Essays on Build A Fire

Jack London's ‘To Build a Fire’ takes place within the sub- freezing Yukon of Alaska. The stories protagonist is an unnamed man who, besides the admonition of an experienced old man of Sulphur Creek decides to brave the merciless elements to meet his friends at a camp. Alongside him is his companion a large wolf dog. Readers are introduced to the setting at the beginning of the story as it states “day had dawned cold and gray” he continues with the statement “there seemed to be an indescribable darkness over the face of things” (London 64). This presents as ...

Jack London is characterized as a naturalistic writer through most of his literature works, for instance, The Law of Life and To Build a Fire. In the two short stories, Jack incorporates naturalism themes such as nature vs. man, death, and the struggle for survival. The author presents main characters who struggle to survive with the indifference of nature to survive, but they ultimately die as nature wins the war against them. In To Build a Fire, London presents a protagonist who sets out on a journey despite the harsh weather. The man was warned against traveling during the ...

Introduction

Man is no match to the extreme cold, especially when he travels alone. His skills on how to build a fire are not enough to assure his survival against the harsh weather. It takes more than skills and fitness to conquer the challenges of life. In the succeeding paragraphs, the experiences of the protagonist in To Build a Fire are discussed. Jack London, through this story, is emphasizing the qualities that a man should have to survive the difficulties he encounters in life. His use of the extreme cold as the setting and only the man and the dog as the characters ...

Organization

Introduction The subject of existentialism is not easy to define as it is impossible to explain the purpose of human existence in few sentences. However, according to American Heritage Dictionary (3rd edition), existentialism refers to a philosophy that lays emphasis on isolation and uniqueness of the individual in an indifferent or hostile environment. This can be seen as the underlying theme of the short story by Jack London where a man in solitude travels through unfriendly areas of Yukon which symbolizes indifferent and cruel cosmos. “To Build A Fire” is a short story by Jack London which centers around a man travelling ...

The purpose of Naturalism as a literary movement is to bring about the accurate reproduction of a story’s characters inside the spheres of genetics, environment, fate, instinct as well as the current social context of the time period in which the author wrote the work. Within the American literary tradition, Naturalism has close connections with Realism, and it takes much of its influence from Determinism, the belief that the actions a person undertakes are motivated by both environment and heredity. In “The Open Boat” and “To Build a Fire,” Stephen Crane and Jack London attempt to use the actions and thoughts of ...

American Literature

Choose two characters studied this semester. Do they have similar problems? Look beyond the specific details of their circumstances in order to find the essential common dilemma they face. For example, explain what common issue confronts both Sylvia in “A White Heron” and Carrie in Sister Carrie. Both stories are similar in that they confront similar issues of self-doubt and principle. In Sylvia’s case it is the protection of a bird which she deems to be important for survival. Although she befriends the hunter in the story she cannot seems to bring herself to reveal that she saw a ...

Part I

The Yellow Wallpaper is an illustration of the Gothic literature for the way it displays madness and powerlessness in the context o f women rights. The author Charlotte Gilman uses her work to fight for her rights as well as the rights of women in general. She uses the Gothic elements; women distress and supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events to justify its place in the gothic literature genre. The main character of the yellow wallpaper is displayed with insanity. The insanity protests the medical as well as the professional oppression for the women in society of the time. The ...

Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" tells the tale of a man and his dog, who attempt to survive in the Yukon. The harsh weather soon leaves them stranded, leaving them to take different methods to keep themselves alive. The attempt to build a fire takes up the majority of the story, as the man attempts to keep himself warm. The conflict between instinct and logic is told through symbolism and metaphor; the protagonist learns all too well that relying on logic is foolhardy, and that instinct must also be a component to his survival. Nature is shown to be an ...

Both Jack London and John Muir were lovers of the outdoors, and this love is reflected in their writing. Both writers also utilized canines in their stories, although they addressed the relationship between dog and man in vastly different ways. Jack London's canine-human relationship recognized and even glorified the ancient wolf-like tendencies of the dog, while John Muir's dog exemplified the common classification of dog as “man's best friend.” Both Muir and London were fascinated by the wild in the dog, and the fearless manner in which canines face their fates. London and Muir knew the wilds well: ...

Essay Exploring “Realistic Love” Portrayed in Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays.”

