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Jack London's To Build A Fire

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Recommended: Synopsis of to build a fire by jack london

Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” consists of three essential elements that contribute in making this story phenomenal. These elements include a strong setting, unforeseeable plot, and a riveting conflict. London uses a plot that is unpredictable which builds the story towards the climax. The setting and conflict create a harsh and hazardous environment for the man.
The setting in this story is the primary reason behind the conflict in this story. The story takes place in the Yukon wilderness where an unnamed man and his husky dog are travelling. The dangerously cold temperature of the Yukon Trial gives the reader a vivid description of the challenges the man will soon face. The setting is an important element because it portrays a dark and gloomy mood which assists the reader to anticipate the outcome and gain insight on what is to come. …show more content…

The plot is about an unnamed man who travels on the Yukon Trial to meet his friends, but ends up dying because of the cold weather. London incorporates suspense in the plot when the man builds the fire under a pine tree that is covered in snow. The suspense in the story adds tension and excitement, which is why the plot is considered an essential element. The story’s climax occurs when the trees twigs collapse on fire and the man starts to give up because his body is worn out so he is no longer capable of accomplishing anything to survive. Furthermore, London adds twist and makes the plot thrilling when his character decides to kill his dog out of desperation so he can put his hands inside the dog’s skin to keep them

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Throughout history man has had countless deadly interactions with nature, but man will never be able to defeat nature. In the literature by Jack London, the article, by University of Washington and Robert Service we can learn about some of the few times that man has lost against nature. In all of these stories the Man vs. Nature conflict is apparent to anyone reading these stories. In “To Build a Fire,” Klondike Gold Rush, and “The Cremation of Sam McGee” these writings have many similarities in its treatment of conflict as well as the differences. In all of these readings the weather is harsh and very cold.

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This supports the fact that man cannot control or conquer nature and bend it to his will; he tried to light up drowned matches, forces the dog to go against its instincts, and makes his move to kill the humble creature, all of which ultimately fail. London uses pathos to appeal to the readers’ emotion and support his decision to kill the unnamed man for unruly behavior, where he utilizes oxymoron with the line, “with this new-found peace of mind came the first glimmerings of drowsiness” (London), meaning that the man achieved peace when he accepted his own death, to put the man to

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In the plot, the story starts off with the man walking with his dog to find a camp where his friends are. He was not used to cold weather, so he thought that he would be okay with one stop, which we learn later that was not a wise choice. The man seems very dumb to think that one stop with a fire would be enough for the long journey. By listening to the old man when he left, he could have avoided a lot of situations by doing this.

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London shows that the newcomer’s reckon to defeat is beyond his power. His stubborn way of life leads his body to numbness after walking a few ways in the freezing snowed out Yukon; his unrealistic perspectives lead him suffering to get warmth. “Once in a while the thought reiterated itself that it was very cold and that he had never experienced such cold.” (129) Knowing that a man had “never experienced such cold” leaves the readers visualizing how cold this newcomer may be. “He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until the numbness went out of them.

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The author, Jack London, personifies Buck and gives him thoughts as if he was a human. This helps the reader by telling the reader what Buck is thinking about in every scenario in the book. 2. Characters Buck is a dog that is stolen from his owner and put into working fields. In his new location, Buck had to work through icy fields and had to endure this work and frequent beatings.

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Comparing The Man And Dog In Jack London's To Build A Fire

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From this you can see that the man and dog share many different and similar thoughts on their journey through the Yukon Trail. The man and dog think differently in some situations like when the man or chechaquo(New comer) was trying to kill the dog. The man and dog also think similarly in other situations like, they both have the same idea of survival. For example, the man and dog both think the same about the fire. Therefore, the man and dog have different and similar thoughts while strugglings to get to the other side of camp were the boys

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“The call of the wild” is written in third person (limited omniscient). The narrative is really centered on Buck the dog. London goes inside Buck's head so we get a key point of view filtered through a human voice. We get to know all of Buck's emotional states, desires, pain.... London also pulls back out of Buck's mind at times so we can experience a bigger picture his existence.

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The short story, To Build A Fire by Jack London demonstrates the man’s powerlessness compared to the forces of nature. It is the man’s ego that prompts him to challenge nature by embarking on the journey while he understands well that he will encounter the full wrath of extreme weather condition. Additionally, the man 's powerlessness is seen in the setting of the action, his lack of identity and the author 's depiction of the mightiness of nature. Besides, the protagonist effort to overcome nature is faced with equal efforts from the latter to defeat him as seen in his failure to light a fire. It is for these reasons that this paper maintains that the story, To Build A Fire by Jack London, is a true manifestation of the conflict between man and nature and which although the former initiate he losses to the latter in

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