To Build A Fire, By Jack London

It is easy to not notice that one’s instinct is the greatest gift received from nature. To disobey the teachings and lessons from nature is a cardinal sin; disregarding knowledge from ancestor’s can lead to the worst outcome of all, death. When put in a situation that forces one to concede defeat and realize that nature is an environment in which the occupants are solely reliant, a feeling of confidence can switch to dubiousness. In To Build a Fire, author Jack London strengthens the effect of nature on a man when he develops traits of egotism and ascendancy. The Yukon, a territory in northwest Canada, is a wild and mountainous region that is sparsely populated. Though it doesn’t embrace human existence, the man thinks otherwise and proceeds through this
London writes, “he was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances” (548). This is one of many instances in which the man turns down nature’s advice, leading to a negative event. It is the man’s obligation to learn from his mistakes and correct them; however, he restrains himself from change until his life is already taken away from him. The readers sees a man who is way in over his head where he solely depends on himself and not his surrounding and peers. Then the reader sees a dog who represented instinct, unlike the man who believes in only logic and reasoning. This leads the reader into discovering London’s main warning: man tries to rely on himself and ignore nature at his own peril. The dog was mindful of the insane conditions and understood that it needed to do anything in order to get warm; however, London stated that the dog didn’t know why it thought this, but it was the dogs