To Build A Fire

“To Build a Fire” “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a wonderfully written story with great imagery, theme, and connection to the author's life. In “To Build a Fire” a man and dog set out across the Yukon just as a cold snap is setting in, despite being warned by an oldtimer that it wasn’t safe. The temperature continues to plummet and the man stops to build a fire and eat lunch. He continues on and falls into water up to his knees. Knowing he needs to warm up he tries to build a fire but fails and freezes to death. The fantastic imagery, theme, and connection to the author's life in Jack London’s story “To Build a fire” makes it the best short story. Foremost, “To Build a Fire” is a great literary work because of its amazing imagery. Jack London artfully paints the story with his use of the english language. For example, Jack London describes the setting, “The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of this ice

During the Klondike gold rush Jack London got caught up in the excitement of the prospect of gold. An article on “Literary Traveler” says “Like millions of other Americans, London was desperate...Borrowing money from his step-sister, he set sail for the Klondike, confident of making his fortune”(Haigh). Jack London was a newcomer in the Yukon like the man in the story. Furthermore, Jack London experienced some of the problems that come with the cold of the Yukon. While many prospectors worked to avoid going through the rapids, Jack London decided to save time and chance the rapids(McSherry). Like the man in the story, London decided that he knew better than those that had gone before and had more experience. The author's time in the Yukon makes “To Build a Fire” a more realistic and accurate story. In conjunction with the author’s connection to the story, the themes of “To Build a Fire” make it a magnificent short