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Comparison Between 'To Build A Fire And The Hunger Artist'

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Comparison Between 'To Build A Fire And The Hunger Artist'
Awesome Student
Mrs. Winningham
English 1302.N02
March 22, 2013
Hubris’ Execution
When men challenge nature they allow themselves no fate aside from death. Jack London and Franz Kafka each orchestrate settings comparable to hell in their short stories “To Build a Fire” and “The Hunger Artist”, respectively. London references “Sulphur Creek”, where the man first received warnings of his ignorant decisions, and “burning brimstone”, these words are commonly associated with hell itself (London 317-325). Symbolism is used to indicate how these characters voluntarily confine themselves in life threatening situations with the belief that they can overcome on their own merits despite the harsh odds. The “Chequano”, the nickname (only given name) …show more content…
He understood the dangers that surrounded him as he walked, but they held no significance to him; they were “facts... and that was all” (London312). The most noteworthy symbol in this story begins right in the title: “To Build a Fire”. He believes he can build his own light in the darkness. There were many indications given to the traveler that he was approaching the mouth of hell, yet he had such a blind faith in his own abilities that he proceeded anyway. Though his knowledge of how to build a fire remained the same, as his ego grew, his ability fizzled (as did his fire). As one writer analyzes, “[r]eaders of "To Build a Fire" certainly dread the icy grave towards which the chechaquo inexorably hikes, but, in the end, they are not morally offended by his death because he is driven to it, not by naturalistic determinism, but by his own hubris” (Haddon 23). The man believes he has the ability to battle nature alone and win. It is not for lack of abilities, but his arrogance and self reliance that escort him to his …show more content…
"Never Absolute Zero." Touchstone: A Journal Of Mere Christianity 25.1 (2012): 23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.
Hilfer, Anthony. "6. Blowback." Texas Studies in Literature and Language 54.2 (2012): 284-297. Project MUSE. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
Kafka, Franz. “The Hunger Artist.” The complete stories Schocken , (1971): 300-310. Print.
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." Alex Catalogue, n.d. eBook Collection (1993): EBSCOhost. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
Melchionne, Kevin. "Why Artists Starve." Philosophy and Literature 31.1 (2007): 142-148. Project MUSE. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
Machosky, Brenda. "Fasting At The Feast Of Literature." Comparative Literature Studies 42.2 2005. 288-305. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.
Pizer, Donald. "Jack London: The Problem of Form." Studies in the Literary Imagination 16.2 1983. 107-115. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar.
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