"To Build a Fire"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire", which pits an ignorant and arrogant newcomer against the frozen landscape of an Arctic winter. The paper portrays the inferior man against the superior natural forces and explains that this indicates London's understanding and great admiration for the natural world. The paper discusses how the human is shown to be consistently flawed and arrogant, while nature is painted as perfect in her unbending and uncaring force. The paper notes the criticism of London's style and substance in this story.

From the Paper:

"Many critics find London's work sophomoric and simple, and yet, his writings have endured over 100 years - a testament to his popularity and classic writing style. One critic notes, "So, for example, critics have often grappled with the relationship between London's socialism and Nietzscheanism, and they have sought to explain how a writer who could achieve the seamless perfection of 'To Build a Fire' could also produce an extraordinary amount of trash" (Pizer 1). While this author views "To Build a Fire "as" perfection, all who read and critique the story do not share his view."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dauber, Kenneth. "Realistically Speaking: Authorship in the Late Nineteenth Century and Beyond." American Literary History 11.2 (1999): 378-390.
• Haron. "Short Life Intensely Lived: The Adventures of Jack London." Biography, 10927891, Jul99, Vol. 3, Issue 7.<http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=2181831>
• London, Jack. The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories. Ed. Earle Labor and Robert C. Leitz. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
• May, Charles E. "'To Build a Fire': Physical Fiction and Metaphysical Critics." Studies in Short Fiction; Winter78, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p19, 6p.<http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=7127193>
• McClintock, James I. Jack London's Strong Truths. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1997.

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• Comparison Essay # 36363 : " "Young Goodman Brown" and "To Build A Fire"
• Analytical Essay # 64621 : "Jack London's "To Build a Fire"

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