The Existential Theme of London’s To Build A Fire Essay

When the time came to build a fire to survive the first accident in the water, his irresponsibility essentially cost him his life. He forgot to build a fire promptly after he got wet, which made it extremely difficult build one after it. His fingers got numb and rigid, making it hard to even light a match. Eventually, the man gave up hope when the last of his matches were snuffed out. Even when it was too late to start a fire, the man’s condition of his hands prevented him by his last resort to kill the dog he was with for warmth. Ultimately he knew his only option was to lay down and go to sleep. The cold had gotten to him so bad that he didn’t mind laying down at the very end of his life. The satisfaction he got when he fell to sleep was much needed by him after his cold journey that day.

To build a fire is a short story written by Jack London. It is a story about an individual’s choice. The main character’s self-centeredness overcomes him, as he tries to survive the wintery weather in his travel in the Yukon Trail. He made a choice of ignoring the weather warnings, which evidenced danger in his journey. There were warnings like the absence of fellow travelers due to the cold season, but his egoism made him still embark on the journey alone, despite the warnings. The protagonist’s pride and arrogance leads to a regrettable outcome, as it leads to his downfall. The protagonist made the wrong choices because of his egotism, and arrogance and they led to his downfall. He defied nature due to his lack of logical judgment, and

Readers of all ages, literature lovers, and book fanatics often find conflicts within their own lives just as the characters of the stories they read do. Some are able to find a way to overcome and conquer, while others get stuck behind or can not find a way to beat them. In Jack London’s short story called “To Build a Fire,” the main character conflicts with mother nature, who keeps tearing him down at every possible point. The main character, who is only referred to as the Man, is battling his way alone through the harsh temperatures of the Yukon. On this journey he runs into many obstacles and challenges. The Man does not listen to the advice he is given, leading to his inevitable death at the end. The most notable theme London builds

In Jack London's “To Build A Fire” the story follows a man and his dog in the Klondike and their obstacles of trying to get to the boys which are his compatriots. The story revolves around the winter and how mankind reacts to the wild. The author uses nature to illustrate the poem’s tone by vilifying nature and using it as an obstacle.

'To build a fire' is a story about a man travels in the Yukon with his wolf-dog through a hostile environment.

This week’s readings had many strong representations of Naturalism in the two stories. The works found parallels through their character’s treacherous journeys in life, as depicted in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, with his freezing trip, and “Maggie: A girl of the Streets” by Stephen Crane, over her, and her family’s rough, and unfortunate life.

Naturalism portrays humans' control over their actions and fate as limited and determined by the natural world, including their very humanity. The freedom described by Jean-Paul Sartre results in all individuals having the ability to make present choices independently. Despite the fatalism illustrated in naturalism, the characters in London's 'To Build a Fire' and Crane's 'The Open Boat' are ultimately responsible for their choices and consequences of their choices.

The story To Build a Fire demonstrates possible dangers of traveling in the Yukon under extreme cold. Through a young man, Jack London depicts the consequences of ignoring instinct and survival advice. The man travels with a dog, who can perceive the dangers of the freezing wilderness. The reader learns of the man's personality through descriptive words and phrases while journeying through the story.

In Jack London's "To Build a Fire" we see a classic story of man against nature. In this story, however, nature wins. One reason that this is such a compelling and engrossing story is the vivid descriptions of the environment the nameless main character endures. Plot and characterization are brief, and the theme is simple. Yet this story is still a very popular story, and it has a mysterious quality that makes it great.

In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”, London describes a man’s tragic journey with his dog through the bitter Yukon. This journey ends in the death of the man as his careless decisions finally results in his downfall, however; his companion, the dog, is able to survive. London uses the dog in this story as to embody the natural survival instincts that the protagonist lacks. The dog portrays the role of the companion throughout the man’s journey.

Jack London's to build a fire illustrates strong forms of naturalism in the journey of a man and his dog through frozen tundra of the Yukon valley. The story tells the tale of a newcomer to the Yukon as he travels an a cold early morning. He was forewarned of the danger of traveling alone but chooses to regardless. This is simply because “he was without imagination”(3), meaning he was aware that it was cold and he was supposed to travel with a group, but he lacked the imagination to realize why that was important to know. This example of man's stubbornness reflects the naturalism archetype of man versus self.

In the short story, “To Build a Fire,” Jack London puts a tragic twist on the classic tale of wilderness survival. The author’s use of imagery and detailed sentences leave readers yearning for the warmth of fire alongside the characters. The story takes place in the Yukon during the Great Klondike Gold Rush, where the author himself spent a very influential part of his young life. London’s style of writing is an exaggeration of his own experience while mining in the arctic north. In this story, Jack London writes about an inexperienced man and his dog’s struggle through fatal weather conditions.

“To Build a Fire” is a short story written by Jack London. It is viewed as a masterpiece of naturalist fiction. “To Build a Fire” features a miner who is traveling to the Yukon Territory with a dog as his companion. The miner is the protagonist and the dog companion is called the foil. The dog plays off of the traits of the protagonist. “The central motif of “To Build a Fire” concerns the struggle of man versus nature.” (Short Story Criticism) The most argued point in the short story is the reason of the protagonist death. “Some critics believe that it was his lack of intuition and imagination that lead to his death, while others say that he dies because of panic.” (Short Story Criticism) The protagonist in “To Build a Fire” struggles in

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a short story about a man traveling through the Alaskan Yukon to meet up with his friends for lunch. The author keeps the character nameless and refers to him only as “The Man” which is used to show a connection between humanity and nature. The story shows the hardships the man goes through to get to his destination through the Alaskan Yukon, yet unfortunately doesn’t make it. The conflict is a man versus nature theme which contrasts strong and direct relations of the hardships in nature. Throughout this analysis, I am going to explore the conflict between the man and the merciless nature he has to go through before his death.