The short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, details a man’s journey with his dog to a mining camp in Alaska where his arrogance gets the best of him. Traveling alone in Alaska, after being told not to do so, eventually leads to his death. The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, details the tale of a man who has a blind guest named Robert. At first, the man belittles his blind guest for his disability. In the end the narrator realizes Robert is as much a man as he is or even a better man. Both the unnamed narrator from “To Build a Fire” and the unnamed narrator from “Cathedral” are two men who let their dignity and pride impair their judgement. In “To Build a Fire” the narrator does not take the help from others because he believes his way is always right while the narrator from “Cathedral” looks down on others who are not like him. In the end both men are able to put aside their differences, resulting in change towards life.
The narrator from “To Build a Fire” allows his dignity and pride to impair his judgement. The narrator is a newcomer to the harsh terrain of Alaska and is trying to adapt to the environment but, “The trouble with him was he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significance.”(London 126). The narrator's lack of imagination is an example …show more content…
The narrator is not comfortable with having a blind house guest and exclaims, “His being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eyed dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.”(Carver 104). The narrator begins to judge someone off of a movie rather than getting to know them as person, demonstrating his unwillingness to open up. The narrator begins to belittle his wife's blind friend which
The narrator from “To Build a Fire” allows his dignity and pride to impair his judgement. The narrator is a newcomer to the harsh terrain of Alaska and is trying to adapt to the environment but, “The trouble with him was he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significance.”(London 126). The narrator's lack of imagination is an example …show more content…
The narrator is not comfortable with having a blind house guest and exclaims, “His being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eyed dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.”(Carver 104). The narrator begins to judge someone off of a movie rather than getting to know them as person, demonstrating his unwillingness to open up. The narrator begins to belittle his wife's blind friend which