To Build a Fire: Naiveness
“To Build a Fire” Essay
“To Build a Fire” demonstrates numerous examples of the philosophical theory of naturalism that “the universe is indifferent to human beings, and people are at the mercy of natural forces over which they have little control”. According to this statement, human life is very fragile. The fact that this story takes place in the Yukon region, one should know that the natural forces are at its strongest. This would cause an intelligent person to prepare, but not in this case. The main character acted a bit too naïve towards the Canadian winters. He didn’t prepare himself for travel, especially not on foot. He brought only one meal, didn’t travel with a companion, didn’t dress warm enough, and did not bring a proper temporary shelter. All these actions are a major key to survival, and that goes for everyone. The cold harsh “75-degrees-below-zero” weather is not going to change just because a person asks it to. This is a major example of the philosophical theory of naturalism. He ignored most of the warning signs that told him, “You’ll lose your life if you keep going. Go back to where you came from, back where it is warm”. He ignored the old man from Sulpher Creeks’ warnings too. His hands were freezing, his face was freezing, everything was freezing but he simply ignored it because he had a goal. To get to that camp where “the boys were waiting to greet him”. Where food and warmth was provided. In the beginning, it was as if he thought of himself as “immortal”. That he could live off of mere biscuits and the clothes on his back. He was provided very little control of nature as the philosophical theory of nature had stated. All he could do was create small fires for himself to help him survive. Also, he had a husky whose instincts ruled over personal perception towards the man. The husky will not do anything for the man that will endanger himself. The husky will act indifferently if the man were a different person. When he built a
“To Build a Fire” demonstrates numerous examples of the philosophical theory of naturalism that “the universe is indifferent to human beings, and people are at the mercy of natural forces over which they have little control”. According to this statement, human life is very fragile. The fact that this story takes place in the Yukon region, one should know that the natural forces are at its strongest. This would cause an intelligent person to prepare, but not in this case. The main character acted a bit too naïve towards the Canadian winters. He didn’t prepare himself for travel, especially not on foot. He brought only one meal, didn’t travel with a companion, didn’t dress warm enough, and did not bring a proper temporary shelter. All these actions are a major key to survival, and that goes for everyone. The cold harsh “75-degrees-below-zero” weather is not going to change just because a person asks it to. This is a major example of the philosophical theory of naturalism. He ignored most of the warning signs that told him, “You’ll lose your life if you keep going. Go back to where you came from, back where it is warm”. He ignored the old man from Sulpher Creeks’ warnings too. His hands were freezing, his face was freezing, everything was freezing but he simply ignored it because he had a goal. To get to that camp where “the boys were waiting to greet him”. Where food and warmth was provided. In the beginning, it was as if he thought of himself as “immortal”. That he could live off of mere biscuits and the clothes on his back. He was provided very little control of nature as the philosophical theory of nature had stated. All he could do was create small fires for himself to help him survive. Also, he had a husky whose instincts ruled over personal perception towards the man. The husky will not do anything for the man that will endanger himself. The husky will act indifferently if the man were a different person. When he built a