“To Build a Fire” is a short story that was written by Jack London in 1908. It tells the story of a man traveling through the woods in severely cold conditions‚ with only a dog and not nearly enough knowledge on how to make it back to his camp safely. While reading this‚ you notice several aspects of the man‚ specifically how he relates to his dog and the environment he is in. From the beginning‚ you notice the man doesn’t really have a special relationship with his dog. In fact he seems to only
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produce stories with twisted plots in which their protagonists encounter many obstacles and setbacks by nature‚ and these predicaments often injure or even take the characters’ lives. Of the many works in The Norton Anthology‚ I find the work “To Build A Fire” represents this literature movement best. The author‚ Jack London‚ skillfully engages his readers by reflecting this notion on his characters - the cruel nature‚ an instinctive dog‚ and an ill-fated man - and in which their behaviors are clarifications
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Ice collects. Death is near. In the story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London‚ the man in the story is in quite a predicament. He is freezing to death travelling along the Yukon while trying to get to the boys at the camp. While he tries his best to make it to camp‚ the cold gets the best of him‚ and he dies from the cold. Since he does not survive the trip‚ a question arises. What led him to that fate? There are several mistakes that led to his demise. The three worst mistakes that led to the man’s
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To Build a Fire takes place in the cold and grey‚ no sun‚ colder than fifty degrees below zero‚ Yukon Territory in Canada. Knowing where this story takes place is important to the story because it defines the conflict within the story. “The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of this ice were as many feet of snow. It was all pure white‚ rolling in gentle undulations where the ice jams of the freeze-up had formed (London‚ 1127-128).” The author wants the reader to know
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In the story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London‚ a man of inexperience‚ stubbornness‚ and lack of imagination embarks on the less traveled route of the Yukon trail without a companion or any means of survival resources at his disposal. In fact‚ the only necessity that was given an ounce of thought was the man’s lunch for that very evening‚ sticking close to his bare chest so the food would not freeze. The man‚ however‚ decided that his husky’s company would be enough of an aide as he makes his way
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In the story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London‚ there are three principal themes. They are respecting nature‚ and considering results of actions. The main theme‚ or universal truth‚ is heeding warnings. The themes are shown through the character and his actions. The main character in the story had an attitude that prevented him from heeding internal and external warnings. He did not respect nature’s power‚ and therefore he paid with his life.<br><br>His attitude was arrogant and careless. The man
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I chose to read the short story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. The story talks about a man traveling alone in a wild region during a harsh winter with his dog. He has to face many difficulties dealing with nature and his endurance was not too enough to be able to survive. He found after trying many times to build a fire that‚ he was loose because he did not consider the counsel of an old man‚ who told him a long time ago‚ that is dangerous to travel alone. The story describes a man reaching the
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Deepak Chopra once said‚ “The masculine energy was about survival. The male was the hunter who risked his life and had to be in the fight-flight mode.” When pertaining to survival‚ the main character in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London failed to follow three main steps in Laurence Gonzales’ nonfiction trade book‚ “Deep Survival.” The main character failed to stay calm‚ to think‚ analyze‚ and plan‚ and to never give up during his trek through the pure‚ untrampled white snow. One reason the main character
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Such an example is in "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. As seen in this quote‚ "The man turned aside from the Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank‚ where a dim and little-traveled 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 .He would be in to camp by six o’ clock a bit after dark‚ it was true‚ but the boys would be there‚ a fire would be going‚ and a hot
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himself in control of his destiny. From the naturalistic viewpoint‚ life appoints nature as the final arbiter of the fate of all organisms‚ from the miniscule amoeba to the gargantuan whale to the overconfident human. Jack London’s short story‚ "To Build a Fire"‚ highlights the naturalistic belief that the human attempt at controlling destiny is ultimately futile‚ as human behavior is largely reigned in by their heredity and environment. The short story details the unsuccessful journey of an unnamed
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