To Build a Fire is a book written by Jack London. The story follows the journey of a man traveling through the Yukon Territory in Canada and his struggles to keep warm and survive in extreme conditions. The man makes several attempts to build a fire, but each one fails. He eventually succumbs to the cold and dies. To Build a Fire is considered a classic of American literature and has been taught in schools for many years.
“To Build a Fire” by Jack London is an excellent example of the power of perseverance. When it comes to survival, the main character in this story did not follow three key stages outlined in Laurence Gonzales’ nonfiction trade book, “Deep Survival. ” During his trek through the untouched white snow, the main character failed to remain calm, think, analyze, and plan; instead he gave up too soon. The step of remaining cool was one reason why the protagonist perished.
In the book, Gonzales says that when people panic they do not think straight and they make bad decisions. The main character in the story panicked because of the cold weather and his lack of knowledge about how to build a fire. This is evident when he took off all of his clothes and boots to try and warm up quickly.
When he did this, he made himself more susceptible to the cold weather. Another reason the main character died was because he did not think rationally. To follow Gonzales’ advice, “You have to slow down your thinking process and start making good decisions” (Gonzales 214).
The main character in the story did not take the time to think about what he was doing; for instance, when he tried to start the fire with gasoline. He knew that he should not use gasoline to start a fire because it was too dangerous, but he did not take the time to think about an alternate plan. The main character’s lack of thinking also led him to give up easily.
For instance, when he could not get the fire started with the matches, he just gave up and went to sleep. Gonzales says, “The biggest enemy you have in any survival situation is surrender” (Gonzales 214). Lastly, the main character died because he did not have enough knowledge about how to build a fire in the cold weather.
In the tale’s crisis, remaining serene was out of the question for the protagonist. When he set up a second fire beneath a snow-covered tree that subsequently discharged a quantity of snow on to the blaze, he became terrified. “The man was horrified. It sounded as though he had just been told his own sentence of death” (London 85). If he were able to keep his emotions in check during this time, he would have had a better chance of surviving it. The main character doesn’t remain quiet when he can’t kill the dog next.
To have done so would have supplied him with food and warmth, but instead he lets the dog loose. This action could be perceived as foolish because it led to the man’s death. To summarize, if the protagonist had reacted differently in different situations, he might not have met his untimely end.
“To Build a Fire” is a story written by Jack London that tells the tale of a man journeying through the cold Alaskan wilderness. In the story, the man faces many challenges in order to make it to his destination. However, despite his best efforts, the man ultimately fails and dies as a result of the extreme cold. One reason for the man’s failure can be attributed to his lack of composure in difficult situations.
For example, when he builds his first fire and it quickly goes out, he becomes panicked and does not take the time to properly assess the situation. Had he remained calm and tried to figure out why the fire went out, he may have been able to fix it. Additionally, when the man encounters trouble in hunting down a dog to kill for food, he becomes agitated and makes poor decisions that lead to his death. In sum, the man’s lack of composure ultimately leads to his demise.
The protagonist was unable to stay calm when he realized that he could not kill the dog and released it, which led him to panic (London 89). Finally, the protagonist’s failure to remain cool in these crucial moments caused his death.
In the end, it was not the cold that killed him, but his own fear and inability to handle the situation. One of the key takeaways from “To Build a Fire” is that remaining calm in critical situations is essential for survival. The main character in the story failed to do this, which led to his demise. If he had been able to keep a cool head, he may have been able to find a way out of the dangerous situation he was in.
It is important to note that while the cold played a role in his death, it was ultimately his own fear and inability to cope with the situation that caused his downfall. This story serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us all that we should never let our fear get the best of us in difficult circumstances. By remaining calm under pressure, we can often avoid potentially deadly outcomes.
Another cause for the main character’s death is that he did not think, analyze, or plan ahead of time when placed in these tough circumstances (Gonzales 96). In his crisis, he neglected to plan ahead and abandon the first fire he had started in the tale. Despite all of the signs pointing to him remaining at the fire, including his dog’s inclination to stay where it is warm, the man departed in an attempt to return home. (London 83).
To make matter worse, he took little precaution when building the fire, such as not gathering enough dry wood for it. The very flame that could have saved his life ended up taking it in the end because the snow melted from the heat and created a deadly flow of water that extinguished the fire. (Gonzales 97). These are two examples of how crucial thinking and planning are in order to survive in the wild. Had the main character applied these skills, he would not have died from the cold temperatures.
