“To Build a Fire”

Responding to the Story

1. The author writes of the main character, “The trouble with him was that he was without
imagination.” Why would it be important to have imagination living and traveling in a harsh
climate? What other characteristics or qualities does the man have? How are these
demonstrated?

Why it would be important for a person to living during this time to have imagination
due to the fact the harsh climate was harder to survive due to lack of tools like cars,
and phones to travel safely making more creative people be able to survive better. He
doesn’t think head this is shown by the fact he did not bring a nose-strap and he
forgot to make a fire to thaw out his ice muzzle. He also rude as he laughed at the man
at the Sulphur Creek who warned him about how cold it gets.

2. When did you first suspect that the man was going to die? How is his death foreshadowed?

I first suspect his death when he laughed at advice giving from the man at the Sulphur
Creek due to this showing, he was not prepared nor ready for this trip.

His death is foreshadowed by how he starts to feel warm signs of hyperthermia. And
he is still far from his buddies, more or less meaning he is going to die.

3. Who or what is the “enemy” in this story? How did the man deal with this enemy? What type
of conflict is developed in this story?

The main enemy of the story is the cold. The main tries to deal with the cold by setting
fires to warm himself up and by coving himself in clothing. The conflict that builds up
in the story is that of the man trying to always fight off the cold with his fire. While the
cold ls always making stop to set fires to keep himself alive.

4. Why do you think Jack London gives no name to the man or dog?

The reason I can think why names were never given in this story to the main
characters is this story could be describing the common tale of how many different
people die going up to the yokan die going up. Without a name it makes it easier for
people to image themselves in the main characters shows also.
 5. What examples in the story can you find that tell you it was written a long time ago? Could
the events in the story occur today? Why or why not?

How I can tell that this story is from a long time ago is from how he is traveling, rather
than walking through the woods now days people would travel in cars through
highways.

I don’t think it is likely for this story to happen in today’s time. Why it is unlikely to
happen is due to the fact that we have way safer and warmer ways of travel. Also, now
days we can look up the temperature and prepare better for the could rather then in
the story where the man laughed off the warning of how cold it is there. We also have
more walker proof clothing making it safer to travel in areas where there is hidden
water and not needing to delay the trip unlike in the story. All these things combine it
is unlikely for the events of the story to happen due to all the modern technology.

Literature Studies: Short Story Theme

In “To Build a Fire,” Jack London not only tells his story convincingly, and entertainingly, he also
expresses his feelings about the North and how people react to it.

1. In a sentence, write what you think the author’s theme is. List three examples from the story
to support your view. For each example, write a sentence that explains why it supports the
author’s theme.
I think the theme of the story was a cautionary tale. First It shows that the main
character disregarding the warning from the man at the Sulphur Creek like how most
cautionary tale’s start. Then the main character goes into the Yukon aka doing the
forbidden act like how the main character of a cautionary tale would. After the main
character died for going into the Yukon like how most main character of a cautionary
tale end up. All this together shows that this story of cautionary tale of what happens
when you go to the Yukon unprepared.