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Who Is Shelbite In Jack London's To Build A Fire?

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Snap! Your finger just broke off with no trouble at all. Extreme cold poses the problem of frostbite for your extremities. In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,”the man learned this the hard way. The unnamed man undertakes the daunting task of traveling alone through the snow-covered Yukon despite the frigid temperatures. Traveling alone, ice traps, and building a fire under a tree are three poor decisions that cost the man his life. Ice traps are the first thing that brings about the man’s tragic demise. These deceptive traps are pools of water that are hidden beneath a thin layer of ice and snow. “And to get his feet wet in such a temperature meant trouble and danger” (London 85). Even with careful examination of the creek, the man proceeded to cross. The thin ice crumpled beneath his feet and the water covered his legs to just below his knees. A chilled block of ice formed around his legs. Frostbite is nothing to mess around with, and the man knew that he must deal with this inconvenience, but did not have a sense of urgency, which led to his frozen death. While the man did not realize the magnitude of his mistake, it resulted in a domino effect that would prove to be fatal. …show more content…

The man knew that his only hope for survival was based around thawing out his icebound legs. This meant that he must build a fire in order reach his intended destination and outlast the Yukon cold.With his fingers and toes on the verge of being frostbitten the man got a fire started. But then it happened. Packs of snow cascaded down the branches of the powdered spruce. “It grew like an avalanche, and it descended upon the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out!” (London 85). The fire’s light like a beacon hope, suddenly vanished along with his life. “It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death” (London 85). The man knew that his foolish mistake could possibly cost him

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