In the short story, "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, the newcomer heads out for his camp and ignores the advice of the old timers that it is too cold to travel alone. He is sure that he will be all right and is accompanied by his dog. As he stops for lunch, he builds a fire to stay warm while he eats and is truly surprised at how fast his hand freezes even near the...
In the short story, "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, the newcomer heads out for his camp and ignores the advice of the old timers that it is too cold to travel alone. He is sure that he will be all right and is accompanied by his dog. As he stops for lunch, he builds a fire to stay warm while he eats and is truly surprised at how fast his hand freezes even near the fire. Still, he decides to go on even though he is now much more concerned as is the dog who is reluctant to leave the fire. Now the man makes the dog walk in front of him in case the ice breaks and getting wet would mean death without a fire. Eventually the man does break through the ice, gets wet, and desperately tries to start a fire. Because he places the fire under a tree like a rookie, the small fire causes the snow to let loose and covers the fire, killing it. The man then considers killing the dog to use its carcass for warmth. When the dog moves away out of reach, the man knows he must start a fire or die. When he cannot start a fire, he sits down to face death, knowing now that he should have listened to the old timers. The dog waits for fire and when it does not come, moves off to find another fire builder.
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