Many American authors all throughout the nineteenth century portray naturalism. Naturalism is defined as "Action, inclination, or thought based only on natural desires and instincts"(Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary 10th Ed., 774). The protagonists in London's "To Build a Fire" and Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" are both faced with the three aspects of naturalism; Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Self. The authors use naturalism to create struggles between the protagonists and other forces throughout the stories. London's main character is faced with not only the bitter coldness of the atmosphere around him, but a nonhuman character, his dog, being wiser than himself. Gilman's main character is over come by the wallpaper in her room, but she is also faced with society discriminating against her because she is a woman. Jack London and Charlotte Perkins Gilman use naturalism in "To Build a Fire" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" to show the human instincts that are brought about when people are faced with struggles.
The Protagonist in Jack London's "To Build a Fire" is confronted with all three aspects of naturalism. He is traveling alone with only his dog to meet other men at a camp, that is many miles away. Although he is warned that it is way to cold to travel alone, he continues to anyway. He eventually faces the ultimate failure, death. The protagonist's first confrontation is with nature. The weather is at least fifty below zero degrees. "The animal was depressed by the tremendous cold. It knew that it was no time for traveling" (London, 1340). Even a nonhuman knew that it was way to cold to travel alone. "Fifty Degrees below zero stood for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against by the use of mittens, ear flaps, warm moccasins, and thick socks. 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, 1340).
