Man versus nature: conflict and coexistence

¶ … knew the color of the sky," is the opening line of Stephen Crane's short story "The Open Boat." Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" also opens with a reference to the impenetrability of the "exceedingly cold and gray" skies. Nature is an integral part of the setting of any work of literature, and sometimes features prominently enough to become like a character with features that directly challenge the protagonist. Both "Open Boat" by Stephen Crane and "To Build a Fire" by Jack London are short stories that feature nature prominently enough to fuse the elements of setting and characterization as the protagonists struggle for their own survival. Nature in these short stories is depicted as being a dichotomous force. It is a neutral element, in that nature has no egotistical motives like those of human beings. Yet nature is a formidable force that can seem cruel because it threatens the lives of human beings. Nature is much more powerful than human beings, who struggle in vain to conquer or overcome its force. In the stories "Open Boat" and "To Build a Fire," the setting hinges on the struggle between the human protagonists and the mysterious, powerful, and impenetrable natural world.

In both "Open Boat" and "To Build a Fire," human beings futilely attempt to control nature. Controlling or manipulating nature is the only way human beings can hope to live. In "To Build a Fire," the protagonist must keep his body warm in the midst of inhuman temperatures. The title, "To Build a Fire" refers directly to the man's need to protect himself against the bitter cold by building a fire. Building a fire is a symbol of human civilization itself. Thus, London explores the irony in the fact that with all the technological tools it can still be impossible to survive in nature. Similarly, the correspondent and the crew in "The Open Boat" ironically have a vessel that floats in water but that vessel is insufficient to help them reach safety. Both these short stories depict coldness and grayness as natural elements that threaten human beings. In both cases, human beings futilely attempt to control nature but nature wins in the end.

Nature is depicted as cruel and neutral at the same time, a paradox that is explored in both "Open Boat" and "To Build a Fire." The human beings in both these short stories struggle against nature as if nature were a tyrannical ruler but nature has no personal vendetta against any human being. Coldness, which threatens both the crew on the boat and the man in the Yukon, is simply a part of the natural cycle of the seasons. In fact, in both "Open Boat" and "To Build a Fire," human beings have voluntarily placed themselves in potentially dangerous situations in nature.

One of the most ironic elements of the setting in both "The Open Boat" and "To Build a Fire" is the fact that errors in human judgment are more responsible for the struggle than nature itself. The human beings place themselves in danger by assuming they are powerful enough to overcome the forces of nature. In "To Build a Fire," the man had ignored the wisdom of the old man who said that it was too cold to be alone in the frigid arctic winter. In "The Open Boat," the ship's crew were only sailing because they wanted to. Therefore, nature is depicted as an external symbol of the weakness and ignorance of humankind.