To Build A Fire Summary Characters Themes Analysis by Jack London

Short Stories To Build A Fire Summary Characters Themes Analysis by Jack London

To view Summary & Analysis of other short stories. Click Here.

Characters

The Dog

The dog represents the natural instinct that the man lacks or chooses to ignore. The animal is able to understand the natural environment and is reluctant to move in the cold. It knows the dangers of the cold and is aware of the consequences of one wrong step.

When the man intends to kill it, the dog is instinctively on its toes and is able to survive without the need for any material aid. In the end, it survives and reaches the camp where there are warm fire and ample food.

The Old-Timer

The old man is the source of sage advice for the traveller who chooses to overlook his experience and counsel. Even though he understands the tundra region and speaks from personal experience, the traveller considers him overly cautious and even timid in his approach.

In the end, all his points of counsel come to fruition as the traveller fails to survive the cold and meets his avoidable and tragic burial in the snow.

The Man

The protagonist of the story is a victim of his own pride and overzealous nature. He only thinks in terms of his own knowledge and never heeds the advice of other experienced people.

In his overconfidence, he ignores his own instinct or his dog's reluctance to travel in the cold. In the end, he panics and falls to register the snow on the tree which ends up killing his bonfire.

He struggles to fight the frost and snow and eventually succumbs to nature's unrelenting reality and his own arrogance.

The Boys

These are the mates that the man is planning to meet at the camp. Presumably, in search of gold, they are on an expedition to gain material benefits from their natural environment.

They are willing to risk their survival and brave the uncompromising cold to reach their destination and collect their prize of gold reserves.

Themes

Man vs Nature

The central conflict of the story is one between human beings and their natural environment. The traveller believes in his own ability to rule his destiny and challenge Nature's plan. He is confident that he can brave the challenge offered by the wintry and tumultuous weather of Yukon Territory.

He fails to recognize the fallibility of his own pride and physical limitations and succumbs to his mortal flaws. However, the contest seems to be lopsided throughout the story with the eventual death of the man.

Naturalism

The environment that the story plays out is represented by natural setting and events. It shows how brutal and unresponsive Nature can be as is the case in the tundra regions of Yuko territory.

It also signifies the need of a man to rely on its self for survival, an idea attached to the Darwinism. The description of arctic snow and unforgiving winds, frozen springs etc. produce a naturalistic arena for man to b tested and eventually fail in his quest to overcome his limitations.

Even the goal of the poor traveller to strike gold and rise to ruches is a classical trait of naturalistic writing.

Determinism

In the story, the theme of determinism is represented by the ultimate death of the man who is advised at every stage to reconsider his plan to brave the cold.

All the characters and the signs foretell a painful end as if it is already fated for him to fail. In the end, the tragic fate is realized as nature seals the snowy grave of the traveller who thought he could master nature and rule his own destiny independent of nature's plan.

Responsibility

The man ignores the old man's advice, overlooks the dog's reluctance to travel and his own instincts to protect his life. Therefore, even though the theme of the story is deterministic, the man is held accountable for his death.

He should have foreseen his fire being muffled with snow from the tree and the consequences of his running with wet feet in the snow.

All these were not mere accidents but avoidable mistakes based on his faulty thinking and overestimation of his own abilities. Thus, the responsibility lies squarely on his shoulders.

Instinct

There is a theme of instinct versus intellect throughout the story. The man is intellectual and calculative but he is not instinctive.

On the other hand, the dog represents pure natural instinct and survival skills. It does not depend on scientific data and measurements of temperature to understand the dangers of travelling in the arctic cold.

It is able to use the sense of smell to find its way to the camp in the end. Even in direct confrontation when the man tries to lure the dog toward him (to kill it), the dog senses danger and stays out of his reach.

Analysis

Conflict

The central conflict in the story is between the arrogant man and humbling nature. The man represents knowledge and modernity whereas the dog represents instinct and adaptability.

