Jack London To Build A Fire Analysis

The cold, hard ground of the Yukon have little effect on the mindset of one man hell bent on conquering it. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” takes place in the freezing atmosphere of the Yukon where the unnamed protagonist attempts to reach a camp near a place called Henderson Creek. He fears nothing in the face of this extreme climate, unlike his canine companion, who is weary of travelling in such a cold place. Unwilling to heed its fears, or even the advice of a wise old man whom he met at Sulfur Creek, the man continues onward to hike for several hours in the hopes of reaching this camp. The weather grows colder, and the man starts to lose feeling in his hands and fingers. Events turn to disaster as quickly as the snow falls in the Yukon

As a rough and burly man, he is also described as being "without imagination" (para. 3), or that “He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances" (para. 3). When given an endless amount of hints from the nature of the Yukon, the man ignores the significance of each one, thinking merely that it’s simply cold outside and not mortally dangerous in any way. He has the mindset to travel the Yukon in hopes of reaching a camp on Henderson Creek. A camp with warm fires, more than a mouthful to eat, and the companionship of his friends to await him. He recalls meeting a wise old man from Sulphur Creek a long time ago, the old man once told him that it was dangerous to travel alone in the Yukon given its frightening weather and whatnot. The old man is somewhat portrayed as the opposite of the protagonist, in the fact that he understands the underlying significance of what happens around him and takes it into consideration with his actions. Along with the old man from Sulphur Creek, the protagonist has a companion with him as he travels. His companion is described as a "big native husky, the proper wolf dog, gray-coated and without any visible or temperamental difference from its brother the wild wolf" (para. 6). This wolf dog companion is another representation of a knowing wisdom that is ignored by the protagonist, but it is also a representation of what the protagonist lacks in terms of what is needed to survive in his travels. The protagonist was warned that the temperatures of the Yukon could reach around negative seventy five degrees, but the dog does "not know anything about thermometers" (para. 6). Rather, the "brute [listens to] its instinct" (para. 6), which tells it not to travel on such a cold day. The protagonist does possess any form of these instincts, which is a clear