The World of Jack London

8/2/2019 The World of Jack London

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T LA (TO BUILD A FIRE)at12/29/2010 12:08:00 PM

Truyn ngn ca JACK LONDO

H KLAM d

Li ngi dch

Jack London, tc gi cin M, sinh ti San Francisco, California, ngy 12-1-1876. ng lm nhiu ngh, khai thc s lu, tm

vng, tha phng theo tng ma cng vic, phng vin chin tranh, khai thc nng tri, v.v. V khng c c tui thm m, nn

nm mi chn tui ng phi nhi nht chng trnh bn nm trung hc trong mt nm hc gp rt ri ghi danh vo i hc t

University of California at Berkerley.

Nhng chsau mt ma hc ng b cuc, theo ui mng lm giu trong cn st tm vng ca nm 1897 trn vng bng gi

Klondike, bc Canada. Nm sau ng trv, vn trng tay, v quyt nh ththi vn bng vn chng. Cun sch u tay ca n

The Son of the Wolf (1900) lp tc c c gi tn thng. Trong vng mi by nm cn li ca i ng, Jack London hon

tt nm mi cun sch. Vn chng em li cho ng danh vng v tin ti. ng mttui bn mi do mt cn bnh vthn,

trn bn cn bn tho mt truyn va (novelette), dang dphn cui, truyn Eyes of Asia, m b Charmian London cm bt

thay chng vit tip, v ng thng bn lun vi b von kt ca cu chuyn. Truyn Eyes of Asia c ng hai k lin ti

trn hai sbo Cosmopolitan nm 1924 ri thi, khng in thnh sch, cho nn ngy nay c lkhng my c gic c truyn

.

ng nghin cu Darwin, Marx, Nietzsche tdng cho mnh mt thuyt tng hp ca chngha x hi v chngha da trng t

thng, tuy sau ny ng khng cn thch l thuyt i khng giai cp. Truyn ca Jack London to bo nhchnh cuc i ca n

Khng gian trong tiu thuyt ca London tri rng tvng bng gi Yukon gn Bc Cc n nhng bbin Thi Bnh Dng m

p. Truyn ngn sau y m t smong manh, dn i ca con ngi trc ci man d ca thin nhin. Mt iu ma mai l ng

ngi di nh mt tri bn nhit i Hawaii vit truyn ny. HKL.

***

NGY TR nn lnh v xm xt, cc klnh v xm, trc khi ngi n ng r khi con ng mn chnh ca vng Yukon v le

ln vng t cao, t c mt con ng mn mnht, t c s dng, dn vng, xuyn cnh rng sam. l mt bt dc

ng, v anh ta dng li trn nh th, t dung thhnh ng ca mnh bng cch nhn ng h. chn gi. Tuyt nhin khng

c mt tri, d bu tri khng c mt vn my. Mt ngy trong tro, tuy nhin dng nh trn mt mi vt c mt bc mn v hnh

ph ln, mt th bng ti mng manh lm cho ngy trnn u ti, v l do khng c nh mt tri. S kin ny chng lm bn tm

g n ng. Anh ta quen vi tnh trng khng c mt tri. bao nhiu ngy ri anh ta khng trng thy mt tri, v anh ta bit

phi mt my ngy na th ci thin th ti thm t hng chnh nam mi l dng khi chn tri ri li bin mt ngay.

Ngi n ng quay nhn li con ng anh ta i. Ging sng Yukon tri di vi chiu ngang mt dm, chm lp di lp bng d

c ba b. Trn lp bng l lp tuyt dy c my b na. Tt c l mt mu trng tinh khi, kh gn sng nhng ch mt bng b
http://www.diendantheky.net/2010/12/ot-lua-to-build-fire.htmlhttp://www.diendantheky.net/2010/12/ot-lua-to-build-fire.htmlhttp://www.diendantheky.net/2010/12/ot-lua-to-build-fire.htmlhttp://www.diendantheky.net/2010/12/ot-lua-to-build-fire.html


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y lc ng gi bt u. Bc v nam l mt nn trng ngt ngn, ngoi tr mt ng nh nh si tc en thm vin quanh mt o

rng sam ph nam, v li ngon ngoo chy v pha bc ri bin mt ng sau mt o rng sam khc. Ci ng nh si tc en

thm l mt ng mn con ng chnh - dn vnam nm trm dm n o Chilcoot, Dyea, v vng h mui, v dn v bc

by mi dm n th trn Dawson, v tip tc i v bc mt nghn dm n Nulato, ri cui cng n St. Michael bn bbin Berin

mt nghn ri dm na.

Nhng tt ccc iu - con ng thin l b him, nh nh si tc, khng trung khng c nh mt tri, ci lnh khng khip, s

lng kquc ca mi vt - chng gy mt n tng no trong tr g n ng. Chng phi v anh ta quen vi s vt y. Anh ta l

dn mi trong vng, mt chechaquo,v y l ma ng u tin ca anh ta. iu phin toi l anh ta khng c c tng tng. An

ta nhanh nhn, nhy bn vi s vt ca i sng, nhng ch vi s vt thi, khng phi vi ngha ca chng. Nm mi di s

khng c ngha l tm mi mybng gi. S kin ch cho anh ta n tng l lnh v kh chu, v ch c th thi. S vic

chng gi anh ta suy t v s mong manh ca chnh mnh nh mt sinh vt ty thuc vo mt hn ca lnh, nng, suy t v s

mong manh, dn i ca con ngi ni chung, ch c th sng cn trong mt gii hn nh hp no ca nng v lnh; v t n

cng chng gi anh ta h nghi svnh cu v v tr ca con ngi trong v tr. Nm mi di skhng c ngha l ci lnh t cn

gy au n v phi chng bng bao tay, che l tai v giym, vdy. Nm mi di skhng i vi anh ta ch chnh xc l

nm mi di s khng. Rng sc iu no khc hn th l mt ngh khng hc trong u anh ta.

