“To Build a Fire” a Story by Jack London

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Action and Reaction
Failure to Recognize Limitations
Apparent Foreshadowing
Instinct Versus Assumptions
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

“To Build A Fire” (August 1908), written by Jack London, details the story of a man who foolishly underestimated the environment that he found himself in which resulted in his death. The short story describes the actions the actions the man took to meet up with his associates and how they contributed to his misfortune.

Throughout the events in the story, the man remembers various flashbacks of advice given to him by a man from Sulphur Creek, which revealed the foolishness of his actions. Not checking the temperature, not having someone else come along with him as well as not being observant of his surroundings are the main contributing factors that lead to his demise. After reading the story, the central idea that can be drawn from it is that assumptions can kill.

Action and Reaction

The first situation that supports the idea that assumptions can kill can be seen in the commentary of the main character in the story when it comes to the surrounding temperature. He continuously made allusions to his supposed capacity to handle the weather, thought that the temperature was not as cold as it was, and believed that he could make it to this destination before the temperature got lower. The problem with this scenario is that his survival hinged on him being right when in reality he was wrong about the temperature, his ability to survive and being able to make it to his destination without any problems. This is a clear case of action and reaction wherein his actions of assuming without verification lead to a life threatening situation that could have been avoided (Hillier 175).

Failure to Recognize Limitations

Another of the details that support the postulation that the main idea of the story is that assumptions can kill is the inability of the main character to recognize his limitations. It was mentioned in the story that this was the first year that the main character had spent in the snowy wilderness. He was used to a bright sun, warm summers and long days. Not cold nights that could last days and an environment that is more hostile than inviting.

As such, it can be stated that assuming that an individual’s capacity to be alright in one environment would translate into being in another is an incredibly foolish belief (Feast 2). A winter environment brings with it dangers that require years of experience to handle appropriately and yet the main character believed that he could do so through his inherent “toughness.” The result of his way of thinking was his death in a snowy landscape with only the dog as his witness.

Apparent Foreshadowing

Further support of the assumed main idea of the story can be seen in the creative foreshadowing that the author utilized. For example, sulfur matches were considered as a much-needed method of starting a fire and are thus considered essential for survival. Their use can be correlated to the advice from the man from Sulphur Creek, who was mentioned several times throughout the story as a source of valuable information that could have saved the main character.

The scene where the main character dropped several sulfur matches and was unable to properly start a fire can be considered as the author connecting the fact that despite being given a lot of advice, the main character still did not heed them. The sulfur matches thus act as a symbol of the advice that the man was initially given which enabled him to survive at the start, but since he did not follow most of it, he wound up freezing to death later on (Kreidler 1). This method of foreshadowing supports the hypothesis of this story since it shows that the assumptions of the man when it came to not following the advice given to him lead to his death.

Instinct Versus Assumptions

Another support idea for the assumed main idea of the short story can be seen in the perspective of the dog in the story and how it clashes with the actions of the man. In the story, we can clearly see that the instincts of the dog are telling it that it is not a good idea to continue on the journey; however, the main character pushes on. This particular interaction between the two can be considered as symbolic of assumptions versus instincts since the man clearly showed in numerous instances that he refused to believe in his instincts and carried on due to his belief.

Conclusion

Based on everything that has been presented so far in this paper, it can be concluded that the main idea of the story is that assumptions can kill. What readers can gain from the reading is that people often overestimate what they are capable of doing or underestimate the full ramifications of their actions, especially when it comes to the outcome of situations that hinge on unsubstantiated assumptions. All in all, reading “To Build A Fire.” is a great way of introducing readers to the concept of how decisions can have a very real impact on outcomes.

Works Cited

Feast, James. “To Build A Fire.” Magill’S Survey Of American Literature, Revised Edition (2006): 1-2. Print.

Hillier, Russell M. “Crystal Beards And Dantean Influence In Jack London’s “To Build A Fire (II)”.” Anq 23.3 (2010): 172-178. Print.

Kreidler, Michele L. “Jack London’s “To Build A Fire.” Literary Contexts In Short Stories: Jack London’s ‘To Build A Fire’ (2009): 1. Print.

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