"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.
To Build a Fire Characters: Description & Analysis
The man and dog think differently in some situations like when the man or chechaquo New comer was trying to kill the dog. He doesn't realize how quickly the cold numbs his body because ''he was without imagination. McCandless leaves everything even his family to set off on adventure to Alaska so he can live of the land. Had the main character applied these skills, he would not have died from the cold temperatures. It waits longer, howling, while the stars shine in the sky. As the man walks, he spits, only to discover that the liquid from his mouth freezes in the air as it falls. He murmurs aloud to the man that he was right in his advice about traveling alone.
To Build a Fire: Character List
Night By Elie Wiesel Fire Analysis 1198 Words 5 Pages What begins and has no end, and ends all that which begins? He is never seen directly in the story, but the man thinks of the advice the old man gave him. Panicking, he starts to run along the trail. London cared about animal activism, as well, hoping to improve the conditions for animals and for lowly laborers that were horrific in many places at the turn-of-the-century. Although both of the stories are different, the main character mind frames are both fragile and unstable. A man and his dog are traveling toward a mining camp in the bitter cold of Yukon, Canada. This is important because it shows that even a resourceful human may not survive a chance accident in nature.
The dog Character Analysis in To Build a Fire
The temperature is at least fifty below zero, so the man is almost entirely covered in winter gear, and only his face is bare. Eventually, this movement created a landslide of snow from above. The man observes the changes in the creek and the safest places to put his weight. It is very cold. To make matter worse, he took little precaution when building the fire, such as not gathering enough dry wood for it. Nature is awe-inspiring—extremely cold and stark—and also terrible in its indifference to individual human life. He thinks of killing the dog but is unable to do so.
