"To Build a Fire"
In "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, the setting plays a significant role throughout the
entire short story. Jack London uses certain techniques to establish the atmosphere of
the story. By introducing his readers to the setting, prepares them for a tone that is
depressed and frightening. Isolated by an environment of frigid weather and doom,
the author shows us how the main character of the story is completely unaware of his
surroundings. The only world the man is truly accustomed to, is his own. Never being
exposed to such a harsh climate, draws us to the conclusion that the environment is the
determining factor of his survival, as well as his dog's too. Anything that the man and
his dog comes into contact with, creates an anticipation for disaster in the story.
London places a strong emphasis on the setting in the introduction to the story. "Day
had broken cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey..." He repeats these phrases to
redefine to his readers the impact the setting has on the lives of the characters. The
gloominess of the setting instills feelings in the man and the dog, of a constant battle
with this world of depression they are in. Being given no sense of imagination, the man
is only gifted with his practical knowledge. He therefore is shown to lack the
experience and thought to adapt to the conditions encompassing him.
Typically, man never wants to deal with the reality, especially when it is unpleasant.
"But all this-the mysterious, far-reaching hairline trail, the absence of sun from the
sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness of it all- made no impression on the man."
Blocking out the bothersome temperatures and climate he is surrounded by, he never really
attempts to face this personal monster of his. What he would do if the inevitable
happened to him, is his personal monster. This situation causes the man to become
selfish, only focusing on his present actions and thoughts. The man's ignorance to his
surroundings foreshadows a possible downfall.
London provides us with subconscious hints in his writing, that lead his readers to
believe that the man will suffer a tragedy in the end of the story. "Its instinct told
a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgment." Having only the knowledge
of his previous experiences, the man is at a disadvantage to the dog. The dog by
nature, is an animal that has an innate gift of instinct. The setting placed in this
type of habitat, is the main conflict of the story. Under the cold conditions, the dog
has the ability to survive because it has always known how. Only using his judgment,
the man can't understand how to prevent a disaster from occurring. London has already
given away the ending, as a result of his constant focus of the effect the environment
has on the man not knowing the means of survival that the dog knows.
Lured to the plot of the story, we keep on reading always anticipating the danger of the
climate to overcome the man. "On the other hand, there was no keen intimacy between the
dog and the man. The one was the toil slave of the other, and the only caresses it had
ever received were the caresses of the whip lash and of harsh and menacing throat sounds
that threatened the whip lash." Feeling apprehension toward the man, the dog was not
concerned with the welfare of the man. If the man was to come upon serious danger, the
dog would not be eager to offer itself for help. Not being concerned with anything
remotely imaginative, the man put himself in a position to expect death. His selfishness
and ignorance keeps him in an array of danger and disaster.
The climax point of the story, London causes the man to fall through the ice and wet
himself up to his knees. Preparing himself in advance, might have prevented the man's
horrible downfall. However, the man never took the precautions in his mind to even begin
to think of how to cope with the deadly situation. The only help he was given for the
situation, was the advice of an old timer from Sulphur Creek. Violently, the man
attempted to stop his appendages from freezing, but failed as the dog just watched. "The
sight of the dog put a wild idea into his head. He remembered the tale of the man,
caught in a blizzard, who killed a steer and crawled inside the carcass, and so was
saved." Using such a suspicious tone when calling to the dog, the dog grew fearful of
the man sensing a danger it had never experienced before.
Chelsey Sayers
Short Story
Assignment #1
"To Build a Fire"
In "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, the setting plays a significant role throughout the
entire short story. Jack London uses certain techniques to establish the atmosphere of
the story. By introducing his readers to the setting, prepares them for a tone that is
depressed and frightening. Isolated by an environment of frigid weather and doom,
the author shows us how the main character of the story is completely unaware of his
surroundings. The only world the man is truly accustomed to, is his own. Never being
exposed to such a harsh climate, draws us to the conclusion that the environment is the
determining factor of his survival, as well as his dog's too. Anything that the man and
his dog comes into contact with, creates an anticipation for disaster in the story.
London places a strong emphasis on the setting in the introduction to the story. "Day
had broken cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey..." He repeats these phrases to
redefine to his readers the impact the setting has on the lives of the characters. The
gloominess of the setting instills feelings in the man and the dog, of a constant battle
with this world of depression they are in. Being given no sense of imagination, the man
is only gifted with his practical knowledge. He therefore is shown to lack the
experience and thought to adapt to the conditions encompassing him.
Typically, man never wants to deal with the reality, especially when it is unpleasant.
"But all this-the mysterious, far-reaching hairline trail, the absence of sun from the
sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness of it all- made no impression on the man."
