To Build A Fire, By Jack London

580 Words3 Pages
The story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is presented to us with the theme of Man vs. Nature, and goes on to prove us that no matter how hard you try, Mother Nature will always prove superior. The story introduces us to the man who ventures through the frozen yukon to reach the Old Camp. He is continually challenged with life threatening problems and at the end of the story, Mother Nature proves to be his greatest enemy. In the story, his only companion is a wild dog that is looking for warmth that only the man’s fires can provide. After trying to overcome many adversities, he falls into icy water and thus falls victim to the cold and perishes while trying to build a fire to save himself. “To Build a fire” by Jack London provides us many senses of irony and gives us the themes of Man vs. Nature and a very evident theme of pride.…show more content…
Pride or ‘hubris’ is a theme that you see in many story’s that end with the character’s death. The man exhibits his abilities during the wilderness but the sense of pride that is paired with it is also connected to his sense of being a man. The way that he beats every challenge and brags about his ability leads us to believe that at some point in the story, his pride will cause him much grief or even cost him his life. London uses this theme to prove to us that pride can be the man’s downfall because even after realizing how cold it truly is, “ Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not lead him to consider his weaknesses as a creature affected by temperature. 50 degrees below zero was to him nothing more than 50 degrees below zero.”, he didn’t turn back and wait until it was warmer. And because he thinks he is better, he is laid low by Mother Nature
Open Document