Similarities Between A Mystery Of Heroism And To Build A Fire

Realism, the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly. The two stories being compared are; “A Mystery of Heroism”, by Stephen Crane, and “To Build a Fire”, by Jack London. The author’s purpose and focus of this era, was to show the sacrifice and struggle that many humans make. The first story, A Mystery of Heroism, was about a lieutenant in the army who was thirsty. He went across the battlefield to fetch water. When he returned, his comrades spilled all of the water. The next story, To Build a Fire, was about a man following a trail in the wilderness in 75 degree below zero weather. He was looking for the shelter where his boys were waiting. He has a dog with him, and ends up freezing to death. His luck of building a fire runs out. These stories are from the Realism era, and there are many similarities between the two. “Suddenly there was an oath, the thud of wood on the ground, and a swift murmur of astonishment from the ranks. The bucket lay on the ground”(Crane 492). The bucket of water that Collins

Each of the characters fear death, and take on a conflict. One risks his life to get a sip of water, and his comrades spill it before he gets any. Another is hiking in below zero temperatures, and falls through the ice with water up to his knees. He ends up freezing to death. The author’s purpose of writing the story, was to tell of the sacrifices one makes. Also, the stories end in similar ways, never the way the situation was supposed to end. Another lesson that can be learned, is overcoming a fear. One overcame the fear of being shot, and the other died with dignity after losing his fear of death. These can relate to today by telling how one can make a big sacrifice, and someone can do something selfish to make that sacrifice worthless. It can also relate to bravery, and teach us confidence. Although your goal seems reasonable, it may not always be