English 3318 students:
Happy Halloween! It is very fitting that we will explore the horror of nature's extremes this week in Jack London's "To Build a Fire."
Before midnight on Friday, November 4, please publish a comment of at least two well-developed paragraphs about the characterization of "the man," who is the nameless protagonist of "To Build a Fire." Explain how his obliviousness to danger evokes dread and fear in readers, quoting and citing the story in your comment.
After you publish your comment, please reply in one well-developed paragraph to at least one of the other students' comments.
Thank you,
Dr. Kornasky
Through the main character’s journey along the yukon with his dog, the reader can begin to question if the man’s death was preventable or not. If the man had actually listened to the old man from Sulphur Creek he would have survived, but something was holding the man back from listening to advice from someone with thorough experience. Although this question can be asked, the narrator does describe, “the trouble with him was that he was not able to imagine”, clarifying and providing the reader with the answer that the consequence of the man’s own actions is what brought him to his death (London 1089). Unfortunately the consequences of the man’s obliviousness and lack of experience cost him his life. The reader can tell that the man never truly considered the consequences of even the smallest actions such as ignoring the recognition that, “In a month no man had come up or down that silent creek,” (London 1091). The narrator even went as far to describe the man’s lack of thought process by stating, “He was not much given to thinking, and just then particularly he had nothing to think about save that he would eat lunch,” (London 1091). With all of this being said, the lack of knowledge that led to his obliviousness to danger evoked dread and fear in the reader in several ways. The first way being how exactly London wrote this piece, with a progression and chronological sequence of events. This method of the timeline of the man’s journey allowed the reader to easily track the story’s events, creating the reader to become curious, ask questions, and wonder what is going to happen next. The second reason the reader could have felt scared or fearful for the man is because of how the story was narrated. With this story being narrated in an omniscient way that knows and expresses the man’s thoughts, but is not close enough to the man’s thoughts, that the reader is not informed of what else is going on around the man, both in nature, and through the man’s dog.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the dog’s role in this story, and its direct emphasis and relation, the theme of the story, being the limits of self-reliance, is evident when the narrator puts all of the blame on the man and not the dog. At the beginning of this short story, the man starts with an immense amount of self-confidence regarding his ability to survive alone on this journey across the yukon. Even after recognizes that the temperature is colder than negative fifty degrees, he is still convinced that it cannot harm him: “What was a little frost? A bit painful, that was all. It was never serious.” He quickly builds a fire to warm himself and mocks the old man’s advice, still convinced that “[any] man who was a man could travel alone,” (London 1093). Once his fire is extinguished by the snow, the man realizes that his independence has its limits. He then quickly becomes aware that he needs to build another fire to survive the harsh cold. The man comes to the conclusion that if he had listened th the old man from Sulphur’s advice about not traveling alone, that he would have someone else already building a fire, that would have solved his problem. In the end, the man dies from lack of fuel, remembering the old man's advice to travel with a companion. When the man is dying, only then does he finally admit that, “You were right, old hoss. You were right,”(London 1099). The reader can see that even from the beginning of the story, as the narrator never establishes a genuine relationship between the man and the dog, as well as the fact that the dog knew it could only rely on its master to ensure its own survival. In the wake of the man’s death, the dog does not go off on its own; instead, it immediately looks for other “food providers and fire providers,”(London 1099). Both the dog's instinct and the man's pride convey the message that no one can survive alone in the extreme cold of the Yukon, and that the man's refusal to rely on others was the cause of his death.
Abbie,
DeleteBeautifully said! I really love your interpretation on the dog's role in the story. While some of the things you said I also noticed in my own response, saying that the dog was also reliant on someone else made me think the dog and the man mirror each other. They are both out in the harsh Yukon trying to survive; they are both cautious and recognize the dangers of traveling at this time at this temperature. The dog, however, just isn't oblivious to the dangers the way the man is. The dog, even though it has natural protection and instinct to survive, still relies on others as the ones who provide food and warmth. Overall I think this was a really great response and it definitely made me think of my own response differently.
This was such a great response! I like how you noticed that the man and the dog did not have a string bond, but only used each other for survival. It is just crazy to me that the protagonist was confident enough to not take the old man's advice and continue onto Yukon. I also appreciated you mentioning the man's oblivious attitude toward danger.
