Lack Of Knowledge In Jack London's To Build A Fire

Charles Moreland

English 2 p. 7

8 February 2023

Dr. Swenson

Is a lack of knowledge bad?

How important is knowledge of the natural world? The natural world is everywhere. Most of the time however we are not affected by whatever it must throw at us. However, in Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” the main character seeks out the harshest extremes of nature in the extreme cold of the Yukon. There are many times in the story where a strong and deep knowledge of the natural world and its effects on people would be very useful, fortunately, the main character has none of this knowledge, and this lack of knowledge eventually leads to disaster. In “To Build a Fire”, London argues humanity’s ignorance towards nature leads to disaster, as seen

The man believes it to be fifty degrees below zero and no more and that he would never have thought it to be colder. “As he turned to go on, he spat speculatively. There was a sharp, explosive crackle that startled him. He spat again. And again, in the air, before it could fall to the snow, the spittle crackled” (London 8). It is so incredibly cold that the man’s spit freezes mid-air before it lands in the snow. Also, when the spit freezes it is described as having a “sharp” and “explosive” crackle that startled him, indicating that it is likely much colder than negative fifty degrees. However, despite the spit freezing mid-air and even startling him, he does not stop but continues his walk in the snow showing his ignorance towards the cold. Furthermore, the man removed his hand from the glove and attempted to eat one of his biscuits. “He tried to take a mouthful, but the ice-muzzle prevented. He had forgotten to build a fire and thaw out. He chuckled at his foolishness, and as he chuckled he noted the numbness creeping into the exposed fingers” (London 11). The word choice that the man “chuckled” at his foolishness shows his deep misunderstanding of the true danger that he is in, as his breath is forming ice on his beard. The man also notes the numbness of feeling in his fingers after they have been out of the gloves for a short moment. His

The man removes his mitten after sitting on a log to eat one of his biscuits, but he realized a sharp stinging frost on his hand. “He did not put the mitten on, but, instead, struck the fingers a dozen sharp smashes against his leg” (London 11). The use of the phrase "sharp smashes" shows the intensity of the action and the frustration or anger that the man feels. This behavior shows the man's impulsivity or disregard for his comfort, as striking his fingers against his leg is not going to provide warmth. The man's poor attempt at warming his hand and his absolute disregard for logic and reason in a situation like this show his ignorance towards nature. Furthermore, the man holds the matches between his teeth and strikes them along his legs to light them. “As it flamed he held it with his teeth to the birch-bark. But the burning brimstone went up his nostrils and into his lungs, causing him to cough spasmodically. The match fell into the snow and went out” (London 14). The word choice of the man coughing "spasmodically" followed by the monotone description of the match falling shows the emotional changes in the man. It shows how he goes from extreme hope and anxiousness to massive disappointment. This quote conveys a sense of struggle and the man's difficulty in his attempts to start a fire. His failed