Khi anh ta quay li tip tc cuc hnh trnh, anh th nh mt bi nc bt. C mt m thanh vnghe sc v ln lm anh ta sng

st. Anh ta nh nc bt mt ln na. V li cng nghe trong khng kh mt ting vtrc khi bi nc bt ri xung mt tuyt. Anh

ta bit rng nm mi di khng nc bt n khi chm mt tuyt, nhng nc bt n trn khng trung. Chc chn tri

ang lnh hn mc nm mi di khng - lnh hn bao nhiu, anh ta khng bit. Nhng nhit khng quan trng. Anh ta an

trn ng i n vng khai thc c ca mnh nhnh bn tri ca con sui Henderson, ni bn tr c mt ri. Chng n t vn

Indian Creek, vt qua ng ba sui, trong khi anh ta i vng n ni hn, mc ch nghin cu xem c th chuyn g vo ma

xun tcc o trong vng Yukon ra. Anh ta sn ni tr lm vo khong su gi, sau khi tri ti mt lt, chc chn nh vy; nhn

bn tr s c mt , mt ng la s bng bng chy, v mt ba n chiu nng st s sn sng. Ngh n ba n tra, anh n tay

vo ci bao cm ln di o jacket. N cng nm di ln o trong, gi trong chic khn tay v p st vo ln da trn ca anh ta.

cch duy nht gi cho bnh khi bng c. Anh ta mm ci ngh n nhng mu bnh , mi chic bnh xi, nhng m

heo, v m ly lt tht heo rn ho phng gia.

Anh ta lun lch gia nhng cy sam to. Con ng mun mt li. Tuyt dy n mt b xung t khi chic xe i tuyt cui c

i ngang qua vng, v anh ta ly lm hi lng mnh khng s dng xe tuyt, m di chuyn b nh nhng. Thc ra, anh ta chng

mang theo c g, ngoi tr phn n tra gi trong khn tay. Tuy vy anh ta thy bt ngvi ci lnh ny. Tri lnh tht, anh ta

ngh th, lc a bn tay trong bao tay ln xoa ci mi v hai g m t cng.Anh ta c ru quai nn xm xom gim, nhng nhng

si lng trn mt khng che chni i g m nh cao v chic mi c chng phi trong khng kh bng gi.

Theo sau g n ng, mt con ch chy chm chm, mt con ch bn x Eskimo to ln, ging ch thch hp chng li ch si, lng

xm, b ngoi chng c mt khc bit no vi anh em n, loi ch si hoang. Con vt cm thy nht ch v ci lnh gh gm. N bit

y khng phi lc i ng trng. Bn nng mch bo n chnh xc hn phn on ca con ngi. Trn thc t tri khng ch


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lnh hn nm mi di khng. Tri ang lnh by mi lm di khng . V im ng c ba mi hai trn khng

iu c ngha l mt trm l by bng gi. Con ch khng bit g v hn th biu. C thtrong u n khng c mt cm thc

sc bn v mt tnh trng rt lnh nhtrong u mt con ngi. Nhng con vt c bn nng ca n. N cm thy mt ni bn chn m

h nhng y e da xm chim n, khin n rn rn theo gt g n ng, v khin n ht sc thc mc mi ng tc di chuyn kh

thng ca anh ta, dng nhn ang mong anh ta dng li ngh chn, hay tm chtr v t la. Con ch hiu bit v la, v n

mun c la, nu khng th cng mun nm chn trong tuyt gn gi hi m ca thn nhit ngn cch vi kh lnh.

Hi nc n thra bng c ng trn lng mt lp bi trng mn, v c bit l phn di c, mm v lng mi nhum trn

v hi thkt tinh. Bru v ria mp ca g n ng cng b ph mt lp gi, nhng cng hn, thnh v ctng dn vi m

ln hi m v m anh ta thra. Li na, g n ng nhai thuc l, v ci vng ng bng vin quanh mm kha ming anh ta cn

, khng lm sao phun mnc bt qua khi cm. Kt qu l mt hm ru thy tinh vi mu v cng ca h phch c di dn

di cm. Nu anh ta t ng n s vtng mnh nh thy tinh. Nhng anh ta chng thy phin h v ci vt ty tng . l ci hn

pht cc tay nhai thuc l vng ny phi chu, v anh ta tri qua hai t lnh ngoi tri y. Nhng t lnh khng d di nh

ln ny, nhng anh ta bit hn th biu Sixty Mile ghi nm mi v nm mi lm di khng.

Anh ta vn tip tc i xuyn qua di rng bng phng mt qung nhiu dm, vt qua mt vng bng, rng mc ton loi cy u m

ri dc xung mt lng sui nh ng c. l Sui Henderson, v anh ta bit mnh ch cn cch ng ba sui mi dm. Anh

ta nhn ng h. mi gi. Anh ta i vi tc bn dm mt gi, v d tnh s ti ng ba sui lc mi hai giri. Anh ta d

tnh s dng ba tra ti n mng cng kh kia.

Con ch li theo bn gt anh ta, cp ui xung chn nn, trong khi g n ng i dc theo lng sui. Vt cy c ca ng xe tuyt

cn thy lm, nhng c chc phn Anh tuyt ph kn du vt nhng ngi di chuyn cui cng. C thng tri khng ai lai vng

trn con sui lng lny. G n ng tip tc tin bc. Anh ta khng hay ngh ngi, v c bit l ngay lc ny anh ta chng c iu

suy ngh, ngoi tr vic sn tra ti ng ba sui, v su gichiu s dng chn vi bn tr. Chng c ai chuyn tr, v nu c

chng na cng khng th ni chuyn, v ci vng sit mm bng nc quanh ming. Nh vy anh ta tip tc nhai thuc l v tip

tc tng chiu di ca b ru mu h phch.

