Facing Danger In Jack London's To Build A Fire

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Facing Danger “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, is a short story that describes a man journeying through the Yukon, who due to his inexperience and lack of respect for the environment, encounters some obstacles that lead the man to many struggles to fight nature. While describing the opposite of the harsh nature and character disobedience before the power of nature, the writer puts the reader in the shoes of the main character of the story. This leads the reader to think of how they can solve or face the harsh conditions of nature. Through the main character, Tom Vincent, the author proves one should not travel alone in harsh weather with egotism and with an inability to face the dangers of nature. The young man left Calumet Camp on the Yukon “on a bleak January day” in weather conditions so bad “The frost was sixty-degrees below zero, and he had thirty miles of lonely trail to cover, but he did not mind” (Jack London, par.3-4). Even though he is a newcomer in this land, he apparently has no fear in having to travel thirty miles to his destination. The extreme cold does not make the man meditate upon mortality. He continues his journey to the camp with enthusiasm and joy. He does not worry about the danger that can occur on his journey. However, he still departs thinking he …show more content…

Man is not more powerful than the power of nature and should never go against nature. Do not depart on a journey without listening to others when they have experienced the hardships and know what they are talking about. Do not consider too good to not listen to others’ advice. Through the main character, I can see myself in it. The egotism, even not as much as the character in this story, but has still caused me to fail many times in my life. I wish after reading this story, for the reader to have learned a valuable lesson to help prevent this from happening in their