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To Build a Fire by Jack London


            "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, tells a story of a man traveling alone with his dog (Husky dog) through the Yukon Valley to reunite with some friends of his. Him being a "new-comer", a "chechaquo," who ignores the advice from the Old Timer (the precautions of traveling in weather below 50 degrees and later during the journey recalls and wished he had not,) which London portrays his main character is being ignorant and underestimating nature in the end can end up in a tragedy. Miles before meeting his destination he finds himself in trouble, in which he is slowly but surely freezing and most likely will have to come to terms in dealing with his own death. Whether it is from oneself or nature, beings can only withstand so much and should be able to recognize their own limit.
             In the beginning, London portrays the man (protagonist) as a smart but ignorant being: "He was quick and alert in the things in life, but not the significances." Stating that although he knew of the cause of things the effect of it was rather oblivious to him. The man (protagonist) is surprise over and over again how colder it is, but he does not realizes its implications and that makes him a static character. After his first fire on and he has his lunch everything is fine, then he laugh and think the Old Timer were "rather womanish," and so proud of himself, he thought "all a man had to do was keep his head, and he was right. Any man who was a man could travel alone" (London 804). Soon after the tree avalanche collapsed on his fire (by foolishly he build another fire under the spruce tree, after his feet get wet and freeze, cause the fire is off.) London writes "If he had only had a trail-mate he would have been in no danger now," (a trail-mate would able to build another fire, like he has help the dog release the ice off its toes) and the "chechaquo" (protagonist) finds himself regretting the decision of traveling alone and admit that the Old Timer was right.


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