Pride In Jack London's To Build A Fire

Jack London’s short story “To Build A Fire” shows that valuing your pride too much can lead to harm, particularly in unsafe environments. The protagonist of this story is a man who is a newcomer to the Klondike region and is traveling during his first winter there, accompanied only by a native husky. He faces various challenges on his journey, including snowy -75 degrees fahrenheit weather and frozen river “traps”. However, his blatant sense of pride eliminates some of his instincts and common sense, including fear and the comprehension of danger. For instance, as the man journeys through the treacherously cold environment, he processes the weather in a very arrogantly ignorant way, because for him, “Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd

This pride of his does not allow him to consider the possibility that nature is a more powerful force than he is. He deals with the cold with mere “mittens, ear-flaps, warm moccasins, and thick socks” (London 2). His value of pride cause ignorance in the aspect of knowing his limits and admitting his faults as a human. Humanity itself is a mere drop of water compared to the sea of universal power the force of nature is. However, instead of the fear that should have been provoked within the man, he faces nature with his logic and dubious tidbits of experience. His overbearing mind even presents to him the prejudice that his previous experiences in warmer climates would bear enough knowledge to overcome nature’s challenge. Due to his pride, the protagonist refuses to admit his own weakness as a mere human, and instead sets off and continues on with his mission despite the obvious danger that the fierce weather

People usually suffer the consequences of these traits eventually at least at one point in their lives. The story’s plot and tragic ending shows that these traits can leave humanity susceptible to danger. The ignorance to danger and the overconfidence of the man is applicable to many of the views on worldwide issues today. For instance, to somewhat resonate with the power of nature expressed in the harsh weather in “To Build a Fire”, global warming can be considered. Many people remain ignorant to the issue, or put up a “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” attitude. However, they do not realize that we had already partially crossed that bridge as soon as the effects of global warming were beginning to show, much like the man being unaware of the danger that began when he first entered the Klondike trail. Others have confidence that we will survive the ordeal, because of how intelligent and strong humanity has evolved. However, nature is a force that cannot be fought with mere logic and humanity’s feeble sturdiness alone, as the man also soon figures