Since the existence of mankind, the world has observed nature’s immense force. When pondering of some of nature’s most cruel behaviors tornados, earthquakes, and hurricanes are the first to come to mind. Although these natural disasters usually result in a plethora of casualties they are not the only fatal aspects of nature. In the Short story “To Build a fire” you observe a man and his companion, a dog, journeying through the frigid Yukon. The man relies on reason to overcome the many predicaments he finds himself in throughout the expedition. Through the use of dramatic irony, we see as the man chooses what is most convenient rather what is safest, this ultimately leads to his death, while the dog, using instinct, remains alive.
In the opening
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When the pair come to a place where the man is not sure of the sturdiness of the ice he tries to compel the dog foreword onto the ice, the animal sensing the danger resists, and is pushed vigorously upon the thin ice by the man. The animal swiftly falls through the ice, wetting his feet and forelegs before finding his footing and stumping out, the man briefly helping the animal. Donald Pizer, professor of English Emeritus at Tulane University, states that, “London Introduces into the narrative two specific ways in which the adverse conditions of the Artic can be survived. One is represented by the dog (also unnamed) accompanying the man…The dog a native husky, in addition to knowing better than to be traveling in the cold snap, is better adapted to survive its rigors, and indeed does so.”(Pizer 221) It is when the man is seated for lunch that he begins to recognize the numbness that occupied his hands, feet, and cheeks. He successfully sparks a fire and settles next to it to rest and eat his lunch before continuing his