Thnh thong trong u anh ta li trvci ngh l tri lnh tht v mnh cha h nm tri ci lnh ny bao gi. Va i anh ta v

a lng bn tay ln xoa g m v mi. Anh ta lm cng vic mt cch t pht v cch khong, lun phin hai bn tay. Nhng d

c sxoa cch g i na, ngay khi anh ngng tay i g m li t cng ngay, ri n chp mi t di. G m anh ta trc sau g ri

cng s bng lnh, mt iu chc chn, anh ta bit th v cm thy tic khng ch ra mt ci bao mi ging nhmn Bud v

mang trong cc t lnh. Ci bao nh th chong ngang qua m na v bo vc hai g m. Nhng cng chng h g. M bbng

lnh th sao? Hi au n mt t, th thi; chng c chi trm trng.

D cho u c g n ng trng rng chng c t tng g ro, anh ta li quan st rt sc bn v thy ngay mi thay i trong con su

nhng ng vng, ng quanh, nhng khc g vng kt, v anh ta lun ch k chno anh ta t chn xung. Mt ln vng qu

mt khc quanh, thnh lnh anh ta nhy qua mt bn nh con nga hong s, vng ra xa ni anh ta va bc ln, v lui my bc th

con ng mn. Anh ta bit con sui ng bng trong sut n tn y- khng mt con sui no cn nc lng trong ma ng


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bc cc - nhng anh ta cng bit c nhng ngun nc si bt t lng i v chy ngm di lp tuyt v trn mt bng ca con

sui. Anh ta bit nhng t lnh nht cng khng lm ng ni nhng ngun nc ngm ny, v anh ta hiu ci him ngho ca

chng. Chng l nhng ci by. Chng giu nhng vng nc di lp tuyt c khi dy ba phn Anh hoc ba b. i khi mt lp bn

dy na phn Anh che ph chng, ri lp bng li c mt lp tuyt ph ln. i khi c nhiu tng nc v bng xen k nhau h

cho nn khi mt ngi dm vmt lp c tip tc ln xuyn nh vy mt lc, lm khi bt sng n ngang hng.

Chnh v th anh ta mi hong ht nhy sang mt bn. Anh ta cm thy sn hi di chn v nghe ting vca lp bng c tuyt

phln trn. V chn bt trong lnh nh th ny tc l b rc ri v nguy him. t nht tai nn c ngha l b tr hon, bi

anh ta b buc phi dng li, v gy mt ngn la, ri nhs che chca la tho giy ra hong vv giy cho kh. Anh ta ng xem

xt lng sui v hai b, ri kt lun rng nc chy t bn phi. Anh ta n o mt lt, xoa mi v g m, on r sang bn tri, bc

thn trng v d dm tng bc. Khi qua khi ch him ngho, anh ta nhai mt ming thuc mi, v dn bc vi tc bn dm

mt gica mnh.Trong hai ting ng h sp ti anh ta gp nhiu ci by tng t. Thng thng mt tuyt trn nhng vng nc ngm c v ln

v nhc dnh ng, bo s him nguy. Tuy nhin, li mt ln na anh ta thot nn trong ng tk tc; v mt ln, nghi ngchnguy him, anh ta bt con ch i trc. Con ch khng mun i. N li li pha sau cho n lc g n ng y n ti trc, v ri ni nhanh ngang qua khi mt phng trng xa lin ln. Thnh lnh n b sp l, gng mt bn ri nhy qua ch chc chn hn. N bt hai chn trc, v lp tc nc trthnh . Con vt vi lim nc khi chn n, nm trn tuyt v bt u cn gnhng

mu nc bm gia k ngn chn. l mt cng vic ca bn nng. dnh bn chn slm chn au. N chng hiu iu N ch tun theo s thi thc huyn b t trong su thm ca gic quan n. Nhng g n ng bit, do phn on trn s vt, v anhta tho chic bao tay bn tay phi, ph gip con ch gnhng tinh th nc . Anh ta kinh ngc thy my ngn tay trn cha mt pht mt cm gic. Tri lnh tht. Anh ta vi trng chic bao tay vo, v a tay v ti bi chung quanh ngc.

mi hai gitra sng ca ngy r nht. Tuy nhin mt tri cn qu xa tn phng nam trn hnh trnh ma ng ri snchn tri. C ci khi tri t nm chen vo gia mt tri v con sui Henderson ni g n ng ang i di bu tri quang tnh gitra m chng thy bng mnh. ng mi hai giri anh ta n im con sui chia hai nhnh. Anh ta hi lng vi tc di chuyca mnh. Nu gic ny chc chn anh ta s gp bn tr chm lm l lc su gi. Anh ta mnt o jacket, nt o trong, v ligi n tra ra. ng tc mt mt phn t pht l cng, vy m trong khonh khc ngn ngi cm gic t ing v ly myngn tay anh ta. Anh ta khng trng bao tay vo, m xt my ngn tay c chc ln vo i mnh. on, anh ta ngi xung trn mtkhc g ph tuyt v bt u n. Cm gic tng tng do ch xt bn tay vo i vi bin nhanh lm anh ta sng st. Anh ta cha kp

cn mt ming bnh. Anh ta xt my ngn tay lin hi vo i, v trng bao tay vo, tho bao tay kia n. Anh ta c ngom mtming ln nhng ci vng kha mm bng nc cn tranh ta. Anh ta qun khuy khng nhm la cho lnh. Anh ta cikhy sin khng ca mnh, v trong khi ci anh ta bng thy my ngn tay trn li t ing. Anh ta cng nhn thy cm gictng tng u my ngn chn lc mi ngi xung bin u mt. Anh ta khng bit u ngn chn b t cng haym p. Anh ta ng chng trong giy v kt lun chng b t cng.

