To build a fire characters. Stability Of Characters In To Build A Fire And The Tell Tale Heart Character Analysis Essay Example 2022-11-06

To build a fire characters Rating: 5,2/10 888 reviews

"To Build a Fire" is a short story by Jack London that tells the tale of an unnamed protagonist struggling to survive in the frigid wilderness of the Yukon Territory. The story is set in the late 1800s, during the Klondike Gold Rush, and the protagonist is a young man who is traveling through the wilderness alone, trying to reach a mining camp.

The main character of "To Build a Fire" is the protagonist, who is referred to simply as "the man." He is described as being in his early thirties and is depicted as being physically fit and capable. However, he is not accustomed to the harsh and unforgiving climate of the Yukon Territory, and this lack of experience ultimately leads to his downfall.

The man is accompanied on his journey by a large, intelligent dog, who serves as his only companion. The dog is described as being "a big native husky" with "the proper wolf ancestry," and is depicted as being more attuned to the dangers of the wilderness than the man. The dog's instincts and knowledge of the wilderness ultimately prove to be crucial in helping the man survive.

Another character in "To Build a Fire" is the old-timer, a seasoned prospector who warned the man not to travel alone in such cold temperatures. The old-timer is depicted as being wise and experienced, and his warning is ultimately proven to be correct.

Overall, the characters in "To Build a Fire" are defined by their relationship to the harsh and unforgiving wilderness of the Yukon Territory. The man is a newcomer to the region, and his lack of experience and knowledge ultimately leads to his demise. The dog, on the other hand, is more attuned to the dangers of the wilderness and is able to help the man survive for a time. The old-timer, meanwhile, serves as a cautionary tale, offering wisdom and experience that the man ultimately ignores to his own detriment.

The dog Character Analysis in To Build a Fire

to build a fire characters

The man's appeal to logic and reason lead him to forego his instinct. He puts on his mittens and beats his hands. The man tries to crawl toward the dog, but this is unusual, so the dog is scared. He falls through a weak spot in the ice, and his situation worsens. This is important because it shows that even a resourceful human may not survive a chance accident in nature.

Next

To Build a Fire Study Guide

to build a fire characters

He is able, however, to wrap his arms around the dog and hold it. The man does not realize his error until it is too late. Had he remained calm and tried to figure out why the fire went out, he may have been able to fix it. He pauses and feels warm and comfortable. Normal people would have a look of disgust on their face after committing a murder, but the narrator smiled and then would try and convince himself that he was not mad. He strikes his numb, bare fingers against his leg to warm them. The dog's survival instincts contrast those of the man.


Next

To Build a Fire: Character List

to build a fire characters

At the same time, he realizes new despair. The man's learned reasoning leads to his death, while the dog's instincts and physical attributes keep it alive and strong. If he were able to keep his emotions in check during this time, he would have had a better chance of surviving it. Under some pine trees at the top of the bank, the man discovers some dry wood and grasses. The man is betrayed by his own body: his hands fail him and he cannot control his natural reaction to smoke which causes him to drop the lit match. Nobody forced him to change, he might been pushed in the right direction but all of the adjustments were his to make through reflection and taking Fire Scorching Research Paper 982 Words 4 Pages The Fire Stick, utilised by Indigenous Australians has been an essential tool in the practice of traditional land management across Australia since their arrival 50,000+ thousand years ago. It is very cold.

Next

To Build A Fire Summary & Analysis

to build a fire characters

The dog uses its natural instinct to outlive the man on this trip. In his crisis, he neglected to plan ahead and abandon the first fire he had started in the tale. The one was the slave of the other. He lacks the bestial instinct of the dog, which allows the primal and base nature to respond to its environment. The man arrives at the creek divide where he planned to eat lunch. His goal at the start of the story is to reach the camp to meet "the boys," presumably to prospect for gold. In despair, he admits that the old man at Sulpur Creek was right: he should never have traveled alone.

Next

To Build A Fire Character Analysis Essay Essay

to build a fire characters

Freezing is not too bad, he thinks. That is why the story keeps going back and forth with trying to convince the reader of his sanity. He cannot hold his knife. The characters in ''To Build a Fire'' include the following. He cannot feel it, but he realizes his hand is burning from the smell of burning flesh. The man once heard a story about a man who survived a winter storm by killing an animal and crawling inside the corpse. GradeSaver, 1 July 2002 Web.

Next

Stability Of Characters In To Build A Fire And The Tell Tale Heart Character Analysis Essay Example

to build a fire characters

He built his fire underneath the trees because it was easier to gather the wood. He regains some hope of being able to run far enough to keep his feet from freezing, to reach the camp. He pictures them on the trail and himself with them. The man relies on pure logic to guide his behavior. It did not know this.

Next

To Build A Fire Character Analysis

to build a fire characters

His fingers are numb. It's as if this recognition has passed from one generation to the next. Then he feels pain, but still holds the matches. To Build a Fire is a book written by Jack London. Growing up in Oakland, California had provided him with the political ideas of socialism, as well as a personal desire to escape poverty. His nose, face, feet and hands grow numb first. At this point, the ending of the story starts to become inevitable.

Next

Character Analysis Of To Build A Fire By Jack London

to build a fire characters

The Dog The dog, ''a big, native husky,'' which shows no ''visible or temperamental difference from its brother, the wild wolf,'' is a supporting character in ''To Build a Fire. Survival instinct takes over. He refuses to listen to the wise advice of a more experienced man, believing he can handle the journey to camp on his own. But the temperature did not matter. The dog is made anxious by the cold, knowing instinctively that in such weather it is safer to hide and wait out the cold. The man is walking at four miles per hour and predicts his arrival at a place to eat lunch at half-past twelve. In this vision, the group finds his body lying in the snow and the man feels that his is outside himself, looking at his body.

Next

To Build a Fire Characters

to build a fire characters

He makes several attempts to light a fire but does not make it. London contrasts the actions of the man against those of the dog to show how each reacts to the adverse conditions of the Yukon landscape. The Dog in ''To Build a Fire'' The narrator describes the dog traveling with the man as ''a wold dog, gray-coated and not noticeably different from its brother, the wild wolf. He published his most famous novel, Call of the Wild, in 1903 and was soon wealthy and well-known. But it also shows his failure of imagination, his failure to be interested in and see the broader possibilities and risks of the world around him. Nature, while not an official character, still serves as the antagonist, against whom the man must battle for survival. The creek is fully frozen, but streams of water run from the hillsides under the snow.

Next