to build a fire jack london essay

To Build a Fire

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To Build a Fire

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Summary and Study Guide

Summary: “to build a fire”.

“To Build a Fire” is a short story by American writer Jack London. It was published in Century Magazine in 1908, and this guide references the 1908 edition. An earlier version of the story was published in Youth’s Companion in 1902. It is one of London’s many adventure stories based in the Klondike, where he prospected as a young man. There are six film versions of the story.

The story is set during the 1890s gold rush in the Klondike region of the Yukon. At daybreak, an unnamed man turns off the main Yukon trail to follow a seldom-used trail through spruce timberland. It is winter and the sky is clear, but there is no sun. In a few days, the sun will again appear above the horizon.

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He looks back at the path of the Yukon river, which is covered with several feet of ice and snow. In the distance, he sees the “dark hair-line” (1) that is the main trail. The man is unmoved by the landscape. As a “newcomer in the land” (2), his unaffectedness is not attributable to experience. Rather, he is not imaginative. He is “quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances” (2). It is far below freezing, but this doesn’t compel him to consider his own human frailty.

Carrying onward, the man spits, and it freezes before hitting the ground. He’s on his way to a prospector camp, “where a fire would be going, and a hot supper would be ready” (2). He has his lunch tucked against his skin and smiles when he thinks about taking a break to eat it. His lunch is the only thing he carries.

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A large husky follows behind the man. The dog’s instinct tells it that it is too cold to be traveling. It is 75 degrees below zero. The dog expects the man to find shelter and start a fire. The dog’s fur and the man’s beard are both frosted. The man chews tobacco. When he spits, the juice remains on his chin and turns his beard amber. He checks his watch and calculates that his pace is four miles per hour. At 12:30 pm he should arrive at the forks, where he plans to eat lunch.

There are no tracks on the trail. It has been a month since anyone has followed this path. The man acknowledges that he has never felt such intense cold. He uses his mittened hand to rub his exposed nose and cheeks, but they again go numb as soon as he stops rubbing. He doesn’t consider frosted cheeks to be a serious health concern.

The man notes the subtle changes in the snow-covered creek’s formation and is careful where to place his feet as he walks. He knows there are springs that bubble up and could cause him to step through the ice and into water. This is a great danger and compels him to walk carefully.

Two hours pass and he continues to look for signs of under-ice pools. At one point, he senses this danger and tries to coax the dog into walking in front of him. The dog won’t do it, so the man pushes it forward. The ice breaks, and the dog’s legs get wet. The dog’s instinct compels it to lick away the ice. The man helps to remove the ice from the dog’s fur.

It is noon and there is still no sun; the day is as bright as it will be. The man arrives at the forks and is pleased with his pace. He is confident he will make it to camp by six o’clock that evening. He pulls out his lunch, exposing his fingers, which quickly become numb. He tries to eat his biscuit, but his “ice-muzzle” (6) prevents him from biting into it. Because he has stopped moving, his toes go numb inside his moccasins. He stamps his feet and waves his arms until feeling returns. He remembers an old man who warned him about how cold it could get in this country. Though he laughed at the man, he now realizes the truth of his words. He builds a fire and thaws his face over it. The dog enjoys the fire while the man eats his biscuit.

The man continues down the trail, much to the disappointment of the dog, who wants to remain near the fire. The man’s ancestry doesn’t instill in him a true understanding of the cold; however, the dog’s lineage does provide this understanding. The dog is essentially the man’s slave and does not care about the man’s welfare. The man makes whipping sounds, compelling the dog to follow him away from the fire.

The man’s foot breaks through the ice, and he becomes wet halfway to the knees. He is angered because this will delay his arrival in camp by an hour. He climbs up an embankment and starts a fire. Because his feet are wet, he is in serious danger; therefore, he “work[s] slowly and carefully” (8) at the fire’s construction. Failure to construct an adequate fire could lead to his death. 

He has to take off his mittens to build the fire. Because he is no longer walking briskly, his blood circulation weakens, and his extremities quickly go numb. His wet feet are beginning to freeze, and his nose and cheeks are already frozen.