Anh ta vi vng mang bao tay vo v ng ln. Anh ta hi ht hong. Anh ta bc ti, bc lui, dm mnh chn mt hi cho n khibn chn c li cm gic tng tng. Tri lnh tht, l ngh trong u anh ta. Anh chng Sulphur Creek ng khi cho hay thtit vng ny thnh thong lnh ti mc no. V anh ta ci ch nho anh chng kia lc . Th mi bit, ngi ta khng nn y,inh ninh mt iu g. Chng lm ln t no, tri lnh tht. Anh ta i ti, i lui, dm mnh chn, cng i cnh tay cho n khi tm

yn lng v thym li. on anh ta li hp dim qut ra, v bt tay vo vic gy la. T cc bi cy m nc dng cao vo ma xuntrc li mt mque kh, anh ta c c ci t la. Lm vic cn thn tu, chng my chc anh ta c mt ng lachy bng bng, nh anh ta hong tan trn mt mnh, v c thn bnh. Lc ny ci lnh gi ca khng gian chu thuCon ch ly lm tha mn c c la, n gn va m, v xa va khi chy lng.

Sau khi n xong, g n ng nhi thuc vo ng iu, v tm vi giy pht khoan khoi vi khi thuc. on, anh ta mang bao tayvo, ko ming che tai ca chic nn cho cht chung quanh i tai, v theo ng mn hng v nhnh sui tri. Con ch tht vng,nhn lui luyn tic ng la. G n ng ny khng bit lnh l g. C th cbao i ttin nh g u dt v lnh, v lnh tht s

v lnh mt trm l by di ng c. Nhng con ch bit; cbao i ttin nh n u bit, v n c di truyn kin thc

V n bit khng nn i xa trong ci lnh d sny. Lc ny l lc nm kht khao trong mt l tuyt v i mt bc mn my ko chngang thng tng khng gian, ni xut pht t lnh ny. Mt khc, gia con ch v g n ng chng c mt mi thm giao no cBn ny l n l ca bn kia, v nhng ci vut ve duy nht n nhn c l nhng ci ve vut ca ln roi, v ca nhng ting la htnghim khc v da dm s c roi vt. Cho nn con ch chng bun thng tri ni lo lng ca n vi g n ng. Chng phi v quantm n s an khang ca g n ng, ch v li ch ca chnh bn thn n m n lu luyn ng la. Nhng g n ng hut so v n


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vi ging hm he roi vt, nn con ch n bn gt chn anh ta v lo o theo sau.

G n ng nhai mt mu thuc l mi, v khi s to mt hm ru mu h phch. V hi thm ca anh ta lp tc ph ln b riamp, lng my v lng mi mt lp bi trng. Hnh nh khng c nhiu ging nc ngm nhnh tri ca con sui Henderson, v suna ting ng h g chng thy du hiu g c. V ri n li xy ra. Ti mt ni chng c g kh nghi, mt tuyt xp, lin mt, ha hn rn chc bn di, g n ng sp l. Khng su. Anh ta ch bt n di u gi thi, trc khi kp nhy vng sang bn cnh,ch nn cng. Anh ta gin qu, ln ting nguyn ra s ri ro. d tnh hi ng vi bn tr lc su gi, m tnh th ny s tr hontoan tnh ca anh ta mt ting ng h, v anh ta li phi nhm la hong kh giy, v. l iu bt buc trong lnh thp nhth ny - anh ta bit r lm, v anh ta r sang bn bsui, leo ln . Trn b, dnh mc trong cc bi cy l mt mnhng que cikh do nc l y tri dt vo - phn ln l cnh nh, cnh va, nhng cng c kh nhiu ckh nm ngoi. Anh ta tri nhiu cy c

ln trn tuyt. Nhng cy ny lm nn v gi cho ngn la mi nhen khi chm xung tuyt gy ra nc. Anh ta chm que dim vomt mu v cy ly t ti o. V cy ny dn la nhanh hn c giy. t la trn nn chun b, anh ta chm c kh v cc que cinh t.

Anh ta lm vic chm v cn thn, nhn r mi him nguyang rnh rp mnh. Khi ngn la ln dn anh ta t ttng cci chm.Anh ta ngi xp bng trn tuyt, c rt mci vng mc trong bi cy un vo la. Anh ta bit rt r mnh khng c lm hng.Trong ci lnh by mi lm di s khng, ngi ta khng c hng trong n lc u tin nhm la - ngha l nu bn chn t. Nu chn mnh kh, v lc ssy lc u, anh ta c th chy btheo con ng na dm v hi phc s tun hon ca mu.Nhng vi ci lnh by mi lm di khng, s lu thng ca mu trong i bn chn t v ang ng gi khng th khi phcc bng cch chy vn ng. D anh ta c chy nhanh cch my i na, i bn chn t ccng lc cng ng cng.

