due to the willingness to accept the rules of such a harsh climate. The tone and mood help set up such a naturalistic story where one should not trifle with nature. Throughout the story the main character fights himself and the elements to try to survive. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London shows how the dismissal of knowledge and experience due to self-confidence creates arrogance.…
Jack London is most well-known for his novels Call of the Wild and White Fang. The novels and the short story “To Build a Fire” share a similar theme of survival in the wildernerness. London’s “To Build A Fire” is a story about a man and a dog traveling the Yukon trail. In the story the man is struggling to survive the harsh environment of the Klondike. “To Build a Fire” is a naturalistic story, influenced by scientific determinism as well as by Darwin’s theory of evolution because London was a socialist and a realist. Jack London traveled across Canada and Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. Jack London’s time in the Klondike influenced the setting, characters,…
Stories have different settings, plots, tones, themes, and moods. These things make a story. These are the things that impact how a character would act in the story. One short story where a character was impacted is in the short story “To Build a Fire”, written by Jack London. The setting of the story was set in the Klondike of the Yukon Territory of 1896. The day was cold and dark, the trail was mysterious, strange, and weird. This causes the Man in the story to face many problems. Settings of a story can impact a character physically, mentally, and emotionally.…
The theme of Jack London’s 1908 version of “To Build a Fire” is that nature’s significance overpowers the unimportant needs of man. In the 1908 version, a half-wolf dog was added into the literary work to further the plot and significance of the story, highlighting this central theme of existence. The addition of the dog in the revision helped emphasize the theme by representing the primitivity of nature, and providing contrast. By combining these two elements, London asserts his understanding of the tragic and brutal relationship between man and nature.…
The arctic: a cold, barren, snowy wasteland that almost no one can survive. This landscape could lead to an inevitable end for anyone who tries to conquer it, especially alone. This situation is brought to light through the short story, To Build A Fire by Jack London. In this tale, an unnamed man makes an attempt to go through the snowy setting of Alaska during the freezing season of winter with only a dog by his side. Throughout the book, London builds up suspense and makes people uncertain about how the book will end. However, through the foreshadowing of the rising actions, climax, and repeating details, the inevitable end can be clearly seen.…
“Survival is not about being fearless. It's about making a decision, getting on and doing it, because I want to see my kids again, or whatever the reason might be.” -Bear Grylls, survival expert. The protagonist of “To Build a Fire” by Jack London may have been fearless, but that does not lead to him to survival. He makes several critical mistakes that cost him his life, including, as Bear Grylls talked about, making decisions and taking action.…
In Jack London’s to Build a Fire, an unnamed man travels through the cold winter in Yukon. He is a newcomer to Yukon and does not care about how terribly cold it is. He is not bothered by the freezing weather or the fact that there is no sunshine. An old-timer warns him about traveling alone especially while it’s fifty degrees below zero however, the man shrugs off his warning and calls him womanish for saying this to him. The man’s careless decision unfortunately costs him his life.…
In the short story "To Build a Fire," by Jack London, a newcomer crosses the treacherous Alaskan Yukon during the time of the gold rush, in a search to seek great fortune. Unfortunately, his failure to heed to the experienced old timer, as well his lack of knowledge resulted in him being unaware of the danger that faced him from within his surroundings. Thus, the theme of survival is conveyed through setting, sensory detail and characterization.…
Growing up every individual is given some type of advice from an elder. As stubborn, prideful youth, many take it upon themselves to learn the hard way and ignore the advice. In the short story “To Build a Fire,” author Jack London introduces a relationship between the main character, The Man, and a secondary character, The Old-Timer from Sulfur Creek, that shows how one’s pride can get in the way. The interactions between these two characters give the reader a true idea of who The Man really is and how his overbearing sense of pride puts his survival in jeopardy.…
"The civilized man has built a coach and lost the use of his feet." The civilized man is so conformed to the grid and society that he wouldn't be able to survive in the wilderness without man-made technology. A civilized man is so attached to technology and society that they wouldn't know what to do in the wilderness without it.…
In the story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, a man of inexperience, stubbornness, and lack of imagination embarks on the less traveled route of the Yukon trail without a companion or any means of survival resources at his disposal. In fact, the only necessity that was given an ounce of thought was the man’s lunch for that very evening, sticking close to his bare chest so the food would not freeze. The man, however, decided that his husky’s company would be enough of an aide as he makes his way to meet his boys at a campsite before night fall. Never to have experienced true winter, the man sets off in the fifty below zero freezing weather, ignoring the words of the old-timer.…
During the early twentieth century, there was a popular naturalist movement that portrayed the conflict between man versus nature. Jack London’s thrilling short story “To Build a Fire” demonstrates this conflict with the story of a lone traveler as he makes his way up the Yukon in despicable conditions. His journey through the winter tundra is treacherous and life-threatening, but despite the danger he boldly continues his journey until he physically cannot move. London’s masterpiece is an excellent assistant in proving why nature is far more powerful than any single human being could ever be. In “To Build a Fire,” London uses the setting of the bitterly cold Yukon Territory, the starkly contrasting difference between ignorance and instincts,…
"Born in San Francisco in 1876 Jack London grew up in a world witnessing the settlement of the last frontier. Gone forever were the proud days of the pioneer. The country was beset with economic and cultural changes that for decades were to play havoc with the traditional American way of life. It was a world in transition. The easygoing days of an economy dominated by agriculture were being replaced by the world of machine, the factory, and the financial titan. America in the late 1800s was a battleground for unscrupulous tycoons and robber barons. The Far West was torn apart by the struggles of the big railroad interests. Financial panics followed one after the other as the "Big Four" plotted and conspired to gain more money and power. The economy remained in a state of flux. And the people were the pawns.…
In “To Build a Fire” by Jack London the man and the dog start off as traveling friends, but then they realize they have different perspectives on survival techniques. Whereas the dog knows it is way too cold to be on a hike, the man takes it as a little adventure. Even though the man thought he was prepared to hike at these blistering temperatures, he found out he was not as prepared as he thought he was. The man tries to defeat Mother Nature but finds out the hard way he is just not prepared enough to support a man and dog.…