The fire is now burning, making the man feel safe. He recalls the old man’s advice that no one should travel alone across the Klondike when the temperature is colder than 50 below zero. He feels proud that, despite this advice, he has saved himself and is successfully making the transit by himself. His fingers are “lifeless” (10), and he struggles to hold a twig. He starts to remove his ice-covered moccasins, but from above the over-weighted tree boughs dump snow on the fire, snuffing it out. He realizes that removing twigs from the lower branches had caused the avalanche of snow to fall.

The man feels “as though he ha[s] just heard his own sentence of death” (10). He now understands that he should have followed the old man’s advice about not traveling alone across the Klondike. Though he figures he will lose some toes, he knows he must try to rebuild the fire. He’s losing dexterity in his fingers but manages to lift twigs and bits of moss. The dog watches, hoping for fire.

The man tries to pull a piece of birch bark from his pocket but cannot grip it. He uses his teeth to pull on his mittens and uses all his power to beat his hands against his sides. He feels envy when he sees the dog sitting in the snow, “its wolf-brush of a tail covered warmly over its forefeet” (11).

Sensation begins to return to the man’s fingers. He removes his hand from its mitten to grab the birch bark. He tries to light the bark, but his fingers are again numb, and he drops the matches into the snow. He “devot[es] his whole soul to the matches” (12). Because he no longer has a sense of touch, he tries to fully rely on his vision to retrieve the matches. He again puts on the mitten and scoops the matches into his lap.

The man manages to get a match to his mouth, which he finally manages to light by scraping it against his leg. However, the smoke goes into his nose, causing him to cough and drop the match, which falls to the snow and goes out. He again acknowledges that he should’ve listened to the old man’s advice about traveling with a partner.

In a desperate move, he removes his mittens and manages to get all his remaining matches into his hands. He scratches the matches against his leg and all 70 are ignited at the same time. Though he can’t feel his flesh burning, he can smell it. Deep below his skin, he starts to feel the pain. Still, he holds onto the matches and attempts to light the bark. His endurance fails and he drops the matches, which sizzle in the snow. However, the bark has been lit. He places twigs and dry grasses on the bark. A piece of moss falls directly into the flame. With shivering hands, he tries to poke it away, but he causes the fire to break apart and go out.

He looks at the dog, which “put[s] a wild idea into his head” (13). Recalling a survival story in which a man survived a blizzard by crawling into a steer’s carcass, he decides he will kill the dog and bury his hands inside its body for warmth. He calls the dog to him, but the dog senses the danger and does not obey the command. The man crawls toward the dog, and it moves away from him.

The man uses his mouth to put on his mittens and stands up. His standing position, as well as “the sound of whip-lashes in his voice” (14), compel the dog to come to him. The man reaches for the dog, but he has no feeling in his hands and cannot grab it. He uses his arms to hold the dog against him, and it struggles to get away. The man realizes that he has no means of killing the dog. Because he has no feeling in his hands, he cannot use his knife. He releases the dog, and it moves 40 feet away, where it watches him.

In an attempt to regain feeling, he again beats his hands against the side of his body. This doesn’t work and a fear of death becomes increasingly present. He becomes panicked and starts running along the trail. The dog follows him. He runs “blindly, without intention, in fear such as he had never known in his life” (15). He is no longer shivering and thinks about running all the way to camp. He also thinks that he will soon freeze to death. He clings to the hope that he will reach the boys and they will save him. In the back of his mind, the thought remains that “he would soon be stiff and dead” (15).

As he runs, it’s strange to him that he cannot feel his feet. He realizes he doesn’t have the endurance and starts stumbling. He sits down to rest and regain his energy. Surprisingly, he is no longer shivering. This briefly comforts him, but he then understands it is because he is becoming completely frozen. He imagines his frozen dead body and again starts running. The dog continues to follow him. The man falls and the dog looks at him, “curiously eager and intent” (16). The dog’s apparent well-being angers the man and he curses it.

