...Concept of Naturalism in “To Build a Fire” In literature, naturalism has some fundamental characteristics. The plot involves man against nature and the burden of survival requires either adaptation or destruction of the characters involved. In this style of writing, nature or the natural world is continuously pushing man to his limits. When man heeds the warning signs, he may conquer it. But, when he ignores these warnings, it will defeat him. Naturalism is a general understanding of reality and humanity’s place with reality. It mirrors the events of daily life and shows how humans have to be careful when dealing with the natural world. In naturalism, nature is always waiting for man to make a mistake. Jack London in “To Build a Fire” focuses on the idea that nature is indifferent to man. He shows how violent and uncaring nature is. This short story features an unnamed man and his dog venturing into the Alaskan wilderness in the middle of winter. “To Build a Fire” is a short story that illustrates the concept of naturalism and how the natural world, which is dangerous, will gain the upper hand and man will perish. In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”, the narrator makes it clear that the “unnamed” man is in a dangerous situation with the elements. The man is facing weather seventy-five degrees below zero and he is not prepared to survive. Jack London writes that the cold, “did not lead him to meditate upon his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon man’s frailty...
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...Jack London, the author of “To Build A Fire,” uses scientific realism in his writing, which was influenced by European writers during the nineteenth century. Emile Zola heavily influenced Jack London for his short story, “To Build A Fire.” Zola explains the meaning of reality through the use of scientific determinism. Jack London worked in the Klondike, Yukon, which inspired him to write not only “To Build A Fire,” but also “The Call of the Wild,” “Martin Eden,” and “White Fang.” Survival plays a major role in “To Build A Fire,” as Jack London tells the story of an inexperienced young man versus extreme weather conditions in the Klondike, Yukon. In “To Build A Fire” by Jack London, there is a continuous conflict of man versus nature, in which...
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...is when it comes to literature. Naturalism is where the character in a story are caught in the forces of nature, and they have no control of their situation. Both Stephen Crane and Jack London did a great job with their short stories when portraying the writing style of naturalism. “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane four men are on a boat when bad weather approaches them. They have to work together in order to survive this. In “To Build a Fire” by Jack London a man is at war with everything that the nature is putting in his path. He has no control at what is being thrown at him. The short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is about a man trying to escape death. The man is in Alaska, and decides to go on a walk with his dog. He is new to the area, and does not understand how bad the conditions really are. The man is supposed to meet up with a few friends at six o’clock. It starts getting colder, and the conditions are starting to worsen. The man falls down, and the snow gets him wet all the way up to his knees. So, he starts a fire to dry himself off, but the ice falls from a tree and kills the fire. He is not able to build another fire. By this point he is beginning to become frostbitten. He has a plan to kill his dog, and stuff his hands inside the dog to rebuild his circulation, but he just cannot do it. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a great example of naturalism. The environment in this story is a very important factor. There were many statements that he made that...
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...led him to mexico and Alaska where he eventually pass away. Chris McCandless was a one of a kind man that lived such a short life but in that time touched the heart of so many people and lived a very full life which is incredible because what he did would take any normal person years to get the courage of doing what he did. Even though Chris was somewhat of a free spirit he had a deep sense of friendship and he cherished the friends that he meet. Chris’s intention to go into the wild was not only a way to prove himself but it was a test to his belief that all of his traveling was a way of finding who he was, and to find out if he could use his skills that he had learned. the books that he read certainly led to him thinking that he could live in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris was a well read person and his favorite books where that of writer jack London. Jack London wrote about life and surviving in the alaskan frontier with books like call of the wild or to build a fire. Many people have suspensions of why chris went into the wild, but a lot of evidence point to that he was influenced by his personal belief that he had to be the best in everything. a quote from the book into the wild that proves this is “ Chris had so much natural talent”(pg111) this quote was said by his father that chris was do his best to learn...
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...‘To Build a Fire” Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire,” takes place during a harsh winter in the forest of Alaska. This story is about a courageous but stubborn man who decides to confront the mighty forces of nature. This man takes a journey that not many would have taken, with a husky dog as his only companion. As he travels through the rough landscape of Alaska, he faces many natural obstacles. Facing these barriers make him more aware about reality about challenging the forces of nature, a challenge that in many times becomes a matter of life or death. Throughout the story the main character is not given a name, he is simply known as the “Man.” A hardheaded newcomer to the coniferous forest of Alaska; a man who thinks he knows it all, but is about to come in contact with the worst weather he has ever had to face. The man’s lack of experience led him to his downfall. As his journey began he went into the trail not well prepared, because of the low temperatures a face mask was well needed and he did not bother to wear one. “He does not recognize that man is so finial that the bitterly cold Alaskan inevitably destroys the individual” (McClintock 355). The man had trouble understanding that Nature was something that can never be fought against, but still his machismo personality set in and he was not going to back down from it. Fifty degrees below zero meant nothing to him, he knew it was going to be cold and uncomfortable, and that was it. It did not lead him to...
