Humanity's Natural Obligation In The Road And To Build A Fire

Adrian Rodrigo

Mrs. Sanei

Honors American Voices

4/20/23

Humanity’s Natural Obligations: Purpose in The Road and to build a Fire.

Everyone has responsibilities. Humanity has various set “natural obligations” that all people must follow, this includes taking care of family, friends, and nature. Cormac McCarthy, author of the novel, The Road, husband, and father of two. McCarthy contains natural obligations in his life and shows examples in his novel. Furthermore, Jack London, author of the short story, To Build a Fire, husband of Charmian London at the time he wrote the story, and owner of his dog Jack. London had many important people in his life and many natural obligations as did McCarthy. Both authors use their personal life as inspiration

London emphasizes this was due to his ignorance regarding nature’s power and due to his unpreparedness to travel throughout the forest. For example,

"But all this—the mysterious, far-reaching hair-line trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all—made no impression on the man. It was not because he was long used to it. He was a newcomer in the land, a chechaquo, and this was his first winter" (London 3).

London shows how the man is new to adventuring throughout the land and his lacks experience and understanding of the natural world along with the consequences surrounding this. Additionally, London illustrates that when the man fails to oblige to his natural obligation, it leads to his inevitable downfall. This is essential because,

"London shows that the natural world is indifferent to human desires and ambitions and that humans must respect its power and unpredictability. His lack of respect for nature and his failure to prepare adequately for the extreme cold is a clear example of how nature can easily overcome humans who fail to acknowledge their natural obligations”

In the text it is shown that the man is scared. London illustrates this through the motif of nature. For example, when

“The thought of it drove him on, but he ran no more than a hundred feet, when he staggered and pitched headlong. It was his last panic. When he had recovered his breath and control, he sat up and entertained in his mind the conception of meeting death with dignity" (London 1).

London's ability to have complex psychological with his direct writing style is crucial for him to emphasize that the man's realization that he is close to death underscores the natural obligation that human beings must confront their mortality and accept their place in the natural world. "The landscape in 'To Build a Fire' is as much a character as the man and the dog... The descriptions are sparse and unadorned, but they have the power to create a sense of dread and danger” (Scott). The writing style of London illustrates the enviorment as a character, putting an emphasis on how important nature is and the natural obligation to respect it. Additionally, both quotes put an emphasis on how London's writing style conveys the harshness and danger of the Yukon wilderness through its sparse and unforgiving descriptions along with the feelings described with the