Naturalism in Jack Londons "To Build a Fire"
Naturalism, It Explains Why I Wrote This Paper
Even with our ability to tame some sides of nature, there are still certain conditions and forces which are beyond control; we inevitably are left with no will, powerless against nature’s indifferent influence. This struggle against nature is depicted by many authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries, using key concepts of naturalism and determinism, a key component of naturalist theory, as a foundation and philosophy for many of these stories. Jack London and Stephen Crane are notorious for their writings which have been regarded as cornerstones of naturalist theory in classic American literature. Stories such as "to Build a Fire", "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”, convey themes of naturalism and universal determinism in order to show the protagonist’s lack of free will in his constant battle with nature, often foreshadowing catastrophe and displaying natural instinct found within each character. In theory of Naturalism, nature holds certain precepts that even our own will and integrity cannot bend or break. Charles Darwin, creator of the theory of evolution, believed in patterns of natural selection and that over time our environment will shape our genetics. Even we as humans, in Darwin theory, are susceptible to change as we have no free will and our environment shapes and determine things for us. We in speculation have no control over our own fates; we only have choices that will lead us towards a certain future, one that is decided by nature, and not the individual. In the story, "To Build a Fire", London makes us aware that the protagonist is completely unaware of that notion, he believes with his own determination and will he can conquer the deepest hardships of the wild, attempting to defy the words spoken to him by the old man at Sulphur Creek. The adventurer simply believes through his own resolve that this expedition is simply an obstacle to which he can survive, but when set
Even with our ability to tame some sides of nature, there are still certain conditions and forces which are beyond control; we inevitably are left with no will, powerless against nature’s indifferent influence. This struggle against nature is depicted by many authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries, using key concepts of naturalism and determinism, a key component of naturalist theory, as a foundation and philosophy for many of these stories. Jack London and Stephen Crane are notorious for their writings which have been regarded as cornerstones of naturalist theory in classic American literature. Stories such as "to Build a Fire", "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”, convey themes of naturalism and universal determinism in order to show the protagonist’s lack of free will in his constant battle with nature, often foreshadowing catastrophe and displaying natural instinct found within each character. In theory of Naturalism, nature holds certain precepts that even our own will and integrity cannot bend or break. Charles Darwin, creator of the theory of evolution, believed in patterns of natural selection and that over time our environment will shape our genetics. Even we as humans, in Darwin theory, are susceptible to change as we have no free will and our environment shapes and determine things for us. We in speculation have no control over our own fates; we only have choices that will lead us towards a certain future, one that is decided by nature, and not the individual. In the story, "To Build a Fire", London makes us aware that the protagonist is completely unaware of that notion, he believes with his own determination and will he can conquer the deepest hardships of the wild, attempting to defy the words spoken to him by the old man at Sulphur Creek. The adventurer simply believes through his own resolve that this expedition is simply an obstacle to which he can survive, but when set