Jack London’s piece To Build a Fire says a lot about the fight for life and what some people will go through in order to live. This idea also pertains to animals and their instincts to survive no matter the situation, but also their loyalty to their provider through thick and thin. I wonder if, at the time London wrote this piece, if he was trying to prove a point to his countrymen that independence is not always the answer. That sometimes we all need the help of another and using our heads in a purposeful manner is what will save our lives. I ask this mainly because he depicts the young traveler as someone who has no imagination, who has no true intelligence, but when times get tough he does in some respect think intelligently. He knows that the ice will crack beneath him if he is not careful, and when the dog falls in that he must help his companion. So it makes me wonder if London was trying to make a point or if he wrote this story for the pure pleasure of writing?
Often I am used to writers using their words to make a point so I enjoy reading a piece that can go either way. This story made me feel several emotions throughout because I felt like I was a ghost watching this man on his journey. Jack London’s words and descriptions can really swallow you in. I was interested that in those multitudes of words he often chose to repeat the “it was not fifty below” and “that if it was a person should not travel alone.” Was there something the reader was supposed to get from this beyond the surface level, the man was an idiot for not listening to people or truly following some of his good instincts? I am curious as to why a person in general would go out in weather so severe however I also wonder why a person would not listen more to their instincts, and I think this piece does a great job at making the reader question their choices, especially if they put themselves in the situation of this cold traveler.
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That's an interesting perspective, Sarah--the point of view of a ghost. The narrative voice points out constantly (but indirectly) how foolish the man was to go on this journey, but the man, lacking imagination, can't hear this voice. Rather, he hears this voice and chooses to ignore it, for the voice is that of the old-timer on Sulphur Creek, who has told him what to do. Thinking himself a superior physical specimen, the man doesn't listen either to the old timer or to his instincts, and he dies for it.
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