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...the two short stories ‘To Build a Fire,’ written by Jack London, and ‘The Dark Brown Dog,’ written by Stephan Crane, both writers use ‘dog’ to portray the nature of human when they face a limit of civilization. These portrayals express naturalism clearly by applying characters’ relationship to their surroundings. To begin with, both stories show how savage-like their main characters become through the dog. In the case of ‘To Build a Fire,’ the man at first thinks of the dog as a company. However, as the man involves in a desperate situation, really dying of the cold, he thinks of dissecting the dog to use it for warmth. This type of action would have never happened if the man was set in a civilized background, but such desperate measure influence the man to take animalistic approaches. Similarly, in ‘The Dark Brown Dog,’ the dog by being reticent shows the violence of human. Not only the child, but the family as a whole beats the dog just because of their mere sudden emotions. One thing to keep in mind about this story is that the family is a part of the lower society, where there exists a lack of civilization, in terms of sophisticated minds. Comparing these two stories, I could tell both writers showed all humans have an inner potential of violence when in uncivilized conditions. Although it is true that both stories fundamentally depict naturalism in their stories, there exist many differences between the two. The most fundamental difference is that ‘To Build a Fire’...
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...Boat" and Jack London's "To Build a Fire" Two prominent American literature works, Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” and Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” portray the man vs. nature theme. These two pieces are alike and different in many ways. I can agree and disagree on the survival methods used by both authors, although Crane’s methods seemed a bit more questionable. While nature seemed to toy with the crew of the boat in “The Open Boat”, the old man in “To Build a Fire” seems to toy with nature by ignoring its signs to stop and to relinquish his failing journey. In the following paragraphs I’d like to get into the trenches of these two adventure stories. These two authors share similar traits when it comes to connections and reasons for writing these stories. Stephen Crane wrote “The Open Boat” based on a real life experience he went through. It was on December 31, 1896 when Crane left the Florida panhandle en-route for Cuba. His mission was to cover the war as a correspondent. On January 2, his ship sank and he and the other three crew members were forced to make the rest of the 30 hour trip in a small dinghy back to the United States (SN). This real life experience compares to Jack London’s real life journey through the Yukon Territory in 1897, around the same time as Crane’s sea adventure. London scavenged the area with others around that time in search for gold (Rees). While the gold rush was ultimately not as successful as he had hoped, London took many stories and experiences...
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...Abstract This essay is a literary analysis of Jack London’s “To Build a Fire.” Jack London has set before us a story of survival and pride. Although the main theme of man against nature is very clear to the reader, it is through the eyes of the traveler and the thoughts of the dog traveling that with him that we begin to see just how frail humans are. The newcomer to the Yukon is ill prepared for what lays before him. Never Travel Alone Jack London “To Build a Fire” There is a thin line between life and death. Our own fate truly lies in our own hands. We can choose to close our eyes and blindly push forward or open our eyes and see the dangers that lie ahead. Our traveler in this story blindly pushed forward. A newcomer to the Yukon, he was headed to a camp about ten hours away by foot to meet the “boys”. “Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray” (p. 518). This was the first warning our traveler ignored. A foreshadowing of what is to come. In the deep of the winter where the days are extremely cold, an old-timer to the Yukon warned the man, never travel alone and to never travel when the temperature was fifty degrees below zero. The man thinking he knew more than the old-timer chose to ignore the danger, his mind empty of all but one thought - reaching the camp by 6pm. Spitting into the air his spittle froze and cracked before hitting the ground, a clear sign that the temperature was much colder than fifty degrees below zero. ...
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...news and science articles from the internet, and occasional bed time stories with my son. I enjoy reading news rather than watch or listen to news, mainly because it allows me to gather and analyze information from various sources without the filter or the bias of television or radio networks news anchors. In addition to news and various articles I prefer to read short stories. My fascination with short stories began at around age 12 or 13. At the time, since access to television in Iran was very limited. We had to entertain ourselves and being a mischievous child I spent a lot of time in my room (being punished) either listening to radio or reading. My favorite books at the time were horror books. I remember buying these paperback books and reading them cover to cover in two or three days and be scared out of my wits for a few days. I recall at the end of some of these books were teasers about the next story that was due to arrive next. However, at the end of one of the books there was a short story by Edgar Allan Poe titled “The Cask of Amontillado”, I read that story several times and every time I found something new that I Had missed previously. That was the reason I got interested in short stories. My fascination with short stories always have been with a given writers ability to develop main characters, , story plot, and a that in novels might take chapters to develop, in a page or two. The stories are rich in content and packed with symbolisms that requires multiple...
