I believe that Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire”, is the quintessential piece to describe naturalism. The idea that humans cannot control their own fate as much as they think they can, is the principle of naturalism. It shows how humans have to be cautious, because at any time death could be there waiting for them to make a mistake. Naturalist view the world as it is, for good or bad. You’re on your own. Survive or die, that’s naturalism. Naturalism surfaced during the time of the Gilded Age. “The increase of industrialization meant, despite the increasing labor force, real wages in the US grew 60% from 1860 to 1890, and continued to rise after that. However, the Gilded Age was also an era of poverty as very poor European immigrants poured in” (Gilded Age). “In his heart and sympathies Jack London was a socialist; he could not forget the sufferings of his past. But in his mind and actions he struggled…he could not forget his achievements. Jack London's adventures was his struggle to become a writer,” (A Short Jack London Biography). “His …show more content…
The man is naïve to what nature holds. In London’s book, he even states that, “The trouble with him was that he was not able to imagine. He was quick and ready in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in their meanings” (London 65). The man refused to listen to several signs of danger that were provided for him, so “At a place where there were no signs, the man broke through [the frozen creek]. It was not deep. He was wet to the knees before he got out of the water to the firm snow” (71). He did not take into consideration that nature does not care until, “There was the fire, promising life with every dancing flame…He should not have built the fire under the pine tree…High up in the tree one branch dropped its load of snow…The snow fell without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was dead.”