G n ng bit rt r mi iu . Bc n anh Sulphur Creek mch bo anh ta nh th mi ma thu trc, v giy anh ta

ang chim nghim li khuyn l ch l. i bn chn anh ta mt ht cm gic. nhm la, anh ta phi tho i bao tay ra, vcc ngn tay t lit rt nhanh. Nhp i b bn dm mt gi gi cho qu tim bm mu n b mt, v n tn cc cc ca chthn. Nhng ci giy pht anh ta dng li ng tc bm mu gim xung. Ci lnh ngoi khng gian ang tn cng ci nh trtrca hnh tinh ny, v anh ta, kang trn ci nh trtri , nhn lnh ton lc ca qum . Mu trong thn th anh ta l

bc trc sc tn kch . Mu nng khng v tri, nh con ch vy, v cng nh con ch, n mun chy trn t v chng li cilnh gh gm ny. Nu ci b bn dm mt gi, d mun d khng anh ta bm mu n b mt ca cth; nhng by gimu xung, chm vo nhng ni su kn ca cth. Cc cc ca chu thn l nhng ni trc tin cm c s thiu vng mu. i bnchn t ng nhanh hn, my ngn tay trn t cng nhanh hn, tuy cha bt u ng. Mi v m ng ri, trong khi da thtton thn anh ta run bn ln v thiu mu lu thng.

Nhng anh ta khng sao. Cc ngn chn, mi, m ch hi b thng tn cht nh v bng gi, bi v la bt u chy mnh. Anh ang chm nhng que ci bng cngn tay. Chng mt pht na anh ta s c th chm ci ln cc tay, v ri anh ta s tho giy, v

t, v trong khi chng kh dn anh ta c th gii bn chn trn m p cnh la, dnhin sau khi ly tuyt xt vo bn chn. nla l mt thnh cng. Anh ta ang c an ton. Anh ta nhli li ca bc n anh Sulphur Creek v mm ci. Vn anh nghim trang khi t ra nguyn tc rng vi lnh thp hn nm mi di khng , khng nn i mt mnh trong vngKlondike. Vng, vy m mnh ang y, mnh b ri ro, mnh n thn c m, v mnh t cu mnh. Anh ta ngh, mt s ctay kcu vn rt n b. iu mt ngi cn c l im tnh, v anh ta an ton. Mi ngi n ng vi bn lnh n ng u cth phiu lu mt mnh. Nhng l tht, mi v m anh ta ng cng nhanh qu. V anh ta khng ngh cc ngn tay mnh li c th tcht trong khonh khc nh th. Nhng ngn nh cht ri, v anh ta kh m iu khin chng nm mt que ci, v chngdng nh xa la thn xc v thc anh ta. Mi khi mun smt cy ci, anh ta phi trng thy r l mnh c ang cm n haykhng. Dy thn kinh ni lin cc u ngn tay v c anh ta kh t lit.

Tt c tnh th khng ng ngi lm. C la ri, bp bng reo vui, v ha hn s sng trong tng ngn la ang nhy ma. Anh tabt u tho giy. Chng bng mt lp ; i vdy sn xut bn c b cng n di u gi nh nhng ming st, v dygiy trng nh nhng cy bng thp b cong v bn vo nhau trong mt trn ha hon. Anh ta cdng i tay t cng ko giy mtlc, ri cht thy lm nh vy l in r, anh ta li con dao ra. Nhng trc khi anh ta c th ct dy giy th tai ha xy ra. Chung qucng do li lm ca chnh anh ta. ng l anh ta khng nn nhm la bn gc cy sam. ng l anh ta nn gy ngn la gia khongl thin. Nhng li nhng cnh kh t trong bi cy gn un vo la th d dng hn. Ci cy ln m di gc anh ta lm cng

vic kia li ti mt trng lng tuyt trn cc cnh. C my tun l lng gi nn mi cnh cy u nng khm tuyt. Mi ln ko mtque ci l anh ta truyn mt lay ng nh vo thn cy - mt lay ng gic quan anh ta khng ghi nhn c nhng gy rathm ha. Tn trn cy cao, mt cnh trt m tuyt ca n xung. M tuyt ny trt trn cc cnh bn di, lm lt p cc m tuytkhc. Ci qu trnh tip tc, lan truyn ton cy. N bin thnh mt khi st l, v thnh lnh ri xung ngay trn g n ng v ngla, dp tt ngm ngn la! Thay vo ch la chy lc ny l mt ng tuyt mi ngn ngang.

G n ng thng tht. Dng nh anh ta va nghe bn n t ca chnh mnh. Trong mt lc anh ta ngi bt ng v tr nhn ci chtrc la ang chy. on, anh ta rt bnh tnh. C l bc n anh Sulphur Creek c l. Phi chi c mt bn ng hnh th gianh ta u c lm nguy. Ngi bn ng hnh c th nhm la. Vng, mi s trng cy vo hn ta gy li ngn la khc, v ln


7/28

ny khng c lm li. D cho c la li chc mnh cng b mt vi ngn chn. Chn mnh chc sng cng tn tlc , v cnmt t th gi ngn la th hai sn sng. l nhng ngh trong u anh ta, v anh ta khng ngi m ngh ngi. Anh ta bnrn lm cng vic trong lc m ngh c chy qua u. Anh ta dn mt nn mi cho ch nhm la, ln ny ngoi l thin, khng mt cy to no c th dp tt la. K anh ta gom c kh v cc que nh t mrc ri do l lt y vo trc y. Anh ta khng thiu khin cc ngn tay cm nm chng, nhng anh ta c th gom chng bng tng m ln. Vi cch ny anh ta ht c ci mc lnru xanh v dng, nhng anh ta khng cn lm sao hn. Anh ta lm vic c phng php, gom c mt s ci ln s dng sau ny khila mnh hn. Sut thi gian con ch ngi nhn anh ta lm vic, trong mt n nh ln mt ni ho hc, bi v n xem anh ta l kcung cp la, v la sao m lu chy th.