Robert Hayden’s biography is a story that begins in a difficult poverty, a tough family life and poor eyesight that prevented him from the occupations that many youth busy themselves. This trials turn into an unlikely success; with Hayden becoming the first black American to by appointed the Poet Laureate of the United States. Still, his background is present in his work. His personal history shines through in his famous poem “Those Winter Sundays.” On a reading recorded on The Poetry Foundation’s website, Hayden says before reciting the poem, “Here’s a poem that comes directly out of my boyhood in Detroit.”( ...

Jack London succeeds in vividly illustrating the story he tells in “To Build a Fire”, as thru his writing he has the literary strength to paint the happenings and to draw the clear image of his characters and their adventures. Moreover, the strength of his style, the form and writing technique and structure empowers the content of this short story and this strength is an attribute of formalism (Dobie 33). London’s critics argue whether his writings adjust to formalism, comparing the strength of the content, versus the power of the literary art. This essay investigates whether Jack London’s “ ...

“The Awakening” was written in an age when women allow society to dictate how they should behave and feel. In one summer Edna changed from a woman voided of feelings to one overwhelmed by her feelings, so much so that she feels she could no longer live in this society.

“The Awakening” is a book written long before its time; it is a satire of the prudish New Orleans’ society of the nineteenth century. In his essay, Robert Cantwell says: “The book was banned from library circulation, and the author refused admittance to the St. Louis Arts Society. Mrs. Chopin was disgusted, ...

It was just another cold day in the frozen land. But my instincts were signalling that it was not a day to travel. The weather seemed gloomy and perilous. Though I was warm in my hirsute, yet I wanted to sit by some fire. It was better to nestle in under a mound of snow and safeguard my balminess. To walk miles on such a day did not seem fascinating at all. Seemed foolish in fact! But something quelled my intuition and drove me to walk along this human- a man with queer actions. I felt a bout of nebulous disquiet which probed me ...

"To Build A Fire" and "The Open Boat"

The fight between man and nature is one that has thrilled many Naturalist writers; Naturalism's goal is to examine man's position in isolation of society and everything that protects him from nature. In Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat," a group of people set adrift after their ship capsizes evaluate their chances for survival and grow increasingly aware of nature's indifference to their plight. In the same vein, Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" tells the tale of a man and his dog, who attempt to survive in the Yukon. The harsh weather ...

Building a fire and a shelter are two of the first things you should do when you’re stranded in the wilderness (“How To”). You should try to accomplish this before night time falls to ensure that you’ll have warmth and protection throughout the night.

How to Build a Campfire

Fire is an important part of life. Whether you’re safe at home or stranded in the wilderness, you will need fire for warmth, light, cooking, and protection (Vaux). Building a campfire is then one of the first things that you should do when you’re stranded in the wilderness. Aside from the benefits previously mentioned, a ...

"Where I'm Calling From" - Raymond Carver

In Raymond Carver's short story "Where I'm Calling From," the effects of addiction on those who become addicted to them are illustrated in tragic and familiar detail. The unnamed protagonist is shown to have many of his problems come from addiction, whether it be to alcohol, to drugs, to sex and even emotional attachment; those around him also feel its effects in their own lives. The impact of addiction on the unnamed main character is shown to have tremendous difficulty shaking his addictions, which manifest themselves in several ways. The end of ...

Part 1

The pain for me comes from the realization that man still does not realize that he is part of nature and that he does not make nature so life becomes violence. The correspondent and the ship captain with the others, as they float in the dinghy, being swept by the waves start bickering at each other. This is the indication that they are not willing to let themselves be guided by the ineffable unknown force of nature lead them and maybe that is the reason the experience draws very deep questions about man and nature in the heart of ...

Abstract

In “To Build a Fire,” the man’s lack of imagination; his inability to reflect on and admit the reality of his situation; and to recognize his shortcomings represent mankind’s fatal hubris. Man stands apart from Nature, not understanding that he has a place in it – he does not hold sway. To deny Nature then is, in itself, an unnatural act.

An Unnatural Act: Man’s Fatal Capacity for Hubris

Jack London’s literary landscape is inhabited by characters pitted against the brutal forces of Nature, in which the aim is nothing more or less than survival itself. In this unforgiving world, man’s fundamental existence is stripped of ...