Compare and Contrast Essay on Survival in the Wilderness: Instinct Vs. Intelligence

• To Build a Fire

The man came to terms with the fact that he was going to die. He was well aware that he made a mistake and his fight was over, but he did his best to survive. London explains how, “Well, he was bound to freeze anyway, and he might as well take it decently. With this new-found peace of mind came the first glimmerings of drowsiness. A good idea, he thought, to sleep off to death. It was like taking an anaesthetic. Freezing was not so bad as people thought. There were lots worse ways to die” (pg...

• To Build a Fire

On a bleak and dreary Yukon day, the man in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”, embarks on a quest searching for gold. Although an old-timer advises the man to not venture out in such frigid cold, the man decides that he is well-equipped for his journey and can make it alone using only his dog and naturalist abilities. The man cannot seem to imagine the extreme possibilities of his adventures, and this inability causes him to overlook the sheer intensity of the below-zero temperatures. The man...

• To Build a Fire

When man faces against nature, he does not win. In “To Build a Fire” Jack London explores this theme. The unnamed protagonist overestimates his own abilities while lacking to understand how unforgiving mother nature is. He ventures out when it's below fifty degrees does every possible thing he can think of to try to survive—while simultaneously not thinking things through, like setting a fire under a tree with branches of snow on it, and not following the advice of locals—and finds death. On...

• To Build a Fire

Jack London’s story, “To Build A Fire” is about a struggle of survival between man and nature, which happens through overconfidence and arrogance as opposed to experience and intelligence. These struggles arise through the man's arrogance and overconfidence by ignoring the signs of nature. The man tries hard to meet his boys at the agreed location and time, but the thick ice makes his journey impossible. The man tries to overcome the challenges of his environment to survive, but nature proves...

• Jack London
• Literary Criticism
• To Build a Fire

One of the biggest struggles people deal with in life is getting through an obstacle and doubting themselves in the process. Whether it be a physical, emotional, or mental struggle, having the strength to persist through it is a very important characteristic that will give you the confidence to get through anything that comes along the way. Each of these works portrays aspects of perseverance in different scenarios but has the same universal theme. In “To Build a Fire” the man is enduring...

• To Build a Fire

Literary characters oppose various evil forces, from human antagonists to hostile supernatural creatures, unfriendly ancient gods, and even dark mysterious phenomena. However, nature is one of the most common and most popular rivals of a human being, both in the real life and in a fictional setting. Natural calamities disturb people’s plans, interfere with their regular lifestyle, and produce tremendous tragedies. Too often, it happens because of people’s continuous desire to reorganize the...

• To Build a Fire
• Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jack London’s To Build a Fire are two stories that are similar in the way that both men embark on a journey into the unknown and face a threat to themselves within it. The two narratives have like features and similarities in their plots, settings, and themes. These can however be also used to show the two tales differences. Young Goodman Brown is less effective at showing the flawed and self-destructive nature of humans compared to To Build a...

• Aesthetic
• Perseverance
• To Build a Fire

What is perseverance? Perseverance means to never give up and always keep trying your very best. The theme of perseverance is showcased in the following pieces; the short story “To Build A Fire” by Jack London, Miley Cyrus’ song, “The Climb” and the painting, “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” by Emanuel Leutze. “To Build A Fire” by Jack London is about a newcomer from the Yukon territory who senselessly goes out into the cold despite warnings not to. He plans to meet his friends at their...

• To Build a Fire

Regarding the protagonist, I would definitely say that rather than portraying free will, he is completely under nature’s thumb, meaning that his every move is predetermined, destined if you will. Throughout the story, as mentioned earlier, determinism of the man’s fate is portrayed through nature’s indifference, which she shows mercilessly in different ways. For example, in the end, he desperately tries to start a fire and warm himself up, but no matter what he does or how hard he tries, a...