Stories of realism have no once upon a time or happily ever after. It is realistic, lays feelings aside, and tells the truth about how life really is. Authors of realism stories are all interested in the same thing, exposing the truth about the world. Every realism story has a struggle, and instead of giving each story a happy ending, authors use a detached tone to explain that bad things do happen in life. In the stories The Jungle, “The Men in the Storm,” and “To Build a Fire,” the authors display realism by describing the struggle against overwhelming odds, the gritty details, and an unemotional tone.
In “To Build a Fire” the author displays many aspects of realism, one of which includes a struggle. In the story, the man is trying to start a second fire all the while “ his exposed fingers are going numb ” and he has to drive “the thought of freezing feet, and nose, and cheeks, out of his mind, devoting his whole soul to the matches.”(340) The author tells us about the seriousness of the situation and explains how desperately the man wants the
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People face everyday struggles just as the people in “The Men in the Storm”. He describes the people as “huddling in close bunches in an effort to keep warm” and “fumbling in their pockets to get their red, inflamed wrists covered by the cloth.” The author is showing the severity of the situation and describing how cold and desperate the people are. Not to mention, the author uses everyday speech to explain how the people in poverty react with one another, and to their situation. As the people are waiting to get into the shelter they push and shove each other until a man near the door yelled “Le’ me out-le’ me out!” and another said, “Quit yer shovin, yeh”. Through this, the author shows us the theme of survival of the fittest. In the harsh situation, the people do not care about one another and would do whatever it takes to get into the