The cold begins to fully consume him. He goes another 100 feet and falls, feeling “his last panic” (16). Resigning himself to death, he considers how to best die with dignity. He hopes to sleep his way into death, noting that there are worse ways to die than freezing. He imagines the boys finding his body, and then imagines himself alongside the boys when they make this discovery. In another vision, he tells the old man that he was right. He “drowse[s] off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known” (17). The dog waits for him until it realizes that no fire will be made. It catches the scent of death, howls under the stars, and makes its way toward camp, hoping to find others who will provide it with food and fire.

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Knowledge or Instinct? Jack London's “To Build a Fire”

Bound for the Klondike gold fields. Chilkoot Pass, Alaska.

Bound for the Klondike gold fields. Chilkoot Pass, Alaska.

Library of Congress

The man "was a newcomer in the land, a chechaquo , and this was his first winter." Jack London's startling, and even cold, observation of a man's foolish confidence in the face of nature's power forms the story "To Build a Fire." As the man and his animal companion take a less-traveled path to their Yukon camp, they step into a tale of wilderness survival and dire circumstances. London's stark, distanced portrayal is an excellent example of American literary naturalism. In this lesson, students will closely read "To Build a Fire," understand the use of narrative point of view, and debate the distinction between knowledge and instinct. Students can then learn about the elements of literary naturalism and how they relate to London's work.

Guiding Questions

What is the relationship of man and nature in London's short story "To Build a Fire"?

What is the difference between knowledge and instinct?

Learning Objectives

Analyze the relationship of man and nature in "To Build a Fire"

Evaluate London's juxtaposition of knowledge and instinct.

Articulate the significance of using a third person, omniscient point of view within the narrative.

Lesson Plan Details

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

  • Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and EDSITEment-reviewed websites. If necessary, download and print out any documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.
  • Students can access the story and some of the activity materials via the EDSITEment LaunchPad .
  • Read " To Build a Fire,"  an online version (1908 version) of London's story, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed University of Virginia's Center for Liberal Arts .
  • Browse the Jack London Collection (UC-Berkeley), a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed University of Virginia's Center for Liberal Arts . See in particular the biography of Jack London and the study questions for "To Build a Fire."
  • You may want to revisit the EDSITEment lesson Metaphorical Gold: Mining the Gold Rush for Stories for an introduction of Jack London in the Klondike.

Activity 1. Introducing London and Picturing the Scene

Introduce your students to Jack London's biography and place him in literary history, using the biographies and other information available in the "Preparing to Teach" section.

To give visual life to each story, ask students to explore the following images (you might consider breaking students up in groups depending on the number of computers available). Students have likely not read the stories yet, so you might have them read the first few paragraphs out loud to set the scene.

From Jack London Collection (a link from University of Virginia's Center for Liberal Arts):

  • Jack London in the Klondike

From Digital Classroom:

  • Over Chilkoot Pass

From Links to the Past (National Park Service)

  • Chilkoot and White Pass Mountains
  • White Pass Trail (from Postal Museum)
  • Dyea, Alaska
  • Chilkoot Pass
  • Rescue Attempt from a Crevice
  • The Trail over White Pass
  • Prospectors Hauling Sleds (shows rivers/creeks)
  • Chilkoot Pass  
  • Rescuing a Man Who Has Fallen Through Ice (William E. Meed Photographs)
  • Hunters around Campfire at Night
  • Thermometer Registering 68 degrees below
  • Men crossing ice bridge

Activity 2. Encountering the Wilderness

Assign students " To Build a Fire " to read and ask them to carefully describe the main character of the story—"the man"—in a brief character analysis assignment. You might provide some helpful starting questions, such as:

  • How would you describe the man in London's story?
  • How experienced is the man? Is he a novice? Prepared?
  • What does the man seem to think of his own abilities?
  • How does the man behave in relation to his environment?

Ask students to share their brief character assessments. After going over the basic characteristics of the man, turn students' focus to his relationship to the environment.

First read the opening of "To Build a Fire":

"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-travelled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland. It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o'clock. 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, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of sun. This fact did not worry the man. He was used to the lack of sun. It had been days since he had seen the sun, and he knew that a few more days must pass before that cheerful orb, due south, would just peep above the sky-line and dip immediately from view."

