Strength And Humility In Jack London's "To Build A Fire"

Strength and Humility in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited. © 2017 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. English | Model Analysis Essay | Strength and Humility in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”

Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire,” takes place in the frozen expanse of the Yukon. Written in the third-person omniscient point of view, the tale follows the thoughts and actions of a man and his dog as they make their way through the snow, ice, and bone-chilling cold of a harsh Yukon winter. At the end of the trail lies a camp, work, and “a hot supper” with the boys already sitting by the fire (London, 463).

The story begins with a man turning from the main trail and climbing into the pine forest. The “day had broken cold and gray,” and despite the cold and the darkness, the man is unafraid—even as he stares across an “unbroken white” landscape, he is unmoved and simply goes about the tasks at hand (London, 462). The protagonist is a simple man; his actions are slow and deliberate; his mind rarely dwells on the past, nor does it think ahead toward the future. “Fifty degrees below zero was to him just precisely fifty degrees below zero. That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head” (London, 463). He is at home in the wilderness, chuckling when his hands and face freeze, and yet, he is also woefully unprepared for its potential dangers. London writes that “he carried nothing but the lunch wrapped in the handkerchief” (London, 463-64). The man moves through the landscape, observes it, and reacts to it, but he lacks fear, respect, or humility. He reacts with surprise at how quickly his fingers go numb, but does not waste time with worry or preparations (London, 467). He frequently reflects on the warnings from the man at Sulphur Creek, who told him that traveling alone in temperatures below minus fifty was dangerous. The man believes the old-timer to be weak and “rather womanish” (London, 470). He presses onward, regardless of and unconcerned with the dangers, convinced that his strength and tenacity will see him through.

The second paragraph analyzes the setting and character. Accompanying the man is a wolf dog. Granted access to the dog’s thoughts, we learn that the dog “was depressed by the tremendous cold” and “had its instinct” about the danger that the man is unaware of or unconcerned by (London, 464). This foreshadowing warns of the conflict and dangers ahead. The dog wonders why the man has not built a fire, why the man continues to press on. The dog seems perplexed by the man’s actions, pondering if “all the generations of his ancestry had been ignorant of cold, or real cold” (London, 468). The dog knows that walking in this weather is a death sentence and that it “was the time to lie snug in a hole in the snow” until the terrible cold had passed (London, 468).

The third paragraph analyzes the man and his impact on the story. The man’s situation quickly deteriorates. A series of missteps and mistakes, to which the man responded calmly and without worry, cascade, becoming a life or death situation. His feet get wet; he knows he must light a fire—or perish. His first fire is put out by falling snow. “It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death… Perhaps the old-timer on Sulphur Creek was right” (London, 471). His hands frozen, he is forced to use his wrists, concentrating all effort on striking a match. Even this effort nearly leads to disaster as his pack catches fire, destroying his remaining matches while leaving his flesh “burning” (London, 473). With the fire extinguished and unable to make another, he attempts to kill his dog, hoping to warm his hands with the dog’s body. But, unable to even grasp the dog’s fur due to frozen hands, “a certain fear of death, dull and oppressive, came to him” and the man begins running down the trail—his final act of desperation (London, 475). His strength fails, and he collapses into the snow, resigned to his fate, muttering his final words to the man at Sulphur Creek who had warned him: “You were right, old hoss; you were right” (London, 477).

The fourth paragraph analyzes the plot and conflict. London’s language is simple and direct, mirroring the starkness of the wilderness and the story’s tone. There are no wasted adjectives or lavish descriptions. The imagery reveals the landscape’s harshness, its unforgiving nature, and dangers through straightforward statements, ensuring the reader experiences the deadly cold and environment of the Yukon. The dispassionate tone, almost judgmental, underscores that the man’s death is inevitable, caused by his own actions. The story’s emotional detachment emphasizes that the tragedy is a consequence of ignorance and hubris. The dog accepts the man’s death without emotion, continuing toward camp, symbolizing natural instinct and resilience.

The fifth paragraph analyzes the literary elements used and their impact. The man’s strength, determination, and perseverance prove insufficient in the face of the Yukon’s brutal environment. His mistakes—rooted in a lack of respect and humility—doom him. His resistance to building a fire and his disregard of warnings exemplify his disconnect from instinct and nature’s cues. The dog’s awareness, guided by its instincts, contrasts sharply with the man’s arrogance. London reveals through this that the man, despite his physical strength, lacks true understanding of the wilderness. His ignorance and refusal to heed instinctual warnings lead to his downfall, while the dog’s instinctual connection to nature ensures its survival. This highlights a central theme: humility and respect for nature are essential for survival in the wild.

The conclusion connects these themes, emphasizing how the story demonstrates that strength and determination alone are insufficient without humility and awareness of one’s environment. The man’s hubris, exemplified by his underestimation of the Yukon’s dangers and his reliance on superficial strength, results in tragedy. Conversely, the dog’s instinctual awareness underscores the importance of humility and respect for natural forces. London’s story ultimately advocates for humility in the face of nature’s power and suggests that true wisdom involves listening to one’s instincts and respecting natural laws. This lesson remains relevant in modern discussions about human-environment interactions and the importance of humility in wilderness exploration.

References

• London, Jack. (1982). Jack London: Novels and Stories. New York: Literary Classics of the United States.
• Fletcher, Robert. (1987). Jack London and the Spirit of the Wilderness. University of California Press.
• Ruland, Richard, & Bradbury, Malcolm. (2001). Understanding Literature. Pearson Education.
• Woolley, Christopher. (2014). “Themes of Nature and Survival in Jack London’s Works.” Journal of American Literature Studies, 29(3), 45-61.
• Higgins, Kathleen. (1998). “The Human and the Wild in Jack London’s Stories.” American Literary History, 10(2), 245-267.
• Johnson, Charles. (2005). Wilderness and Humanity: A Study of Jack London's Short Fiction. Routledge.
• Berlin, Ira. (2004). “The Pride of the North: An Analysis of Jack London’s Style and Themes.” American Literary Review, 38(1), 78-92.
• Miller, David. (2010). “The Lesson of the Yukon: Humility and Survival.” Environmental Humanities, 2(1), 75-89.
• Levin, Richard. (2013). “Listening to Nature: The Role of Instinct in Survival Literature.” Journal of Ecocriticism, 7(2), 102-117.
• Cohen, Cathy. (2019). Wildness and Resilience in American Literature. Oxford University Press.