To Build a Fire

A detailed Summary of To Build a Fire


In the story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, there are three principal themes. They are respecting nature, and considering results of actions. The main theme, or universal truth, is heeding warnings. The themes are shown through the character and his actions. The main character in the story had an attitude that prevented him from heeding internal and external warnings. He did not respect nature's power, and therefore he paid with his life.

His attitude was arrogant and careless. The man had no imagination and only understood facts. He knew it was very cold and his body was numb, but he failed to realize the danger. A newcomer with no experience, he thought he was invincible. Neither the "absence of sun from the sky," nor "the tremendous cold" made any effect on him. For example, the temperature was less than -50 degrees. He did not care about how much colder it was. To him, it was just a number. He did not think of his


The story effectively shows that failure to heed warnings will lead to adverse repercussions. In the main character's case, it led to his death. The man's attitude thwarts him from taking advice from people, events, facts, or even himself.

If the man did not believe his body, there were also several external signals to guide him. He mentioned the "old-timer at Sulphur Creek" many times. The experienced old-timer warned him of the danger of traveling alone. He didn't listen to the old-timer. The man spat, and it crackled before it hit the ground. This alarmed him of how cold it was, but not of the dangers. "In a month, no man had come up or down that silent creek." Other people were wise enough not to travel. Even the man's dog notices the "tremendous" cold. It wanted to stay by the fire and seek shelter. The man disregarded the warnings of nature, experience, and proof of the dangerous cold. He believed he was infallible.<

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sulphur Creek, Jack London, , sulphur creek, old-timer sulphur creek, old-timer sulphur, actions main, tremendous cold,

Approximate Word count = 626
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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