DeleteIn this week’s blog reading, I noticed 2 things that correlate with how the story evokes dread: the weather and the dog. We can tell from reading that the main character knows it’s cold. He constantly repeats “It certainly was cold, he concluded, as he rubbed his numb nose and cheek-bones with his mittened hand,” (London, C-1090). He repeats that phrase or phrasing similar constantly throughout the story; this repetition gives us as the readers insight into how cold it really is. However, the main character dismisses all the warning signs of the cold as if it’s nothing he can’t handle; the old man who tried to warn him of the cold ends up being right. The main character ignores the warnings though, proceeding to do whatever he wants thinking he knows everything about living in the deadly cold. “That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country,” (London, C-1092). The absolute lack of care for himself gives the reader dread because we ultimately know what is going to happen. There are instances in the story where the danger the man is facing is mentioned over and over; knowing we are not in that immediate danger, we can sit and methodically figure out what the man should’ve done in that situation. It’s his obliviousness that ultimately gets him killed.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing that evokes dread is the dogs’ actions throughout the course of this story. The dog just wants warmth and knows this is a basic need for survival. With the man not caring about his safety or his own dog’s safety, the dog eventually has to look out for itself. In my opinion, the dog is representing either us as readers or as warnings in general. Those 2 things go hand-in-hand. The dog has natural protection from the elements, so it is not in as much danger as the man; we as the readers aren’t in any danger so this is how I see the comparison. From there, the dog has natural instincts of what to do in dangerous weather and even attempts to warn his owner about the weather more than once. “Once again, however, he had a close call; and once, suspecting danger, he compelled the dog to go on in front. The dog did not want to go,” (London, C-1091). The dog not wanting to go is a huge sign that something is wrong and this path will lead to danger. However, the man didn’t care and put the dog’s life at risk anyways. As a reader, I almost felt like the dog; we know the dangers and the warnings. We know what is going on and can predict what will happen, but we can’t tell the man or warn him of the dangers. The man was so cocky in the beginning and that cockiness led to his death. In that event, the dog does only what it knows to do and finds help from the camp they were headed to in the first place.
Interesting. I think your take on the dog representing the readers is a unique take. I had not thought about looking at the dog as part of the characterization in this short story. Nonetheless, it makes sense as the dog is consistently shown to be more aware of the real danger and threat around them than his master. I agree, it really is the cockiness of the man that really does him in the end. I wonder if Jack London is trying to teach his readers a very prescient lesson by showing the dangers of overconfidence?
DeleteThis interpretation of the dog's role, and the man's obliviousness is quite interesting, Bailey. I did not think of either of your points when reading or writing my response. When trying to wrap my head around the dog's role in this story, your interpretation leads me down an entirely different rabbit hole. Although the dog and the man did not have a genuine relationship, and they both did and did not depend on each other, I have come to the conclusion that their relationship can represent the concepts of trusting and being confident within ourselves. The dog's hesitation represented the lack of trust, confidence, and quickness to doubt. Ultimately, did the dog represent what the man was actually feeling? Either way, great response, it is always very stimulating and thought-provoking.
DeleteIn Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”, the unnamed protagonist goes through the Yukon with his only companion being a large husky. At the end of the story, I wondered if the man would have survived if he listened to the old man from Sulpher Creek. The man was confident and prideful about his wintery journey and, it seemed that he would prove the old man. Though, the old man was right to give our protagonist his advice because it was much too cold for him to be travelling “The old man had been very serious in laying down the law that no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below” (London 1119). The temperature was well below seventy-five degrees below freezing. The story’s beginning makes the reader want to believe that the man will make it to camp and see “the boys”, but as he treks further and further the reader is filled with dread and fear.
ReplyDeleteThe protagonist never fully realized the consequences of trekking by himself and what could happen to him (death). It’s not until the snow from the tree takes away his fire that his calmness and confidence is also taken away. He becomes so desperate to survive in the cold he decides that he must kill the dog, but the man’s condition had already become too severe. The dog’s companionship to the man was that he was the one that would build a fire. The dog knew that it was too cold to be walking in those temperatures. It was happy when the man would build the fire and didn’t need much else other than the warmth. London wrote this story where the events went from good to bad to bad to worse. His decisions were what put him in these situations and are ultimately what led him to his demise. He didn’t listen to the advice of the old man and failed to realize the dangers of travelling in those wicked, cold temperatures. Once the dog realized what happened to the man, he followed his instincts and went on the camp “where were the other food-providers and fire-providers” (London 1124).
Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire” is one of survival and ultimately death in the freezing wilderness of the Yukon. The reader is introduced to the main character- an unnamed man who is traveling alone with his dog to return to camp. His death- or the dread and unease felt by the reader which forewarns such a fate- is done through his characterization.
ReplyDeleteThe first sign is the man’s overconfidence and “newcomer” status (London 1089). He does not seem to realize his own “frailty” in the dangerous environment of the Yukon, and that was “[t]he trouble with him”(London 1089). Even with his inexperience, he dismisses useful advice from “old-timer[s]” of the area (London 1094). These ‘guides’, so to speak, argue that no one should travel alone in “after fifty below” (London 1094). However, the man disregards their advice, as “any man who was a man could travel alone” (London 1094). He believes too strongly in his own abilities. It is the sensible thing to listen to those with more experience and to take the safer route- especially in dangerous situations like the one presented here. The reader may gain a sense of unease, realizing that it is less likely for the main character to survive based on his limited knowledge and foolhardy-ness.
Secondly, is the man’s desperation when he realizes the full depth of his situation. There is a “strange note of fear” in his voice when he calls out to the dog, hoping on a “wild idea” to save himself by using the dog’s corpse as shelter (London 1096-97). While calm before, he is now “struggling” not to panic (London 1097). Death is very near, and the effects are presented in his change of character.
This helps give the reader a sense of dread with that change of characterization, as a once over-confident man, is now worried and desperate of his situation. He is not likely to make it, considering the harshness of the environment as the reader may begin to realize.
Yes, I like how you mentioned his inexperience in the area and his dismissal of the advice given to him by the natives of the area.
DeleteI think when he starts to run frantically is another time when his desperation really shows.
What is sad is that the dog gave the man many warnings and eventually leaves going toward other people who are food providers and fire providers.
The evoking of dread and fear in this week’s reading “To Build a Fire”, was evident from the very beginning of the story. First, the way in which the unnamed man seems unconcerned with the conditions laid out before him on his journey by foot through harsh freezing conditions with the presence of untouched snow along the paths he traveled, draws much concern from the reader resulting in being left with a feeling of dread and fear for what is to happen. While the reader is established with fear and dread from the beginning of the story it only seems to intensify up until the very end. The man perhaps is not accountable enough to take into consideration the elements he is faced with all the way up until the moment the man is faced with the reality of death. The man talks about disregarded warnings from a “man from Sulphur Creek” (p.1117, para.1), and while the man acknowledges the dangers, his demeanor in the reality of nature presented to him at times only feels as if the man is not taking much seriousness to them. His description of the coldness, states, “He knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the snow, but this spittle had crackled in the air. Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below” (p.1114, para. 1). In addition, the reader can conclude that this man’s journey is inevitably dangerous and holds the capability of costing the man his life. As the story continues the man’s description of “snow-hidden ice-skin” (p.1116, para.2), eventually leads to the man falling through and soaking his feet. The man knows that it is urgent that he start a fire so that he can warm his feet and allow his shoes and socks to dry. However, his unconcerned demeanor about the severity of his troubles, causes him to make a mistake in starting a fire under a tree, having snow fall from the tree, and putting his fire out. It is not until the moment that the man is responsible for trying to start a new fire that he understands the danger he is in when he struggles to even hold a match due to the numbness of his fingers.
ReplyDeleteLastly, from the beginning of the story and the man’s inconsiderateness to take account of the seriousness of his travels to the very end when the man is met with the reality of those dangers. It can be presumed that although the man felt sure that he could withstand the harshness of the elements of nature, he was not prepared to the extent that he was faced with. Had he taken into consideration the warning from the man at sulphur creek, such as having a traveling companion, or even the acknowledgment when his dog was anxious about leaving the fire, the possibility of his survival may have been more evident. Ultimately, the reader’s suspicions of the events that the man would possibly encounter at the end of the story, was due to the lack of concern expressed by the man, resulting in feelings of dread and fear by the reader.
Your explanation of the dread and fear developed by the reader was well thought out, especially by the examples and descriptions of the events that took place and how they interpreted something of more meaning. I too agree that the man, although knowledgeable in nature and the elements, did not take into account the harshness of those realities and was more set on his ways than in taking into account or consideration of help from someone else. Had he acknowledged someone else's knowledge or even acknowledged his dog's concern about the weather, he most likely would have not been placed in such a predicament.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I enjoyed your point on the fact that the man was more in a hurry to get to camp than he was on being safe on his venture, this is something I had not taken into consideration but was perfectly said.
