The Yukon Trail

In To Build a Fire, Jack London’s story talks about a man who decided to take a journey alone in the hostile environment of Yukon that tragically leads to his death. The man is new to the area since he came from the south. Also, he is new to such cold, harsh weather. The story begins when the man wants to take a journey to the boys that are prospecting for gold. However, his arrogant prevents him from listening to the old-timer from Sulphur Creek who warned him about the danger of traveling…

sense? Would judgement overrule your instincts? Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” is a short story about a man and his dog in a foreign setting. To Build a Fire follows the main protagonist “the man” and his loyal companion as they travel through the Yukon trail in below freezing temperature. While the dog is nervous, the man is confident and continues to ignore the signs of danger. The setting is arguably the most important part of the story; it plays a major role in how the story is executed. He…

Author Jack London wrote "To Build a Fire," the tragic tale of a man's struggle to overcome nature in the most extreme conditions. In it an unnamed man and his dog encounter many unfortunate mishaps on their journey through the Yukon Wilderness. However, it quickly turns out that this story is not only about a man’s journey with his dog, but rather it becomes more of a battle between instinct and intellect. The traveler’s arrogant disregard of nature and lack of instincts ultimately lead to his…

Analysis of London’s work demonstrates how the story is a teaching for survival and understanding man’s failures with underlying themes about the human psyche. In brief, London’s story is about an unnamed man attempting to traverse a part of the Yukon to get to a mining camp. He is alone, except for a dog. The temperature is frigid.“It was seventy-five below zero” (London 102). The extremeness…

stories about the importance of instinct for survival. Jack London learned the hard way about the relentless cold the Klondike provided. The author initially perceived himself as infallible in the Klondike upon his arrival. The writer traveled to the Yukon himself in search for gold. While there he was issued warnings about how capricious the weather was and to be prepared for the worst. Caleb Crain reflects in his biography, “Four…

this serene, yet deadly setting. The choice of words in a story affects the way readers perceive the message the author is trying to convey. The words the author chooses tremendously impacts the effect of the narrative on the reader. Although the trail the man was traveling on was very beautiful, it was also deadly. This shows that the aspects of human life should never be taken for granted. Jack London connotes negative phrases to illustrate the fact that the weather was not suitable for travel…

Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” is a very descriptive story about a nameless name and his travels through the Yukon. The setting is a very important key element to the story. The setting and description of the cold took on a role of its own. This is a story about man verses nature. The setting plays as an antagonist to the nameless man as he fights to survive this tremendous cold. The story begins with a description, a view of the northern landscapes in the winter. It is very cold and assumed…

The sleds groaned by on their steel-shod runners, and the dogs strained low in the harnesses in which they were born to die. Jacques Baptiste paused by the side of Sloper to get a last glimpse of the cabin. The smoke curled up pathetically from the Yukon stove-pipe. The two Incapables were watching them from the doorway. Sloper laid his hand on the other's shoulder. "Jacques Baptiste, did you ever hear of the Kilkenny cats?" The half-breed shook his head. "Well, my friend and good comrade,…

sense, or failure to take sound advice, can lead to life or death consequences. In “To Build A Fire,” by Jack London he depicts a vivid example of this. Despite warnings against venturing out into the frigid negative 50 degree temperatures of the Yukon alone, the main character, accompanied by his wolf-dog, decides to anyway. While the dog's instincts tell it that it is much too cold to travel, it follows the man regardless of what it thinks. After many hours of trudging along, and many close…

belief in naturalism. Throughout the story, different symbols such as a moose, fire, and Koshkoosh demonstrate this principle. He had also used the season to further develop his belief. The Inuit tribe was placed in the Klondike region of the Canadian Yukon territory. The Klondike…