Jack London's To Build A Fire

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“It was a clear day. However, there seemed to be an indescribable darkness over the face of things” (64). Jack London gives subtle hints in “To Build a Fire” as to why the human race should never take the power of nature for granted. The ignorant traveling man, the instinctive wolf dog, and the unforgiving Yukon trail all warn us of this idea. London writes about the man traveling as if he is ignorant, prideful and overly confident in his ability to navigate the Yukon trail. This man, hoping to strike it rich by mining logs from the Yukon is inexperienced and ill equipped for this journey. An old man from Sulfur Creek warned him not to be traveling in this weather during this part of winter. Temperatures outside were reaching 50 degrees below …show more content…

He shows that even the manliest of men all have weaknesses. Pride being the man’s weakness in “To Build a Fire.” From the very beginning the temperature alone should have been a sign to the man that he was not fully prepared to take on the task alone or without proper equipment. The man’s face and hands were brought up through out the story of how they were cold and numb. The snow on the trail was thick, and looked to had been untouched for a month by a sled or foot. The man tries several times to start a fire but is unable to due to his decline in physical health and mental status. “He realized that is was no longer a mere problem of freezing his fingers and toes, or of losing his hands and feet. Now it was a problem of life and death with the circumstances against him” (77). By the man being unprepared and inexperienced he did not know the proper place to start a fire, ultimately leading to its extinguishment upon each attempt. After three attempts at starting a fire, the Yukon’s harsh environment was just too much for the man’s body and mind to bear. The combination of the weather and the man’s pride would eventually lead to his

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