Khi mi s sn sng, g n ng th tay vo ti li ra mu v cy th hai. Anh ta bit ming c cy nm trong , v tuy khng

cm thy c bng my ngn tay, anh ta vn nghe ting st sot khi ssong trong ti tm. C gng cch my i na, anh ta khnsao nm c n. V sut thi gian , trong thc anh ta bit mi khonh khc tri qua i bn chn anh ta ng c thm. ngh lm anh ta ht hong, nhng anh ta phn u gibnh tnh. Anh ta dng ming cn i bao tay mang vo, v cng icnh tay ti lui, nh mnh i bn tay vo hng mnh. Anh ta lm cc ng tc trong lc ngi, khi ng ln, v sut thi gian con ch ngi trn tuyt, ci ui ch si ca n vng quanh i chn trc mt cch m p, i tai ch si dng ng ca n hng vpha trc mt cch chm ch, khi n nhn g n ng. V g n ng, trong khi v v ch xt hai tay, thy ganh t khi nhn con vtm p, an ton trong ci v bc thin nhin ca n.

Sau mt lc anh ta cm c nhng tn hiu mh ca cm gic trong cc ngn tay c vp t ny gi. Cm gic tng tng m

dn cho n lc n trthnh nhc nhi khng chu ni, nhng g n ng thy hi lng. Anh ta tho chic bao tay bn phi v

ming v cy ra. My ngn tay trn lp tc trli t cng. K tip, anh ta li b dim qut. Nhng ci lnh khng khip nh bt

sng ra khi cc ngn tay. Anh ta c gng tch mt que dim ra khi b dim th c b ri xung tuyt. Anh ta c lm b dim lnhng khng c. Nhng ngn tay cht khng cn s, khng cn nm g c. Anh ta quyt ht sc thn trng. Anh ta xua ui c

ngh vi bn chn, mi v m ang ng gi, tp trung c tm tr vo nhng que dim. Anh ta nhn k, dng th gic thay cho x

gic, v khi thy cc ngn tay ng ch hai bn b dim anh khp cc ngn li - ngha l anh mun khp chng li, bi v th

kinh cm gic cht, v cc ngn tay khng cn tun lnh. Anh ta trng chic bao tay vo tay phi, v v nhin vo u gi. o

vi c hai tay anh ta xc b dim qut cng vi tuyt t vo lng mnh. Tuy nhin, tnh thcng chng kh hn.

Sau vi ln c gng, anh ta kp c b dim vo gia hai c tay. Vi cch ny anh ta a b dim ln ming. Khi anh ta c h min

nc vnghe rng rc. Quai hm di anh ta tht vo, mi trn cong ra bu b dim bng hm rng trn ly ring mt q

dim. Anh ta ly c mt que dim v th xung i mnh. Tnh thcng chng kh hn. Anh ta khng nht n ln c. Ri anh

ngh mt cch khc. Anh ta dng rng nht que dim ln v qut n vo i. Anh ta qut n hai mi ln que dim mi chy. K

que dim bng ln, anh ta ngm n a st vo mu v cy. Nhng hi lu huynh chy ht ln lmi v vo tn bung phi, lm ata ho tng hi. Que dim ri xung tuyt v tt lm. Bc n anh Sulphur Creek ni ng, anh ta ngh th trong cn tuyt vn

khi tri lnh hn nm mi di khng, i xa phi c bn ng hnh. Anh ta vp i tay nhng khng nh ng ni mt m

may cm gic. Thnh lnh anh ta a ming tho ci bao tay ra. Anh ta kp b dim gia hai c tay. Cbp c tay cha bng g

cho php anh ta gi cht b dim. on, anh ta qut cb dim vo i. N bng ln la ngn, c by chc que dim chy mt l

Khng c gi. Anh ta nghing u qua mt bn trnh khi,v a b dim st ming v cy. ang gi b dim, anh ta bng c li c

gic bn tay. Tht anh ta ang chy. Anh ta ngi c mi tht chy. Anh ta cm c s nng chy tn su di ln da. Cm gic

trnn au nhi. V anh ta vn rng chu, cm ngn la mt cch vng v gn ming v cy vn cha bt la v ci tay chy ca anh

ang cn li, ang ht ht ngn la.

Cui cng, khi khng cn chu ni, anh ta dn hai tay ra. Nhng que dim chy nghe vo vo ri xung tuyt, nhng ming vcy

bt la. Anh ta bt u t c kh v cc que ci b t trn ngn la. Anh ta khng th nht tng vt v chn la, v anh ta phi ht m

nhin liu dn ha bng hai c tay. Nhng mu nh g mc v ru xanh bm theo ci kh, v anh ta loi b nhng th bng c

dng hm rng. Anh ta trn qu ngn la mt cch vng v. N l s sng v khng c n tn li. S trit thoi ca mu khi

mt cth lm cho anh ta bt u run ln v cng trnn vng v hn. Mt mng ru xanh ln ri tht kht khao ln ngn la n

b. Anh ta cy n ra, nhng thn th run ly by khin anh ta y qu xa, ph h ngn la, c kh v ci nhang chy b vung v

t tung. Anh ta c dn chng li, nhng mc cho s n lc cng thng ca anh ta, ngi anh c run bn bt, khng lm g c,

nhng que la vn nm ri rc mt cch v vng. Mi que la ph ra mt cun khi ri tt ngm. Ngi cung cp la tht bi. Tro

khi anh ta nhn quanh mt cch v hn, mt anh ta cht dng li con ch ang ngi i din ng la tn, trc mt anh ta, tr

tuyt, khng ngng nhng c ch nn nng, khi th nhc chn phi, khi th nhc chn tri, v nh mt biu l mt ho hc nh th

thung ci g.