Ask students to point out some of the adjectives in this opening scene and write them down:

  • Little-travelled

Then discuss this opening scene with students, using the following guiding questions:

  • How would you describe the setting in this opening paragraph?
  • What is the mood of this opening paragraph?
  • How does this opening make you feel as a reader?
  • What is the man's reaction to the landscape?

Activity 3. The Narrator

Students may have noticed by now that the man is cheerfully unaware of the situation that he is in during the first section of the story. Ask students to point to specific passages that allow them to know this information. Students might point out, for example, that "the animal was depressed by the tremendous cold." They might also point out the man's recollection of how he laughed at the "that man from Sulphur Creek [who] had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country."

For an extended exercise, ask students to cut and paste the online version of the story in a word processing document. Using a highlighting tool, students can color code the narration as they are reading the story. [Note: students can conduct this activity with print copy of the story using one or two highlighter colors.] Ask students to mark each time the narrator

  • has knowledge unknown to the characters themselves
  • provides his own commentary

Ask students to refer to their color coding as you lead a class discussion, or have students spend ten minutes in group work finding appropriate passages in the text, considering the following questions:

  • Identify passages in the story where the narrator either has knowledge unknown to the characters themselves or where the narrator provides his own commentary.
  • How would you describe the tone of the narrator?
  • Does the narration foreshadow subsequent events? How?
  • How does the narrator feel about the character(s) at this point in the story?

Ask students what point-of-view the narrator is adopting in this story—first or third person? Students should be able to note that the narration is from a third-person perspective, since the narrator is not using "I" to describe him- or herself.

As a follow-up question, you might ask students to consider:

  • How would this passage be different if it were narrated via first person point of view? Would the story change?

During the course of this discussion, introduce students to the different kinds of third-person narration: limited and omniscient. Point out to students that limited third-person narration usually focuses on the thoughts of a single character in the story. Omniscient third-person narrative, on the other hand, has total access to the thoughts of all characters in the story, such as the case in "To Build a Fire" (where we know the thoughts of both the man and the dog).

You might refer students to the glossary entry for omniscient point of view . Ask students to discuss what effect having this omniscient knowledge has on the story. What would be different if the story's narrator only related the man's point-of-view? This question is a good way to segue into the next activity.

Activity 4. Knowledge and Instinct

Ask students to consider what it means "to build a fire." While initial responses may focus on notions of survival, students might recall the legend of Prometheus, or suggest the relationship of fire to knowledge. Ask students to revisit London's story and use the following chart to note passages that discuss knowledge and instinct. The shared space is available for those passages where the situation is unclear. For example, London writes: "Empty as the man's mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek …" This passage suggests a certain assumed kind of knowledge that, we discover later, did not prevent him from surviving his fall into the ice. Students should also pay attention to the dog's instincts.

After students have had some time to look for instances of knowledge and instinct, ask them to first compare the main character to the Sulphur Creek old-timer who gave advice. What are some key differences in their attitudes towards nature and their knowledge of nature?

Next ask students to compare the man and the dog:

  • How is the relationship between the man and the dog discussed at first?
  • What did the dog instinctively understand that the man did not?
  • How does the man and dog's relationship symbolize the man's relationship to his environment?

Students will likely point out that the man was initially established as the master of the dog. The narrator discussed the "whip lash" and the "harsh and menacing throat sounds" the man used towards the dog, which even convinced the dog to risk its life for the man. Students should be able to point out several passages that establish what the dog knew about the weather and landscape that was not obvious to the man. They should highlight a key passage:

"On the other hand, there was no keen intimacy between the dog and the man… so the dog made no effort to communicate its apprehension to the man."

Students might note that the dog in many respects symbolizes the natural landscape that surrounds them. Just as the man did not respect the dog, so too does the man fail to respect the world around him. Ask students to consider this suggestion as they reread the passage of the story that describes the struggle between the man and the dog. The man, freezing, attempts to kill the dog in order to steal its warmth, a futile struggle that is an apt symbol for the life and death struggle he is experiencing in the wilderness.

As students draw to the close of the story, ask them to consider the following questions:

  • What does the man's failure to "build a fire" symbolize?
  • Does the man have either knowledge or instinct?
  • Did the man finally gain knowledge at the end of the story?
  • What is the significance of the dog's final movement towards civilization at the end of the story? What does this suggest about the dog's relationship to nature? Is instinct driving this movement?

