To Build a Fire by Jack London

Man vs. Nature in "To Build a Fire"

While man would like to believe in his strength and wisdom, there are times when he must comes to terms with the harsh reality of his weakness. In Jack London's short story, "To Build a Fire," we see mankind in perspective to nature. Mankind would like to believe that he controls the world and the events in it but the opposite is true. When he is left alone with his own devices, he actually does not stand a chance against the forces of nature. London's message in the story is that human beings are temporary and insignificant in the grand scheme of nature; while people may think they are lords over their environment, nature is a more powerful force that must be understood and respected if humans are to survive and prosper.

The vast artic wilderness demonstrates London's point perfectly. Robert Spiller claims that London is a "storyteller extraordinary to William Randolph Hearst" (Spiller 1037). Spiller also notes that London is from the camp of naturalistic writers that "demand of science that human life be reconsidered as the manifestation of natural laws" (1037). London proves this with "To Build a Fire" because the character in this story comes face-to-face with natural laws that kill him. Sam Baskett claims that London makes a comment on life, which is "horror" (Baskett 227). This horror is played out in great detail in the story. London emphasizes the insignificance of man in light of nature by placing the character in a situation where he is small in comparison to the Artic expanse in which he finds himself. The fact that the man realizes the severity of his situation only reinforces his plight. We read:

The trouble with him was that he was without imagination . . . Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd degrees of frost. Such fact impressed him as being cold and uncomfortable . . . from there on it did not lead him to the conjectural field of immortality and man's place in the universe . . . That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head. (London 728)

This passage explores the brutal force of nature. The extreme circumstances force us to come to terms with the hopelessness of this situation. The circumstance becomes more compelling when we realize the hopelessness before the man does. We feel for him because we know what awaits him. As he comes to terms with the truth of the situation, he loses his will to fight what appears to be a lost battle. He decides to "take it decently. With this newfound peace of mind came the first glimmerings of drowsiness. A good idea, he thought, to sleep off to death. It was like

While mankind would like to think that he has control over his domain, it is quite the opposite. Survival is a significant facet of "To build a Fire" because it demonstrates how difficult survival actually is. Survival is literally a fight to live in this story. The man has no one to rescue him and he knows that if he does not make it by his wits alone, he will not make it at all. Here we see survival in its very fundamental form. Abraham Rothberg asserts that London often treated "human beings like animals" (Rothberg 9) and equated the "harshness of the trails with the harshness of society" (9). "To Build a Fire" is such a story where the harshness of reality is a gruesome reality. The man in the story faces this harshness when he thinks, "Freezing was not so bad as people thought. There were worse ways to die" (London 737). The harshest reality is the futility that the man must face when he decides that there is nothing left for him do but wait.

The man fighting against the forces of nature is a character that is presented realistically, which is one reason why we can relate to his plight. Servanne Woodward states that the "hero of 'To Build a Fire' is endowed with rational thinking, practicality, and even abstract knowledge. Yet as the narration states: 'The trouble with him is that he had no imagination.' Thus he commits mistakes leading to his death" (Woodward). Far too often, we can remember being in a situation that called for not only immediate action but smart action as well. The character in this story simply cannot be imaginative enough to save his own life. Jill Widdicombe agrees with this notion, adding, "Rational or not, the man's behavior is what makes 'To Build a Fire' such a powerful story" (Widdicombe). His problem is that he is simply too human. She continues, "His inability to imagine himself in danger from the cold and his fruitless attempts at keeping his head once he recognizes that death is near constitute behavior most of us can understand" (Widdicombe). Regardless of his circumstances, the man in this story cannot escape the fact that he is human. He does not have the animalistic instincts that would allow him to either adapt to the cold or think of some genius way to save his own life. He is not a creature of nature at this moment; he is a victim of it.