Blocking out the bothersome temperatures and climate he is surrounded by, he never really
attempts to face this personal monster of his. What he would do if the inevitable
happened to him, is his personal monster. This situation causes the man to become
selfish, only focusing on his present actions and thoughts. The man's ignorance to his
surroundings foreshadows a possible downfall.
London provides us with subconscious hints in his writing, that lead his readers to
believe that the man will suffer a tragedy in the end of the story. "Its instinct told
a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgment." Having only the knowledge
of his previous experiences, the man is at a disadvantage to the dog. The dog by
nature, is an animal that has an innate gift of instinct. The setting placed in this
type of habitat, is the main conflict of the story. Under the cold conditions, the dog
has the ability to survive because it has always known how. Only using his judgment,
the man can't understand how to prevent a disaster from occurring. London has already
given away the ending, as a result of his constant focus of the effect the environment
has on the man not knowing the means of survival that the dog knows.
Lured to the plot of the story, we keep on reading always anticipating the danger of the
climate to overcome the man. "On the other hand, there was no keen intimacy between the
dog and the man. The one was the toil slave of the other, and the only caresses it had
ever received were the caresses of the whip lash and of harsh and menacing throat sounds
that threatened the whip lash." Feeling apprehension toward the man, the dog was not
concerned with the welfare of the man. If the man was to come upon serious danger, the
dog would not be eager to offer itself for help. Not being concerned with anything
remotely imaginative, the man put himself in a position to expect death. His selfishness
and ignorance keeps him in an array of danger and disaster.
The climax point of the story, London causes the man to fall through the ice and wet
himself up to his knees. Preparing himself in advance, might have prevented the man's
horrible downfall. However, the man never took the precautions in his mind to even begin
to think of how to cope with the deadly situation. The only help he was given for the
situation, was the advice of an old timer from Sulphur Creek. Violently, the man
attempted to stop his appendages from freezing, but failed as the dog just watched. "The
sight of the dog put a wild idea into his head. He remembered the tale of the man,
caught in a blizzard, who killed a steer and crawled inside the carcass, and so was
saved." Using such a suspicious tone when calling to the dog, the dog grew fearful of
the man sensing a danger it had never experienced before.
Losing all sensation in his hands, the man quickly realized he could not kill the dog.
"A certain fear of death, dull and oppressive, came to him. This fear quickly became
poignant as he realized that it was no longer a mere matter of freezing his fingers and
toes, or losing his hands and feet, but that it was a matter of life and death with the
chances against him." Without a doubt, the man now realized that this place had already
defeated him. Panicking, the man ran around with great effort, for the last time trying
to change his inevitable fate. Not having any success, the man tries once again to block
out his meager view of what was left of his last moments of life by thinking of other
things.
Both the dog and the man understood the horrible fate of what was happening to the man.
He was utterly, and hopelessly losing his battle with the frost. London turns over the
story to the dog and its thoughts. By doing this, he leaves us with the concept of the
man dying alone, with the boys finding his body the next day. Painting a picture of
pity, London causes his readers to empathize and feel sorrow for the man. The man's last
thoughts are of him rationalizing his forthcoming destiny of death. The man does come to
terms with his doom, and finds his peace of mind.
"Then the man drowsed off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying
sleep he had ever known." It was made obvious that the man had no escape from his sad
and scary death. London shapes the end of the story so that his readers could feel two
different ways about the man. Believing that the man's own ignorance and lack of
imagination brought about his downfall, while the other opinion is that the setting and
its effects created the man's downfall. We are left to ponder what the author's reason
is for the protagonist's downfall and why he focuses on the dog's point of view at the
end.
There is a strong significance placed on the dog at the end of the story. "Later the
dog whined loudly. And still later it crept close to the man and caught the scent of
death." Through the eyes of the dog we can see the process of the man dying. The dog is
almost thought of as a person, feeling lonely and depressed after the man is gone. With
one last hope, the dog waits to see if what its instinct says is true. It appears that
it is. Trotting along the trail, the dog survives as it finds its way back to the camp
where the others are.
In closing, the setting is the most probable cause why the man could not overcome his
death. Lacking the ability of instinct and imagination, the man was unable to survive
death. Never thinking about the reality of the situation also contributed to the man's
downfall. The dog was the triumphant figure here, surviving the extremely, harsh weather
conditions. Since the man didn't listen to the advice of experienced people, he was
ignorant and never expected to be defeated by the climate. If the man had prepared
himself for the worst, his death would not have been inevitable. Providing the
separation between survival an death, the setting was the most important factor in "To
Build a Fire" by Jack London.
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