More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis of "to build a fire
Critical analysis of building fires
What conflicts did the character go through in order to build a fire
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and John Updike’s “A&P” were very different, but interesting stories. Both authors chose a different approach to their chosen tone. Updike wrote in a more laid back and entertaining way, while London, on the other hand, chose to write in a more formal and serious way. The authors also developed much different characters. London’s main character was much older and rugged than the complicated teenage girls and grocery clerk that Updike chose to focus his story around. The most significant difference, however, is the choice of conflict. Updike’s conflict was a simple one focusing on man versus man, but London’s story had many conflicts that dealt with much more serious issues like, for example, life and death.
From the beginning of both stories one can get an immediate sense of where each story is headed. The author’s very appropriately set the tone to each of their stories early on. The first sentence in London’s “To Build a Fire” said, “Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where a dim and little- traveled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland” (561). From that very first sentence the audience can immediately tell that this is going to be a dramatic story. The strong and descriptive language prepares us for the rest of the story. The beginning of Updike’s “A&P” sets a much different tone for the story to follow. He wrote, “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. I’m in the third checkout slot, with my back to the door, so I don’t see them until they’re over by the bread. The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece” (612). The beginning of this story has a relaxed and enjoyable tone. We, the audience, are now prepared for some easy reading.
Next, focusing on the characters, we see another big difference. London’s story had very few characters. London took his time and very descriptively developed his main character throughout the entire story. The story is periodically filled with bits about how the unnamed man feels and what he’s thinking. London paid very close attention to how his main character physically felt. For example, he wrote, “After a time he was aware of the first faraway sensation in his beaten fingers.
Wells, Walter. "John Updike's 'A & P'" Studies in Short Fiction, vol. 30, (1993) : Spring, pp. 127(7).
John Updike, who was 29 at the time when he wrote “A & P,” narrates his story from the point of view of a 19 year old boy. The narration of the story of “A & P” illustrates the scene of the grocery store in which the teenage boy, Sammy, is a cashier who witnesses everything that goes on during the day.
Wells, Walter. "John Updike's 'A & P': A Return Visit to Araby." Studies in Short Fiction 30.2 (Spring 1993): 127-133. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Anna J. Sheets. Vol. 27. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
In this essay I will discuss the short stories A&P by John Updike and Araby by James Joyce which share several similarities as well as distinct differences between the themes and the main characters. I will compare or contrast two or more significant literary elements from each of the stories and discuss how those elements contribute to each story’s theme.
Authors’ use of setting and point of view greatly affect a narrative because they form the readers’ image of the story. First person narration can cause questioning of the narrators reliability, but this bias view can help create more intimacy between the protagonist and the reader. A third person point of view is more objective and allows the author to create the voice of the narrative; the author shapes the story. Through whichever point of view, the author develops a setting. Setting provides tone for the story. A well-established setting can enhance the story’s overall meaning. The combination of setting and point of view in John Updike’s “A&P” helps develop the story’s emphasis on conformity versus nonconformity. Likewise, setting and
Porter, M. Gilbert. "John Updike's 'A & P': The Establishment and an Emersonian Cashier." English Journal 61 (Nov. 1972): 1155-1158. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Anna J. Sheets. Vol. 27. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.
Jack London has written a classic short story in the 1908 version of "To Build a Fire." This is the classic story of man fighting nature. In most genres (e.g. movies, novels, short stories) the main character comes out on top, however unlikely that is. Jack London takes literary naturalism and shows the reader how unmerciful nature is. Much like Stephen Crane in "The Open Boat," in which the one of the characters dies, London doesn't buy into that "has to have a good ending" contrivance. Through analysis of two London's letters (to R.W. Gilder and Cloudesly Johns) these two versions of "To Build a Fire" come alive with new meaning. Although there are many differences on the surface, both stories use his philosophy as expressed to Johns and both teach a moral lesson, one which will not soon be forgotten: "Never travel alone."
...ne that when reading from an objective point of view the audience is able to place themselves in a similar position as the man. A story about man without a name and a face to visualize leaves only his personality for the readers to connect with. In “To Build a Fire” the man’s determination is the character of the story, through all the events that transpire he is still willing to meet his friends, “the boys”, by six o’clock. Although it took another writer’s opinion to help me comprehend the true intentions of London’s “To Build a Fire”, my appreciation for the piece has grown along with my understanding of what sets naturalism apart from other writing styles.
In ‘To Build a Fire”, the author, Jack London creates a tale that reflects his voyage in the Klondike gold rush as a miner in the glacial and cold terrain of Alaska and Canada during 1897 to 1898. The short story is about an unnamed man who takes his own journey through the Yukon in Alaska, where the temperature is 75 degrees below zero. The man and his dog, a husky, set out for their journey on an exceeding cold and gray day. Although he never reaches his destination, the unnamed man faces many obstacles throughout his journey that portray the characteristics of a hero; this can be shown through his persistence, independence and knowledge.
Updike is famous for taking other author's works and twisting them so that they reflect a more contemporary flavor. While the story remains the same, the climate is singular only to Updike. This is the reason why there are similarities as well as deviations from Joyce's original piece. Plot, theme and detail are three of the most resembling aspects of the two stories over all other literary components; characteristic of both writers' works, each rendition offers its own unique perspective upon the young man's romantic infatuation. Not only are descriptive phrases shared by both stories, but parallels occur with each ending, as well (Doloff 113).
McFarland, Ronald E. "Updike and the Critics: Reflections on 'A&P.'" Studies in Short Fiction 20.2-3 (1983): 95-100.
In the stories written by John Updike and Jamaica Kincaid, both are completely different in terms of plot and the manner in which each were written, however through the elements of character and theme, the two can be closely associated to one another. By looking further into stories one will find that there is usually more than what meets the eye as illustrated in “Girl” and “A&P.”
The short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a comprehensive story that tackles the struggles of a newcomer trying to survive a day in the Yukon with very harsh and cold weather. The man travels with a big native husky and tries many times to build a fire but fails due to his inadequate personality. The man repeatedly lets his ignorance and arrogance dictate his decisions which soon leads to his demise. The theme of the short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is that being ignorant, arrogant and foolish can lead to bad decisions.
Reading Updike's sentences is a breathtaking experience. He has a rare ability to transpose ordinary experiences into rarefied grounds without falsely heightening experiences themselves. Each sentence, each event in the novel is carefully considered and calibrated, so that no sentence or description seems wasteful. The technical facility of Updike is truly something to marvel at, even surpassing the lyricism of Cheever. The way he writes about sex, adultery and guilt in this book is unparalleled in 20th century American fiction, and I haven't seen any other writer come close.
People face conflicts every day of their lives. We all come across at least one incident in our lives that is challenging and we are baffled on what decision is to be made. Such conflicts may be an inner-conflict, a conflict between oneself and nature, a conflict between oneself and another person, oneself and God, or one and society. This paper will describe an incident in my life involving a conflict.