In To Build a Fire by Jack London, London was trying to portray a conflict between youth and arrogance as opposed to wisdom and experience. The main character is a young man who believes that he knows the frozen wilderness, but he is still a newcomer who has not yet learned to respect the power of nature. London shows early in the story that the young man lacks imagination, an asset he sorely needs when tested to the extreme by the harsh wilderness.
The man’s egotism and greed are in conflict with his common sense. He does not understand that humankind has it’s own weaknesses and frailty and is too proud to admit to his own. He does not fully comprehend the danger posed by an unfamiliar, hostile environment in which he can only survive by
The man’s egotism and greed are in conflict with his common sense. He does not understand that humankind has it’s own weaknesses and frailty and is too proud to admit to his own. He does not fully comprehend the danger posed by an unfamiliar, hostile environment in which he can only survive by