The Mystery Of Jack London

“Jack London is King” this was carved in to a block of wood found at the bus where Chris McCandless’s body was found. Chris McCandless admired Jack London as a man and a writer. Chris went into the wild’s of Alaska to prove that he could live off the land, with no modern conveniences, and no human contact. Jack London wrote stories about men and animals experiences against the environment, and survival against hardships, which were written from his own life. His works included individualism and the study of the laws of nature. Chris wanted to explore his own individualism, who he was, and how he was to live the rest of his life.

When the man was trying desperately to re-light the fire he removed his gloves and lost all feeling in his hands. If he had remained calm and thought about his situation he might have had a chance to survive. Nature showed no mercy when the man attempted to re-light the fire using only his palms, and he failed. "He was losing his battle with the frost. It was creeping into his body from all sides."(1754) The man's unfortunate mistakes cost him his life and nature felt no sympathy for him. He was just another man who failed to defeat nature for one more day. If the man had brought along a companion for the journey like the old man in the town had suggested he would still be alive. However, his stubbornness would not submit to that. "The old-timer on Sulfur Creek was right, he thought in the moment of controlled despair that ensued: after fifty below, a man should travel with a partner."(1752). Instead the man brought a wolf dog with him to keep him company. The only thing that the dog was good for was as an outlet for the man's jealously when he realized all the mistakes he had made. The man envied how the dog could just sit in the snow and his warm fur would protect him from the elements. The mistakes that the man made reflect everyday life by showing how just one accident or miscalculation can cost you your life. Naturalism utilized the environment to show how fierce and apathetic the world can be. In the opening scene of "To Build a Fire" London used a bleak

Eventually, survival becomes the primary focus of the Man, who is trying, in vain, to protect himself against the unforgiving force of nature. He fruitlessly tries to warm himself back up, which is a direct contrast to the complete indifference displayed by Yukon. The environment merely remains the same and does not care one way or another as to whether the man survives or not. Jack London also uses numbers to reinforce the harsh realities of the Yukon, such as how fifty degrees below zero is the marker for the danger zone. The use of numbers shows the desperation of the Man’s situation and readers can slowly see his situation deteriorating further and further. Also, the idea of naturalism claims that the world is knowable only through objective science and that hard facts, such as temperature degrees, makes this particular world knowable and present some semblance of familiarity.

One thing that leads the man to his death is his arrogance. The man of Sulphur Creek told the guy that it was not safe especially since the weather gets so cold. “ That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country. And he had laughed at him at the time!(pg 524)”. In the end right before the man dies he knew that he was dying because he didn’t listen to the man of Sulphur Creek. ” You were right, old hoss; you were right,” the man mumbled to the old-timer of Sulphur Creek”(pg 534).

Common Sense vs. Nature “To Build a Fire” is a short story, where the author Jack London uses the setting to tell the story. The man is the main character that experiences several catastrophic events, along with his dog. The man experiences such trouble due to his own stupidity. He does not see the weather as threatening and decides to travel the dangerous path. This leads to him freezing his hands, losing two fires, and almost eating his dog to stay alive.

The story “To Build a Fire” written by Jack London has two nearly identical versions published in 1902 and 1908 respectively. The latter is better-known and more thought-provoking because of the protagonist’s death. To begin with, the journey takes place on a cold winter day in Klondike, consists of a man and his dog. The man is ignorant of the extreme coldness and feels confident about travelling alone at fifty degrees below zero. However, he breaks through a thin skin of ice unexpectedly and wets himself halfway to the knees. In order to dry his feet, the man builds a fire, only to have it extinguished by a pile of snow unloaded from a tree. He tries to set up another fire, yet all attempts has failed. The man panics and strives to unfreeze his body by running. Not surprisingly, his efforts are useless, and the man dies of hypothermia at last. The author effectively supports the central conflict of man versus nature and gives hints about the man’s death as resolution by using appropriate title, descriptive setting, and a large amount of foreshadowing.

Jack London grasped the idea of naturalism when he wrote “To Build a Fire” and he used naturalism to illustrate the brutal unrelenting beast that is nature. London also uses naturalism to stress nature’s dangerous and unpredictable qualities. Basically London is saying that we must be accountable for our decisions and cannot depend on anything but our own will to live and survive. " To Build a Fire" is a short story that incorporates the idea of naturalism and how, if we are not deliberate, nature will win the duel and we will perish. There is no doubt when beginning to read this story that the readers notice the main character is in a dangerous situation with the weather.

Many people say that man’s best friend is the dog. The dog is the domesticated version of its wild ancestor - the wolf. Jack London enjoyed writing about wolves and nature, and two of his more famous novels - White Fang and The Call of the Wild - involve these howling carnivores. Jack London shows the lives of wolves and their instinct and will to survive in White Fang and The Call of the Wild; underlying all of this literal meaning though is his figurative interpretation toward life and survival.

“The proper function of a man is to live, not exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time,” Jack London. This means that you shouldn’t just sit around and do nothing with your life, you need to try and achieve things. This relates to extreme sports because instead of playing life safe and not doing anything risky, it is good to take risks because if you dont, yes you might live longer, but you are wasting useful time. I agree with London’s quote, taking risks is necessary in certain situations because it helps you connect with nature, you feel a sense of freedom, and you accomplish your life goals and do what you love.

As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897 and he never graduated. No evidence suggests that London wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times.

The man pompously embarks on his hike, which would be the final one of his life. When he departs the skies are clear and no danger seems to be present or forthcoming. The man believes that he can complete his hike to his final destination within the planned time window, but he was wrong. Suddenly the mother nature sent out a coldness which engulfed him. Without warmth the mans ego ceased to exist and his confidence was missing.

The man and dog are in a battle of survival of the fittest and must adapt to the environment in order to live. The dog and the old-timer have been given survival resources adapted over many generations. The old-timer relies on wisdom passed down from his ancestors who have learned to endure the harsh cold of the Yukon, by traveling with another companion. If the man wished to succeed in the harsh conditions, it would have benefited him to listen to the words of the old-timer. “The man did not know cold. Possibly all the generations of his ancestry had been ignorant of cold, of real cold” (London 632). The man is

White Fang, The Sea Wolf, The Call of the Wild, The Iron Heel, The People of the Abyss, all novels written by the famed American Novelist, Journalist, and Social and Animal rights activist John “Jack” London. Most of these critically acclaimed books have retained considerable popularity throughout the decades since they were written. Be it a novel of a wild wolf who finds love in a man, or a journalist lost at sea, forced into the service of a cruel sea captain. Jack London and his books have captivated readers for over a century, and will probably continue as classics for many years to come.

Jack London’s use of descriptive language is great. You can really make out what the characters look like. For example “the centipede" he describes him as a man who is lanky and tall which is the reason why he is nicknamed the centipede. Also there is "the porous" he is names that for is ability to swim really well in water. He is also a short man.

Secret Journeys of Jack London is a combination of a classic and contemporary paranormal novel series by award winning novelists Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden. The first novel in the series was the 2011 published The Wild, a novel that went on to become a fan favorite as it reintroduced the Jack London character to audiences in a unique perspective never before attempted. With the first novel in the series garnering much critical acclaim and fans clamoring for more, the two novelists published two more titles in the series to make it a trilogy in 2013. With both authors asserting that they read Jack London’s The Call of the Wild in their childhood it is not surprising that they write a very accomplished even if fictional autobiography of