Ask students to consider in a brief essay how the third-person omniscient narrator enabled the author of the story to relate the struggle between man and nature, knowledge and instinct.

Selected EDSITEment Websites

  • " To Build a Fire "
  • biography of Jack London
  • study questions for "To Build a Fire."
  • White Pass Trail
  • Prospectors Hauling Sleds
  • Rescuing a Man Who Has Fallen Through Ice

Materials & Media

Knowledge of instinct: chart for jack london's "to build a fire", related on edsitement, investigating jack london's white fang : nature and culture detectives, jack london's the call of the wild : nature faker, jack london’s “to build a fire”, london's white fang.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — To Build a Fire — Jack London’s short story To Build a Fire

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Jack London's Short Story to Build a Fire

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Published: Feb 12, 2024

Words: 354 | Page: 1 | 2 min read

  • London, Jack. "To Build a Fire."

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to build a fire jack london essay

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Myself / Self Reflection

My Reflections Over To Build a Fire by Jack London

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Writers , Myself , Books

Jack London , Self Reflection , To Build a Fire

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Nature and Man in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London Essay

Introduction, nature and man, works cited.

Environmentalists have long theorized and contemplated many different methods to determine the effects of humanity’s innovative nature on the natural environment. However, there is a different view of nature and the story by Jack London named “ To Build A Fire ” is a theme that manifests the opposite notion. Here we find man and nature in a situation where nature becomes a deadly antagonist.

The theme of the story is the conflict between man and nature. This conflict includes the study of how humanity and the environment interact and what that can do to both the human condition as well as the condition of the environment in which humanity would fail to survive. (Robertson, 28) However, the struggle is reflected all over the story. It starts with the line, “ Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray ” (London, 301). The repetition of the adjectives that dines the day indicates the seriousness and severely difficult situation and the challenges the parson is about face. This description is then emphasized by indicating, “ There was no sun nor hint of sun …and that was due to the absence of sun .” (London, 301) Later, we find that the man is attempting to take help from nature in form of spruce trees and fire in order to counter nature. We find in the description that “ tangled in the underbrush about the trunks … dry, last-year’s grasses ”. (London, 306) This was another encounter between Man and nature. Here there was a possibility that the tree would provide him with firewood needed for the fire to keep him warm and dry in the midst of freezing cold. However, the possibility was diminished as there was thick layer of snow over the branches and that kept the fire from burning. It was evident that under such conditions the man would not survive in that below freezing temperature.

Though there is a character of a wolf dog, it can be stated that the dog is the link between man and nature or the manifestation of the achievement of the humankind. This is because; in the first place the humankind domesticated and tamed a wild and natural creature. However, at the end we find that the dog runs towards human settlement once the man dies to survive indicates that under such extreme condition a human being is alone in the mercy of the nature and all his accomplishments are of no help to him. “ A little longer it delayed, howling under the stars …where were the other food-providers and fire-providers .” (London, 312) This is a situation where man and nature are rivals of each other on neutral ground and without any help. The link of the dog also indicates the vitality of the theme. It is mentioned, “ The dog sat facing him …snow and make no fire .” (London, 312) The writer indicates that whatever the humankind has achieved is due to cunning strategy of bribery. The dog has been modulated from wolf in lure of easy food and shelter and the moment it is available the dog returns or withdraws help. (Cameron, 224) This is the most punishing sub-theme of the entire theme of struggle between man and nature.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the theme of the struggle between man and nature is a wonderful aesthetic approach. Nevertheless, to truly create something that gives off a strong aesthetic presence, one usually must feel some sort of emotional attachment to whatever it is writers are working on. Only then will one truly pour out everything from your heart and mind. (Lamb, 167) When one can accomplish this, one can create something with true aesthetic value with meaningful theme.

Cameron, Elaine. Making Sense of Nature . NY: Kogan Page Publishers, 2004.

Lamb, Davis. Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization . Wellington: National Book Trust, 2004.

