Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” -Analysis Essay

In jackstones capital of the United Kingdoms To Build a Fire the range of the short trading floor plays a signifi shagt role. Jack London uses specific techniques to establish the atmosphere and tone of the report card. By introducing his readers to the setting, London prep ares them for a tone that is depressed and fear-provoking. Isolated by an environment of frozen(p) weather and doom, the author shows us how the main(prenominal) character of the story is entirely unaware of his adjoins. The tot each(prenominal)y domain of a function the hu bitness is actually accustomed to is the world he has created for himself. Since firearmy of us have never been exposed to much(prenominal) a harsh climate, Londons account that the environment is the find out factor of his survival paints an accurate picture. Anything that the man and his mark come into satisfy with creates an expectation for disaster in the story.The signifi empennagece of the words dying and finish in the s tory continuously expresses the mans dwindling intensity and bad luck in his journey along the Yukon trail to bear on his fri repeals at camp. London associates dying with the mans diminishing office to baffle warm in the frigid Alaskan climate. The main characters dilemma slowly worsens one level at a time eventually resulting in death. London places a strong emphasis on the setting in the introduction to the story. Day had broken nipping and grey, exceedingly cold and grey He repeats these phrases to emphase to the reader the impact the setting has on the lives of the characters. The moroseness of the setting causes the man and his tail to fight a constant affair in a world of depression. Lacking the virtue of imagination, the man is only gifted with his practical knowledge. This ignorance depart hamper his ability to adapt to the conditions and stresses surrounding him.Typically the man never wants to deal with creation especially when the reality is unpleasant. But a ll this-the mysterious, far-reaching hairline trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the trem leftoverous cold, and the strangeness of it all- do no impression on the man. He is able to tolerate the hard temperatures and climate he is surrounded by, he never attempts to face addict within him. Facing what he would do if the inevitable were to happen is this mans whip fear. This fear causes the man to become selfish, only focusing on the actions and thoughts that arepleasurable to him. The mans ignorance to his surroundings and self-indulgence foreshadows a executable downfall.London provides us with subconscious hints that lead the reader to believe that the man will suffer a tragedy in the end of the story. unaccompanied relying on his previous experiences causes the man to be a disadvantage to his dog. A dog by nature is an animal that has the natural gift of instinct. on a lower floor these bitter conditions, the dog was capable of survival because of those instincts. The dog follows the man end-to-end his ill faded journey, just now after the man succumbs to the weather, the husky relies upon his instincts to survive. beingness placed in this type of environment is the main conflict of the story for both the main character and the dog.Relying only on his judgment, the man can not prepare to prevent a disaster from occurring. Londons constant focus on the how the environment affected the man and his response to being unable to survive like his dog pulls the reader genuine hints. At this point London has already given an insight to the ratiocination of the story. The theme of Londons To Build a Fire is how we should all take heed to modern knowledge and learned behavior has its benefits, entirely our primal instincts should never have ignored. The man in the story had oodles of knowledge but neglected to pay attention to his sixth sense. The dog on the some other hand, followed as long as he could but then let his instincts carry him to saf ety. We can never have enough knowledge to replace the survival skill that nature has provided us.Lured in by the plot of the story the reader keeps on reading, waiting in antepast of 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 hard worker of the other, and the only caresses it had ever received were the caresses of the whip lash and of harsh and black throat sounds that threatened the whip lash. Although the dog was obviously anxious, he was careless with the safety of the man. If the man was to come upon serious danger, the dog would not be willing to help him. Not being concerned with anything somewhat inventive, the man put himself in a position to anticipate death. His selfishness and ignorance keeps him in a situation of danger anddisaster.The climax of the story is when the man falls finished the ice, wetting himself up to his knees. Preparing himself in advance might have prevented the mans accident in the water. The man ignorance once again caused him to be unprepared for this kind of situation. The man never took the proper precautions because he never thought of how to cope with a deadly situation. The only help he was given for a similar situation was the advice of an old timer from process Creek. Viciously, the man attempted to stop his appendages from freezing, but was unsuccessful as the dog watched.Londons portrayal of the man does not initially give the reader the theme of dying, but slowly develops the theme as the story develops. The story doesnt mention death until the last several pages. The main character changes from an enthusiastic pioneer to a sad and desperate man. The consequence of the story portrays the man accepting his fate and understands the old-timer at siemens Creek had been right no man must travel only when in the Klondike after fifty below.Using characterization, London is able to express why certain people are ex istent at the end and how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and keen enough to benefit from others experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are withal alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The mans husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the man is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to enlarge that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone. If the man travels with a companion or a companion of equal instinct, he can benefit from him and possibly return safely to camp.In the opening separate London presents us with a scene that is gloomy, depressing, and ominous, these elements foreshadow an outcome that will be fatal to our protagonist. Our man has no name, but he does not need one, he could be any man that has bitten off more than than he can chew he does not rolled the consequences of his actions until it is too late. By then there can be no return, he has pass over the line that cannot be uncrossed, because he trusts his intellectual thought process, not pay attention to mans intuitive thoughts, the instinctual ones that some men consider less valid because they come from the unconscious mind. His unwillingness to contemplate the uttermost(prenominal) cold, the barely used trail, his dogs instincts, reflect the mans inability to view the whole picture. As London puts it the man had no imagination he thought only to keep moving and stay dry, then he would be fine, however the man in the end could do neither.