Introduction
Man is no match to the extreme cold, especially when he travels alone. His skills on how to build a fire are not enough to assure his survival against the harsh weather. It takes more than skills and fitness to conquer the challenges of life. In the succeeding paragraphs, the experiences of the protagonist in To Build a Fire are discussed. Jack London, through this story, is emphasizing the qualities that a man should have to survive the difficulties he encounters in life. His use of the extreme cold as the setting and only the man and the dog as the characters contribute to the appeal of the story.
Summary
The short story, To Build a Fire is about a male miner, a newcomer, who is travelling on foot with his dog as his only companion, across miles of snow to meet the other miners at the “old claim on the left foot of Henderson Creek” (para 4). It was extremely cold with the temperatures reaching “seventy-five below zero” (para 19). He was walking on the frozen Henderson Creek and was very observant of his surroundings because he knew it was very dangerous if he fell on icy waters. It would not only delay him; but also he could even freeze to death. This man walked four miles an hour and took his lunch at twelve noon. He built a fire during lunch and after a quick break took off again. The dog was in his heels. It was only at one time that the dog went in front of him, to test the strength of the frozen stream. The dog got wet, and he helped the dog get dry. Further along their travel, the man had his turn in a thin ice, and he felt wet to his waist. He was able to build a fire to begin drying his footgear but the snow on the trees from where he got the branches from fell to the ground extinguishing his fire. At this point, the man’s extremities were already frozen, and his fingers could not anymore take hold of the matches. He was able to get the matches in between his teeth and managed to light the matches but in the process also burned his own flesh. He was able to start a little fire but then again this was extinguished by a little moss (para 30). His final attempt to gain warmth was to run towards the meeting place, but his efforts were not enough. His hands and feet were already frozen, and he had little energy left. He decided to succumb to the calming drowsiness and slept to his death in the freezing snow.
Analysis
The progression of the events in the story can be likened to the events of a person’s life from a young age to his deathbed. At the start, the man was filled with skills—alert, fast, competent and methodical. He “walked four miles an hour” (para 8), reached his goals on time “at half-past twelve, to the minute, he arrived at the forks of the creek” (para 14), and was constantly on the move as “he did not sit and thinkhe was busy all the time” (para 25). However, gradually through the things that he experienced, he began to gain perspective and acknowledged the wisdom of others which are older.
The wisdom of the old man from Sulphur Creek was frequently mentioned whenever the protagonist reached a realization. It can also be noted that there was growing reverence for this person. In para 15, the sentence read “that man from the Sulfur Creek had spoken the truth”. It was at this point that the protagonist accepted the truth about how it gets so cold in the country. He also began to believe his words. When the protagonist fell into the icy stream “he was appreciating the advice” of the “old-timer on Sulphur Creek” and this was about not running with frozen feet. In para 29, stated that the old-timer on Sulphur Creek was right when the old man said that the protagonist should travel with a partner. At this point, the man had realized that he was wrong for travelling alone and that the advice of the old man was a wise one. So finally, in his last breath, the man uttered, “you were right, old boss; you were right” (para 39). At the end of his journey, the man succumbed to the wisdom of the elders.
Conclusion
The short story of To Build a Fire is about the journey of life. Man is equipped with the physical and mental capacities to make his choices in order to survive. However, it is not enough to depend on these. He needs to listen to the advice of those before him, understand his environment, and make the most of the resources he has access to. In everything he does, no matter how difficult the conditions are, he is still the one who decides the matter to fight or succumb to these challenges.