London, Jack. “To Build A Fire”. Richard Fay (ed) Stories and storytellers . Fourth Ed. Wellington: BLT, 2006. P. 301-312

Robertson, Ian. Society: A Brief Introduction . New York: Worth Publishers, Inc, 1989.

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  1. To Build A Fire By Jack London English Literature Essay

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  2. To Build A Fire Summary & Analysis

    Analysis At dawn, the man turns aside from the main Yukon trail. He is a solitary hiker. There is no sun in the clear sky, as this northern part of Canada has not seen daylight in several days at this time of year.

  3. To Build a Fire, Jack London

    Clell T. Peterson (essay date 1966) PDF Cite Share SOURCE: "The Theme of Jack London's 'To Build a Fire,'" in American Book Collector, Vol. 17, No. 3, November, 1966, pp. 15-18. [ In the...

  4. To Build a Fire: Full Story Summary

    To Build a Fire Study Guide Study Guide Characters Full Story Summary The story begins with the unnamed main character, simply referred to as "the man," on the Yukon trail. He is in the middle of a cold and isolated setting. The ground is covered in snow, and it is −75 degrees F.

  5. "To Build a Fire" by Jack London

    "To Build a Fire" by Jack London Essay Exclusively available on IvyPanda Introduction Jack London's "To Build a Fire" has been greatly considered to be the foremost example of the naturalist movement and the conflict between man and nature.

  6. To Build a Fire Summary and Study Guide

    "To Build a Fire" is a short story by American writer Jack London. It was published in Century Magazine in 1908, and this guide references the 1908 edition. An earlier version of the story was published in Youth's Companion in 1902. It is one of London's many adventure stories based in the Klondike, where he prospected as a young man.

  7. To Build a Fire Critical Essays

    In his literary biography, Jack London: The Man, The Writer, the Rebel (1976), Robert Barltrop asserts that ''To Build a Fire'' is one of a group of ''outstanding stories'' which...

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    "To Build a Fire" This short story by Jack London is one of the most frequently anthologized short stories and one of my favorites. It's written in the naturalistic style with a third-person omniscient narrator. It's set in the Yukon Territory of Northwestern Canada, just east of Alaska.

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    Conclusion "To Build a Fire" is a stark and compelling exploration of the harsh realities of survival in the wilderness and the indifference of nature to human struggles. Jack London's masterful storytelling and vivid imagery make the story a timeless and impactful work of literature.

  12. "To Build a Fire" by Jack London: Critical Analysis

    Introduction to the Man's Journey. In Jack London's "To Build a Fire," the author reveals how a man goes through a harsh winter in the forest. Through this journey, he faces multiple obstacles along the way. The main character has to fall back on his own critical thinking. He is left to depend on what he thinks he should do when ...

  13. "To Build a Fire" by Jack London: Literary Analysis Essay

    "To Build a Fire" by Jack London: Literary Analysis Essay Exclusively available on IvyPanda Updated: Sep 3rd, 2023 In the story "To Build A Fire," Jack London presents a bitter conflict between man and nature in the harsh Yukon Trail environment.

  14. Man's Doom: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London Essay

    Jack London, through his short story, To Build a Fire, narrates the saga of a lone man who dares the extreme cold conditions of Klondike territory, and undertakes a journey through the wilderness to meet his friends at the base camp located nine miles away.

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    Overall, "To Build a Fire" explores the conflict between knowledge and instinct, emphasizing the limitations of human knowledge in the face of nature's ferocity. The story serves as a reminder that while knowledge is valuable, instinct can be a powerful tool for survival. London, Jack. "To Build a Fire."

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    "To Build A Fire" (August 1908), written by Jack London, details the story of a man who foolishly underestimated the environment that he found himself in which resulted in his death. The short story describes the actions the actions the man took to meet up with his associates and how they contributed to his misfortune.

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  25. Nature and Man in "To Build a Fire" by Jack London Essay

    Nature and Man. The theme of the story is the conflict between man and nature. This conflict includes the study of how humanity and the environment interact and what that can do to both the human condition as well as the condition of the environment in which humanity would fail to survive. (Robertson, 28) However, the struggle is reflected all ...