Sparking the Flames of Naturalism
Naturalism brings attention to nature and its influence over man. Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” is an excellent example of a Naturalist work. Often focusing on the narration, Naturalism does not give the protagonist much of an identity. This is present in the fact that the man in the story is nameless and represent any kind of man. Throughout the story, the central character battles nature and tries to overcome the extreme cold by trekking miles through fifty-degrees-below-zero weather along with his dog. Along the way he encounters obstacle after obstacle and eventually pays for his impetuous obliviousness to nature’s warnings by slowly freezing to death.
A recurring theme in naturalist works is man’s inability to understand nature. The narrator in “To Build a Fire” depicts, “But all this—the …show more content…
During the story it is noted, “The animal… knew that it was no time for traveling. Its instinct told it a truer tale than the man's judgment.” (811). Basically, the man has lost his ability to survive in nature; the dog, however, has maintained its aptitude to communicate with nature and it knows the trek is dangerous and ill-advised. This contrast foreshadows that the man will not survive but the dog, who is fit for the environment, will live. Natural selection plays a part as well, as nature tests both the mammals’ capabilities. The conflict is especially tangible when the two animals are attempting to warm their bodies with a fire, and the snow on the branches above, “descended without warning upon the man and the fire.” (816). This heap of fallen snow successfully squelches both the flames and all chance of the man’s survival. In the end the dog proves worthy of life and capable of surviving on his own, while the man succumbs to the fate of his own
Naturalism brings attention to nature and its influence over man. Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” is an excellent example of a Naturalist work. Often focusing on the narration, Naturalism does not give the protagonist much of an identity. This is present in the fact that the man in the story is nameless and represent any kind of man. Throughout the story, the central character battles nature and tries to overcome the extreme cold by trekking miles through fifty-degrees-below-zero weather along with his dog. Along the way he encounters obstacle after obstacle and eventually pays for his impetuous obliviousness to nature’s warnings by slowly freezing to death.
A recurring theme in naturalist works is man’s inability to understand nature. The narrator in “To Build a Fire” depicts, “But all this—the …show more content…
During the story it is noted, “The animal… knew that it was no time for traveling. Its instinct told it a truer tale than the man's judgment.” (811). Basically, the man has lost his ability to survive in nature; the dog, however, has maintained its aptitude to communicate with nature and it knows the trek is dangerous and ill-advised. This contrast foreshadows that the man will not survive but the dog, who is fit for the environment, will live. Natural selection plays a part as well, as nature tests both the mammals’ capabilities. The conflict is especially tangible when the two animals are attempting to warm their bodies with a fire, and the snow on the branches above, “descended without warning upon the man and the fire.” (816). This heap of fallen snow successfully squelches both the flames and all chance of the man’s survival. In the end the dog proves worthy of life and capable of surviving on his own, while the man succumbs to the fate of his own