In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” an unnamed man and his husky riskily travel through the Yukon area in bitter, cold temperatures with the hope of reaching a camp (and his friends) by the evening. The man faces the consequences of frostbite in the process of traveling in such harsh conditions. He builds a few fires to keep warm, and to battle freezing off his fingers and toes, but soon his own conscience drives him crazy. When it becomes impossible for the man to construct a fire with his disabled hands, his instincts kick in too late and push him to do everything that goes against his previous nature, causing his death. The man’s attempts and failures of building fires to keep warm symbolizes the deterioration of his physical and mental
…show more content…
The man starts his journey with an “eager nose that thrust[ed] itself aggressively into the frosty air,” (London 839) not seeming to be bothered by the extreme cold or the long hours ahead of him. As he travels, he frequently notes how he had “never experienced such cold” (840) before, and his mind tells himself that the frostbite occurring to his cheeks “[was] never serious” (840) even though it is actually very dangerous. His dog, however, knows the hazards of frostbite even though it simply “was a matter of instinct” (841), symbolizing how it understands dangers without knowing why, while the man disregards his instincts and tricks himself into believing he will be fine. The man’s arrogance and neglect of instincts can also be found when he used to “[laugh] at [the old timer from Sulphur Creek] all the time” (842) after being warned about the risks of traveling in harsh cold temperatures alone, trusting that “[a]ny man who was a man could travel alone” (844). The old man appears several times in the man’s head, symbolizing the reason that the man often does not to listen to, ultimately leading him to his death later on. His conscience not only prevents him from listening to his instincts, but also forces him to “[fight] against [panicking], and [to] ke[ep] calm” (845). His mind wrongfully makes him think that he will endure the frostbite and the freezing climate, but in reality there is little hope for his survival. The man’s confidence and conscience prove to have fatal consequences once he begins to realize that he will not make it to
The man starts his journey with an “eager nose that thrust[ed] itself aggressively into the frosty air,” (London 839) not seeming to be bothered by the extreme cold or the long hours ahead of him. As he travels, he frequently notes how he had “never experienced such cold” (840) before, and his mind tells himself that the frostbite occurring to his cheeks “[was] never serious” (840) even though it is actually very dangerous. His dog, however, knows the hazards of frostbite even though it simply “was a matter of instinct” (841), symbolizing how it understands dangers without knowing why, while the man disregards his instincts and tricks himself into believing he will be fine. The man’s arrogance and neglect of instincts can also be found when he used to “[laugh] at [the old timer from Sulphur Creek] all the time” (842) after being warned about the risks of traveling in harsh cold temperatures alone, trusting that “[a]ny man who was a man could travel alone” (844). The old man appears several times in the man’s head, symbolizing the reason that the man often does not to listen to, ultimately leading him to his death later on. His conscience not only prevents him from listening to his instincts, but also forces him to “[fight] against [panicking], and [to] ke[ep] calm” (845). His mind wrongfully makes him think that he will endure the frostbite and the freezing climate, but in reality there is little hope for his survival. The man’s confidence and conscience prove to have fatal consequences once he begins to realize that he will not make it to