In Jack London's, "To Build a Fire" a man simply known as "the man" and his dog travel to the Yukon in some dangerously cold weather. You The man is described as a "newcomer" to the area and is traveling with his dog in search of his companions who are already at the camp (London 1089). The man doesn't appear to be concerned about the cold, but his dog on the other hand realizes how dangerous the terrain is. When reading this I genuinely thought about how idiotically carefree the man truly is, so much so that only his dog can see the clear and apparent danger that is traveling in -75 degree weather. When the man and his dog come across a creek the man acknowledges the fact that falling into the creek is very dangerous, yet he doesn't continue with caution. Eventually the man falls into a pool of water and recounts on what the "man from Sulphur" said about getting dried off after falling into water (London 1117).
ReplyDeleteIt is very apparent throughout the entire story that the man and his dog are clearly at risk of running into a multitude of issues. The harsh terrain isn't friendly with anyone. The man has a cocky attitude that causes himself to believe that he is in no apparent danger. He ignores warnings from others, and eventually the man realizes how dangerous the frigid environment truly is. It's rather ironic that at the end of the story the man looses his cockiness when nature truly shows its power by ruining the man's fire. The story ends when the man dies on the cold ground, leaving his dog to find food and shelter without the man. The entire story is a lesson, nature is against man, we should never underestimate nature's power to destroy a man.
Chloe, I agree, the man runs into a multitude of problems along the way, and he should have seen his struggles as a warning that the extreme weather he was unfamiliar with was far more than any human could cope with. The man should have taken account of such difficulties and listened to the advice from the old-timers, since; the old timers were far more familiar with the environment than he was, but instead he believed them to be rather womanly. He was arrogant and believed that he knew best; thus, he did not realize he should have listened to the old-timers’ warnings until it was far too late. You are right, we should never underestimate nature's power. We should respect Mother Nature and learn our own vulnerabilities as human beings.
DeleteI like what you mentioned about most of the stuff that happens being completely preventable. Unfortunately for the man and his pride, he chooses to ignore all warning signs before going on his journey. I find it rather ironic that a man with such confidence can go quiet when nature shows how powerful it truly can be.
ReplyDeleteThe nameless man in “The Man,” by Jack London evokes dread and fear in the readers because he fails to comprehend man’s weakness against mother nature. The man was new to the area and thus unfamiliar to the extreme weather and how dangerous it could be, the narrator describes him as, “He was a newcomer in the land” (p 1114). Thus, he was unfamiliar with the extreme cold weather and how devastating it can be against the human body, even when wearing proper attire. Moreover, the reader feels fear because he disregards the more knowledgeable and wiser older men that have lived in that environment for generations and have learned men’s limitations against extreme cold weather. Instead of listening to their warnings, he believes he knows best and thinks of the old timer from Sulphur Creek as cowardly, as the narrator says, “Those old-timers were rather womanish, some of them he thought” (p 1119). He does not realize the importance of their guidance until it’s too late. Additionally, despite realizing that it was colder than he had ever experienced, and his extremities were quickly going numb; he still believed he knew best and continued on his path rather than seek shelter as the dog hoped for and knew by instinct. As the narrator says, “But the dog knew; all his ancestry knew, and it had inherited the knowledge. And it knew that it was not good to walk abroad in such fearful cold. It was the time to lie and snug in a hole in the snow and wait for a curtain of cloud to be drawn across the face of outer space whence this cold came” (p 1117). His dog knew better, but because he had not taken the time to build a good relationship with his dog, the dog did not care about the man’s well-being. The dog had better instincts and knew to listen to them, better than the man did. The dog knew it was far too cold to be outside, he also was able to sense fear, and in the end walked away when the man was dying and no longer a threat.
ReplyDeleteThe reader feels dread and fear for the man because in spite of the many warnings by wiser people, own human, and animal instinct the man continues on a path to his own demise. The man would have had a better outcome if he had only appreciated the advice from the old-timers and taken the time to build a caring relationship with his dog.
