To Build A Fire Mood

The beautiful yet deadly Yukon winter is a dangerous place for a lonely traveler. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” depicts such a beautiful yet dangerous place. In this story, a man must travel a long distance across the frozen tundra and risk freezing to death in the elements. However, this man is not familiar enough with his environment to understand the danger he faces. Throughout this short story, the author uses specific word choices, or diction, to create a somber, fatalistic, and irate mood.

The narrator begins the story with a detailed description of the setting, which creates a somber mood: “It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of the sun” (London 80). Although the narrator begins the sentence with the description of a clear day, he contradicts the idea with use of certain phrases, such as “intangible pall” and “subtle gloom.” These phrases suggest the setting is enveloped in darkness which coincides with the definition of somber. In

He did not put the mitten on, but, instead struck the fingers a dozen sharp smashes against his leg” (London 86). To support the story, the narrator describes the man’s pain as “sharp” and uses words like “exposed” and “numb” to illustrate the condition of his fingers. Usage of words such as these helps readers develop a clearer picture in their minds which contributes to setting and imagery. This quote also agrees with the foreshadowing of a fatalistic accident seeing that the elements of a Yukon winter caused. Accordingly, London used diction as a catalyst for the plot and forebodes the end of the passage, which results in the death of the