Setting In Jack London's To Build A Fire

Myles Miller Ms. Potter ELA 2A CP/3rd Period October 16, 2017 Impact of Setting on “To Build a Fire” Nature has always created conflicts for man. Often this test is to conquer nature. Whether it be extreme temperatures or lack of experience, man often learns a lot about himself through this struggle. In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” a man is trying to hike the Yukon trail in the search of gold but instead gets stopped by the cold temperatures. In “To Build a Fire” the setting has an impact on the character, the plot, and the symbols of the story. One way the setting has an impact involves the characters. First, the cold weather is a major challenge for the man. “The numbness lay hold of his cold fingers” (4). This piece of evidence demonstrates

“It was colder than 50 below meant eighty odd degrees of frost.” (1). This piece of evidence shows how cold the Yukon can get with and or without the sun shining. The cold weather has 1 more challenge for the man. “He began threshing his arms back and forth, beating the mittened hands against his sides. HE did this for five minutes, violently, and his heart pumped enough blood up to the surface to put a stop to his shivering” (6). This piece of evidence shows that it is so cold that he lost feeling in his hands which are covered by mittens. It also shows how hard the man must try to get the blood pumping to his body. The setting has an impact on the character, but it also has an impact on the plot. The setting has an impact on the plot too. For example, the author creates suspense at the beginning of the story. “There was no sun nor hint of sun, though there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things . . .” (1). This piece of evidence uses the word “pall” and creates a sense of suspense in the exposition because the word suggests that death is near. The second example, “He had felt the give under his feet and heard the crackle of a snow-hidden ice-skin”