The character of “the man” is that he thinks of himself as more practical than most. This is brought to the attention of the readers when he thinks to himself that “Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost” not the contemplation of “man’s general weakness”. His characterization gives the characters a feeling of ignorance from him because the audience knows that “he was a newcomer in the land, and this was his first winter”. Even though he was told by the boys, the old man on Sulphur Creek, and even the dog he travels with to not continue his journey given the dangerous conditions. The character is very calm, in his entire journey till the end when he can no longer walk, he faces death solemnly.
ReplyDeleteThe evokes a sense of danger and fear in the readers through his constant dismissal of the life-threatening conditions. As I mentioned before, the man ignored the warnings from the boys, the old man, and the native dog, but he also dismisses nature's signs until it was too late. The readers’ first clue into the severity of the situation is when he tries to drink water that “became ice that broke with a noise…in the air”. The man notices that “In a month no man had traveled up or down that silent creek” due to the snow covering past sled marks and yet still decides to continue down the path. When the man has” heard the noise of the snow-covered ice skin breaking” is the first instance where the man starts to have a serious decline in his physical state.
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DeleteHi Anais! I like how you said that the man thought of himself as more practical than most, and I definitely think that this was a big downfall of his, if not the biggest. You are right to point out how people warned him about the conditions, but he went on as if he would not be affected by them. I like how you added that nobody had been on that trail in a month. Just knowing that should be enough for anyone not to go, you don't even need to hear the specific reason. Good response!
DeleteThe characterization of "the man," who is the nameless protagonist of "To Build a Fire” is very much careless and thoughtlessness. His obliviousness to danger evokes dread and fear in readers because he is so careless. From the very beginning of the story, we see how he is this way, as he “turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where a dim and little-traveled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland” (London 1088). So, for some reason this man decides to desert his trail he is on, and go on a trail that has barely been traveled on. Already, from the beginning of the story, the audience is already questioning this man’s rationality. We find out why he was in the Yukon trail in the first place, because “he had come a round about way to take a look at the possibilities of getting out logs in the spring” (London 1089). So, he went a different way than all the other men because he wanted to see some of the trees for something in the spring time. I think this could have waited for the spring time, when it was not way below freezing out. The story also says, “He would be in to camp by six o’clock, a bit after dark, it was true” (London 1089). So, the man goes off trail to look at the trees for something that is not needed until spring, and knows he will be out past dark for it.
ReplyDeleteLater in the story the man thinks, “That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country. And he laughed at him at the time!” (London 1092). Not only was he not bright enough to realize this himself, but he was warned by others, and still did not care to listen. As the man journeys, he comes across some thin ice which he falls into, so, “He had hoped to get into camp with the boys at six o’clock, and this would delay him an hour, for he would have to build a fire and dry out his foot gear” (London 1093). Not only did the man fall into water, he messes up making the fire as well, “He should not have built a fire under the spruce tree. He should have built it in the open… Each time he had pulled a twig he had communicated a slight agitation to the tree” (London 1094). Unfortunately, the man does not survive, but this is solely due to his obliviousness of nature, and not being careful and thoughtful of the circumstances.
To Build a Fire, by Jack London, gives a good look into how people can be utterly stupid or oblivious to the situations around them. ““It did not lead him to consider his weaknesses as a creature affected by temperature. Nor did he think about man’s general weakness, able to live only within narrow limits of heat and cold. From there, it did not lead him to thoughts of heaven and the meaning of a man’s life.” (london65) The man did not stop to realize the situation he was in and if he was mentally and physically ready for it, He threw out all the advice he had been given and just went for it. The temperature was way less than negative 50 degrees, but he continued to go, he had a dog with him and even the dog was weary of what was going on and he sensed that they should stay put and build a fire. “The animal was worried by the great cold. It knew that this was no time for traveling. Its own feeling was closer to the truth than the man’s judgment.” (london67) When the man realizes that there’s thin ice with large puddles of water underneath, he knows that if he fell in it would be really hard to keep cold, so in his brain the smart thing to do was let the dog walk through and if he fell in, he would get him out and pull the ice of him. With wind and blizzardy weather picking up he did not think to stop until he fell into a puddle and need to get his moccasins dried but he was unable to start his fire. “You were right, old fellow. You were right,” he murmured to the old man... Then the man dropped into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known.” (London 79) he reminisces on all the advice he ignored because he thought he knew best and could make it to the other campers, but he couldn’t because he did not take the appropriate precautions to survive in his conditions. This story really throws readers for a loop because this man could easily still be alive and the dog was left to find a new owner in the cold by himself.
ReplyDelete