Yet, it was only pride that made him look this way. The man thought he could survive because he was not “womanish” and it was every man’s duty. He was also warned to go with someone when the temperature drops 50 below, but ignores the fact and takes on this responsibility. After the man drops into the freezing water and gets his feet wet, one gets worried that if the man does not find shelter or warmth, he will die. After failing to make a fire, the man comes up with a wild idea.
He met a teacher, Virgil, and he begs for Virgil’s help. Virgil says that he can lead Dante out of the forest, however; he needs to encounter more dangerous events in the journey through the heaven. Virgil responses to him, ‘ I am not Aeneas, I am not Paul, neither I nor any man would think me worthy; and so, if I should undertake the journey, I fear it might turn out an act…my words express.’（The Divine Comedy; Inferno; The Canto 2; lines32-36）At this point there are still doubts about the future that worries Dante. He feels unconfident and he fears the events he will encounter. Dante presents a doubt to Virgil, when Sylvius’s father was alive, he had been to heaven, this is because he was chosen to be the father of glorious Rome and of her empire, and both the city and her lands.
And although “The Open Boat” and “To Build a Fire” are written in different styles, they equally exemplify the power of nature set against man through the characters struggles for survival in addition to lose of hope. The stories express how nature never chooses sides, therefore is always apathetic to man. In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” the character is traveling along the Yukon trail with the weather below zero degrees. On his journey he encounters an old timer who warns him about traveling any father if the weather was below fifty, yet he ignores his warnings and chooses to continue. He could have easily avoided the situation unlike the crew in “The Open Boat” who were already in that situation.
“To Build a Fire” Literary Analysis Essay The story of “To Build a Fire,” by Jack London, is a tale of the battle between nature and humans. Yet, the reader asks, “Does this short story reveal the true challenges of humans as they travel in freezing temperatures and terrain?” Any knowledgeable person would know (in their right mind) that it’s not smart to go out into fifty below zero temperatures, but others, like this man, seem to think they can withstand it. The obstacles are present to detour him from his walking adventure, but he continues to ignore them because he believes nature is something he can accomplish. Starting on his journey, the man encounters many instances that should have deterred him from continuing on. The beginning of the story notes the weather: “There was no sun nor hint of sun, though there was not a cloud in the sky” (609).
At first, Tyler just tries to survive in unknown environment. He is really scared, so at nights he dreams of how wolves are attacking him. Contact with Tyler’s quarry comes quickly – he notices two wolves. In his notebook, he names them George and Angeline. They have pups and observe Tyler’s behavior just like he observes theirs.
First Writing Assignment The interesting American short stories that are Jack London’s “To build a fire”, it is about the man who travel with his dog in the freezing temperatures and danger part of the world. John Updike’s “A&P”, a young man who chose to defend the honor of an anonymous customer and stood up for what he thought was right. Both stories refer to naturalism of human. In this essay, comparing for theme these two stories have similar theme. Also, there are different points in the similar theme.
He could also imagine himself in predicaments that could affect his life and perhaps make wiser choices. Second, the man refuses to see the warning signs his experienced canine is relaying to him. “It experienced a vague but menacing apprehension that subdued it and made it slink along at the man’s heels, and that made it question eagerly every unwonted movement of the man as if expecting him to go into camp or to seek shelter somewhere and build a fire,” (127). The man is cocky about surviving whatever nature throws at him, so he ignores the dog. The dog’s instincts tell him not to travel, but he is forced to continue or receive a whipping from his traveling companion.
It knew that it was no time for traveling. Its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man by the man’s judgment” (610). This quote reveals that the dog’s depressed attitude is a sign of its instincts that it is too cold to travel, despite the man’s self-assuredness that they will be fine and make it to the boys by six o’clock. Another example of the dog having superior knowledge about the dangerous weather is when “the dog dropped in again at his heels, with a tail drooping discouragement, as the man swung along the creek bed... the man held steadily on. He was not much given to thinking...” (611).
The Shepherd insists that the revelation of the truth will result in destruction, “I will be destroyed even more if I do talk” (line 1184). The Shepherd’s fear in this line embodies his rationality and foreshadows the inevitability of tragedy in this scene. The Shepherd continually stalls during his dialogue with Oedipus, but Oedipus’s overbearingness overpowers his resistance, and thus the Shepherd resorts to pleading to the King, “By the gods, master, do not inquire further!” (line 1190). The Shepherd’s futile resistance displays his determination to protect the kingdom and himself, and only when threatened with death did the Shepherd succumb to cowardly behavior and reveal the reality of Oedipus’s fate. Oedipus’s desire to continuously inquire despite the
For example, he says,”I never wanted to come on this stupid old hiking trip!” This shows that he is immature because he is complaining about the trip while Mark is badly injured and in need of assistance. “Im scared! I don’t want to have courage!” Jeff is too frightened and he doesn't want to hike alone. He is too scared to come out of his comfort zone and go on the journey by himself. Moments after, Jeff learned that he had to try his best to save Mark, he had to be strong and courageous.