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...1 April 2014 A Man vs. the Cold The short story” To Build a Fire” by Jack London, shows the relationship between man and nature. The story takes place in the Yukin during long cold nights. The main character who is unnamed travels with a dog on a small trail to a mining camp. The man leaves against the advice of a local and shortly after realizes that he should have waited like the local told him. The temperature is extremely cold and life risking. For example, the man's spit freezes way before it hits the ground. The main obstacle of his journey is the many covered spring that would lead to death for whoever falls into them. The man sends his dog in front of him to make sure that the trail safe to cross. Eventually the dog falls into one of the springs and gets it's his paws wet. Acting solely off of incident, the dog begins to chew the ice off his feet. Further down the trailer a similar thing happened, but this time the man falls into the spring. In order to keep his feet from freezing he has to build fire. The first of attempt failed do to the location the man chose which was under tree. After the man is unable to light a second fire do to the loss of feeling in his fingers he begins to panic and then runs freely until exhausted and eventually dies. Throughout the story the mood gives the impression of extreme cold, and the tone is ironic. Through the actions of the main character, Jack London shows that man must be humble to...
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...To Build A Fire - By Jack london In the short story “To Build a Fire” By Jack London , we see how “The man” is responsible for what happens to him. Because he wasn't being responsible and cautious , By not taking the old timer’s advice . First of all I think that “The man” was responsible for his own death because he was not being cautious or responsible . Because he didn’t listen to the old timer when he told “The man” to not travel when it was colder than 50 degrees , and he knew it was colder than 50 degrees because when spit his spit would freeze before it hit the ground . Second of all because He traveled alone on roads that most people don’t usually takes , even though he traveled alone he didn’t care he would still take...
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...could end up in big trouble. In the following paragraphs you will read about a story written in 1910 and how it compares to today’s animal cruelty in the food production industry. Jack London wrote a short story about pure foolishness and the consequences of failing to snap to reality. The story is called “To Build a Fire”. It is about a nameless man who decides to travel in the subzero climate of the Yukon Trail, which is between Alaska and Canada. He also brings along his wolf dog as his only companion, although they are far from intimate and loving towards each other. As he is traveling along throughout the story, he continues to receive signs that he shouldn’t be out there. For example, right from the start he “…spat again. And again, in the air, before it could fall to the snow, the spittle crackled” (London 107). For any rational person, that would send a flag right up and they’d turn back to civilization until weather permitted them to continue. But not for this man, he knew it was cold and even kept track of the temperature in his head as he walked on. Not only did he ignore his own frostbite, but he also ignored the advice of an old timer who told him he shouldn’t go and if he went, he shouldn’t go alone. But hey, he is a man and men can do anything and everything they put their mind to right? Wrong! Sooner or later his lack of reason led him to fall through the ice and then build a fire under a giant spruce tree covered in a heavy layer of snow. He admits that it was...
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...Well known for his stories such as A Call To The Wild and To Build A Fire, London took naturalism and made it into what is studied by so many students still to this day. Jack London’s fame as a writer came about largely through his ability to realistically interpret humanity’s struggle in a hostile environment. Early in his career, London became an interpreter of the things that are, rather than a creator of the things that might be. Due to this, he drew his plots, characters, themes, and settings from real-life experiences and encounters. London often is found describing the impact of nature in all of its raw power on both human beings and creatures such as dogs in his short stories. London incorporated passionate and shocking elemental dimensions...
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...someone is selfish usually all they think about is themselves. In Jack London’s short story “ To Build a Fire,” the main point is how people act stubborn,selfish, and want things to go their way. In the story “ To Build a Fire,” the character “the guy” wants to go hiking on the yukon trail. The temperature was negative fifty degrees which is deadly if you don’t have the right equipment. The guy was accompanied by his dog on his hike. The temperature was cold to the...
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...Jack London(1876--1916) was born in San Francisco of an unmarried mother of wealthy background, Flora Wellman. His father may have been William Chaney, a journalist, lawyer, and major figure in the development of American astrology. Because Flora was ill, Jack was raised at an early age by an ex-slave, Virginia Prentiss, who had a great influence on the boy while he grew up. At the age of fifteen he was an oyster pirate, operating his own sloop on the waters of San Francisco Bay. He went to sea, became a tramp, a fortune-seeker in the Klondike, and lived a hard and adventurous life. One of his greatest passions was the sea. In 1896, the second Gold Rush in the Arctic Region, Jack London got the news of gold in Klondike and his great adventure-lover made up his mind to boar for the Klondike. He underwent great hardships and even risked his life in the journey, yet he enjoyed his time there. The harvest was what he had experienced, heard and read during the journey. He experienced difficulties, risks and scurvy. He heard legendary stories about other prospectors and he read Spencer and Milton. The 19th century witnesses the transformation of the American society from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy. The industrialization is spreading over the west Europe and America. Many people regarded the industrialization as an enormous leap in human civilization and it certainly brought many positive effects. Such as promoted productivity, reduced costs, lowed the prices...
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