8/28

Hnh nh con ch gieo mt ngh man di trong u anh ta. Anh ta nhli cu chuyn mt ngi b sa ctrong bo tuyt git c

b rng con, rc vo bn trong xc con vt, v nhvy sng st c. Mnh s git con ch v chn hai tay trong thn thm

ca n cho n khi ht t cng. Ri mnh snhm c mt ng la khc. Anh ta ln ting vi con ch, gi n, nhng trong gi

anh ta c m hng l lng ca mt ni shi, c li ni khng ging mi ln, lm cho con vt khip s. C chuyn g y, v bn t

nghi ngca n cm nhn c mt him nguy - n khng bit him nguy g, nhng u , v khng bit bng cch no, trong

n bng dng ln mt linh cm bt an vg n ng. N cp i tai xung khi nghe g n ng gi, v nhng cng nn nao, nh

ng tc co chn ny, co chn kia ctng ln; nhng n khng n gn g n ng. Anh ta b li pha con ch. Ci ng tc kh

thng ny li kch thch thm nghi ng, v con vt kho lo trnh sang mt bn.

G n ng ngi trn tuyt mt lt, v c gibnh tnh. on, anh ta dng rng mang bao tay vo v ng dy. Anh ta lic nhn xu

t bit chc mnh ang ng tht s, bi v i bn chn mt cm gic lm anh ta cm thy mnh khng dnh lin vi mt t.

thng thng ca anh ta xua tan nghi ngtrong u c con ch; v khi anh ta ni vi ging ch huy, vi m ca roi vt th con c

trli thi phc tng thng l v bc n bn anh ta. Khi n n va tm tay vi, g n ng mt t ch. Anh ta vi dang tay

con ch, v thy kinh ngc khm ph hai bn tay khng th bu vu, khng th co li, cng khng cn cm gic cc ngn tay. Tro

mt lc anh ta qun khuy rng cc ngn tay ng lnh, v cng lc cng ng c thm. Mi s xy ra rt nhanh, v con v

khng kp chy thot, b anh ta m gn trong i cnh tay. Anh ta ngi xung trn tuyt, v v th ny, m gi con ch mc d

gm g, tru tro v vng vy.

Nhng anh ta ch c thlm n th, m con ch trong tay v ngi . Anh ta nhn thy mnh khng git ni con ch. V phng. Vi bn tay thm hi anh ta chng rt, cng chng cm c con dao, v cng chng sit cn c. Anh ta th con ch, v n ph

chy ra xa mt cch man di, ui cp st di mng, v vn cn gm g. N dng li cch xa anh ta bn mi b, quan st anh ta v

v llng, i tai vnh cao. G n ng ci nhn i bn tay tm chng, v thy chng lng lng cui hai cnh tay mnh. Anh

cht thy l lng rng mt ngi phi dng mt tm xem tay mnh u. Anh ta bt u ong a hai cnh tay dc hai bn hng, v

hai bn tay trong bao tay vo bn mnh. Anh ta lm nh thtrong nm pht mt cch d di, v tim anh ta bm mt lng mu

ln ti b mt chn ng cn run ly by. Nhng i bn tay vn khng c cm gic. Anh ta c cm tng chng treo nh nh

trng lng cui i cnh tay ca mnh, nhng khi anh ta th hng ci cm tng xung i tay th khng th no cm

chng c .

Mt ni cht, bun thm v nghit ng len vo hn anh ta. Ni lo s bng nhi but tm can khi anh ta bit rng vn khng c

l chuyn ng cc ngn tay, ngn chn, hay l chuyn phi mt tay, mt chn, nhng l chuyn sng v cht, vi mi cm

khng cn ng v pha mnh na. Tm trng nm anh ta vo mt s ht hong, v anh ta quay li chy dc theo lng sui, tr

con ng c gn mt li. Con ch chy theo v ui kp anh ta. Anh ta chy mt cch m qung, khng chch, trong ni hoa

mang, shi anh cha tng thy trong i mnh. T t, khi anh ta xng xo qua tuyt gi, anh ta bt u nhn r mi vt trli -

bsui, nhng ng g mc nghn, nhng cy bch dng tri l, v bu tri. Nhchy, anh ta cm thy d chu hn. Anh ta kh

run ry. Nu tip tc chy c li bn chn sm li; v d sao, nu chy xa anh ta sn c ni dng tri v gp bn tr.

nhin anh ta s mt vi ngn tay v vi ngn chn, v mt phn no ca da mt; nhng bn tr ssn sc anh ta, v cu c ph

cth cn li ca anh ta. V cng mt khonh khc, mt ngh khc trong u anh ta ni rng anh ta s chng bao gin ni

cn nhiu dm ng qu, v sng gi trong cth anh ta trm trng qu, v chng cn lu na u thn xc anh ta s cng

cht. Ci tng , anh ta giu trong lng, khng mun ngh ti. i khi n ngoan c tri dy, v i ln ting, nhng anh ta y

xung, v cngh n nhng iu khc.

Anh ta ly lm l l mnh c th chy c trn i bn chn ng lnh n mnh khng cn cm thy chng chm mt t

nng trng lng ton thn mnh. Dng nhanh ta ang lt trn mt t, v khng cn dnh lin vi tri t. C ln u a

ta c trng thy hnh v thn Mercury vi i cnh, v t hi khng bit thn Mercury c cm thy nhanh ta ang cm thy lc n

khi lt trn mt t.