There is also conflict between youth and experience as exemplified by the man and the old-timer respectively. These conflicts are resolved by the eventual realization by the man of his erroneous ways and his tragic death.

Climax

In the climax of the story, the strife of the traveller reaches its highest state. His first fire goes out under the weight of the snow and he is unable to light another one as his fingers are frostbitten. He seeks desperately to catch his dog but it keeps away at a safe distance.

Symbolism

The wintry route to the camp is a symbol of human achievement and so is the fire that the man is able to build. They represent the intellect and ability to adapt. The fire also represents security.

The failure of man to reignite the fire symbolizes the fallibility of human knowledge and technological advancement that cannot replace natural instinct and skills.

The camp represents the destination and goal of a journey whereas the old man represents experience and wisdom. The traveller represents youthful exuberance and pride while the dog represents natural ways and survival instincts.

Point of View

The story is written from the point of view of a third-person narrative. The events are described by an outside onlooker who can read the actions and thoughts of the caretaker.

The narrator is able to speak about the conversation between men, their internal thoughts and even the instincts of the dog. The narrator also provides commentary and judgment when it comes to the events and actions within the story.

Mood

The mood of the story is ominous and suspense-filled. The traveller is constantly fearful and suspects of his own prideful ways. He is wary of the dangers of his quest and is desperately trying to convince himself to stay calm.

There is a sense of impending doom and panic throughout the text of the story which culminates into a painful death of the traveller.

Conclusion

In the end and eventually, the man tries to run out his trouble and in doing so cements his wintry burial. He collapses on his feet and realizes the error of his ways and pride in not taking a partner.

He resigns to his demise and accepts death tranquilly. The dog, on the other hand, loiters away toward the next camp for food and warmth.

Summary

Story of A Traveller

Set in the glacial environs of wintry Canada, this is a tale of pride getting the better of sound judgment. The area normally has temperatures far below freezing point and is a dangerous area to traverse alone.

The story charts the journey of a traveller who is new to the area but is confident in his ability to survive the weather on his own. He is advised by an old man in Sulfur Creek to find a travel partner in order to tackle both the temperature and arduous journey but he ignores the sage advice.

The Journey Begins

In his hubris, he plans to travel the length till the next camp where his friends are staying in a day. He begins his journey early morning and plans to reach his destination by 2 o'clock in the afternoon. He is accompanied by a canine which seems to be a reluctant traveller in the dangerously cold temperatures.

Having travelled at four miles an hour speed, the man feels confident in his ability to reach in time. However, he soon feels that his face is becoming numb due to cold. He regrets not wearing a face mask.

His spit turns into ice and his lungs seem heavy. The area is known for its frozen springs and lakes and he is wary of the threat because getting wet in sub-zero temperature is fatally dangerous. As a precaution, he pushes the dog in front of him to sniff out any pitfalls or thin sheet of ice.

Extreme Climate

Unfortunately, he slows down due to extreme cold and has to stop for momentary rest. He readjusts his time of arrival at the camp at 6 o'clock in the evening.

As soon he starts again, he falls into spring and gets drenched till his waist. He remembers the old man's advice of drying his feet in case he got wet and rushes to build a fire under a nearby tree.

He feels proud of his ability to think fast but suddenly the snow collected in the foliage extinguishes the fire. His loses sensation in his fingers and loses grip over the matches again.

Panic

He begins to panic and decides to run to the camp before his whole body goes to waste due to frostbite. The old man had advised him against running as it accelerates freezing of the legs.

And soon he drops to the ground unable to stand up. He tries to lure the dog toward his failing body for some warmth. But the dog walks away ensuring its own survival.

In the end, the man accepts his impending end and gives up trying to find an escape. The dog stays with him till the man breaths his last. As soon as he passes away, the dog loiters toward the next settlement for some much-needed fire and hot food.

Short Stories Summary To Build A Fire Characters, Themes & Analysis by Jack London 
Short Stories Summary To Build A Fire Characters, Themes & Analysis by Jack London

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post