Ci l thuyt chy cho n a im tri vi bn tr c mt l hng trong : anh ta khng sc chu ng. Nhiu ln anh ta sut ng

v cui cng anh ta bc chp chong, qu xung, ri ng ln ra. Khi anh ta c ngoi dy, khng sao lm ni. Anh ta ngh nn ngi ng

mt lt, v ln ti anh ta chnn i b, tip tc i b. Khi anh ta ngi v ly li hi th, anh ta thy mnh kh m p v d chu. Anh

khng run, v thm ch hnh nh mt lung hi m chy qua phn ngc v ton phn trn ca cth. V tuy vy, khi anh ta sm


9/28

hay m vn khng c cm gic. Chy khng lm cho cc chym ln. Cbn tay, bn chn cng th. Ri anh ta bng ngh, nh

phn thn th gi lnh s cn lan rng ra. Anh ta c trn p ci ngh , cqun n ngh mt iu g khc; anh ta thc

ci tm trng hong ht pht sinh tci ngh kia, m anh ta li cha ss hong ht. Nhng ci ngh kia r rng v thng tr

cho n lc n gi mt vin nh ton thn ng lnh cng . n y th qu lm ri, v anh ta li chy nhin dc theo con n

Mt ln anh ta chm li bc i, nhng ngh sng gi ang lan rng trong thn th li bt anh ta chy na.

Trong sut thi gian con ch chy theo anh ta. Khi anh ta ng xung ln th hai, n cun ci ui chung quanh hai chn tr

ngi trc mt anh ta, t m v ho hc. Ci m p v bnh yn ca con vt lm anh ta tc gin, v anh ta chi ra n cho n khi

cp hai l tai xung, ra v nghe li. Ln ny cn run ry n rt nhanh. Anh ta ang thua dn trong trn chin vi bng gi. N a

b vo cth anh ta t mi pha. Ngh n , anh ta li gng dy, nhng chy khng qu mt trm b th bc ququng rinhoi ngi vng trc. l cn ht hong cui cng ca anh ta. Khi ly li hi thv bnh tnh trli, anh ta ngi dy v c tro

u ci nim n nhn ci cht vi danh d. Tuy nhin t tng khng n vi anh ta r rng nh th. Suy ngh ca anh ta

mnh t lm tr ci, chy quanh nhcon g b cht u - chnh l tng vo von trong u anh ta. , ng no anh

cng sp bng lnh, c chp nhn mt cch thng tnh. Cng lc vi stnh tm va tm c, nhng thong chng mt u ti

cng va n. Anh ta ngm ngh, c ngi vo ci cht l mt cch hay. Ging nh bnh thuc m. ng lnh khng au

nh mi ngi vn tng. C bit bao ci cht cn th thm hn nhiu.

Anh ta hnh dung bn tr tm thy xc mnh ngy hm sau. Bng nhin anh ta thy mnh gp chng, txa i n, theo con

mn v tm kim anh ta. V, vn i vi bn chng, anh ta i vng mt khc quanh trn ng v tm thy chnh mnh nm tro

tuyt. Anh ta khng thuc v mnh na, bi v ngay clc anh ta ngoi thn xc mnh, ng vi bn tr v ngm nhn ch

mnh nm trong tuyt. Tri lnh tht, anh ta ngh th. Khi trv M anh ta c th k cho mi ngi nghe tri lnh ti mc no. Anhchu du t n hnh nh bc n anh Sulphur Creek. Anh ta c th thy y tht r, y n mc m p, thoi mi, v ht ng v.

ng ng, i ca, ng ng, g n ng thu tho ni vi bc n anh Sulphur Creek.

Ri g n ng thiu thiu i vo gic ng d chu nht, h h nht trong i mnh. Con ch ngi i din anh ta, chi. Ngy ng

ngi sp bc vo mt hong hn di v chm chp. Khng c du hiu g l la sc t ln, v hn na, trong kinh nghim c

n, con ch cha tng bit c ngi no ngi nh th trong tuyt m khng t la. Khi hong hn xung dn, s thm kht la x

chim n, v hai chn trc chc chc li nng ln, n than khe kh, ri cp hai tai xung, d tng s b ch la mng. Nhng g

ng vn im lng. Lt sau con ch than ln. Ri lt sau na n b n gn g n ng, v ngi c mi t kh. iu khin con c

nhy dng hai chn trc ln v lui li. N nn n mt lc, ct ting h, ch mm ln cc v sao ang nhy ma v lp lnh trong b

tri lnh gi. on, n quay u, chy theo con ng mn v hng cn tri n bit, c nhng ngi khc cung cp thc n

cung cp la.

The World of Jack LondonSTORIES OF THE NORTH

TO BUILD A FIREBy Jack London

(First published in Youth's Companion, v. 76, May 29, 1902)NOTE: This is the first, more juvenile version of a story later published for an adult

audience in The Century Magazine in August 1908.

Read 2nd version

For land travel or seafaring, the world over, a companion is

usually considered desirable. In the Klondike, as Tom Vincent

found out, such a companion is absolutely essential. But he

found it out, not by precept, but through bitter experience.

"Never travel alone," is a precept of the north. He had heard

it many times and laughed; for he was a strapping young

fellow, big-boned and big-muscled, with faith in himself and

in the strength of his head and hands.
http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.htmlhttp://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.htmlhttp://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html


10/28

It was on a bleak January day when the experience came that

taught him respect for the frost, and for the wisdom of the

men who had battled with it.

He had left Calumet Camp on the Yukon with a light pack on

his back, to go up Paul Creek to the divide between it and

Cherry Creek, where his party was prospecting and hunting

moose.

The frost was sixty-degrees below zero, and be had thirty

miles of lonely trail to cover, but he did not mind. In fact, be

enjoyed it, swinging along through the silence, his blood

pounding warmly through veins, and his mind carefree and

happy. For he and his comrades were certain they had struck

"pay" up there on the Cherry Creek Divide; and, further, he

was returning to them from Dawson with cheery home letters

from the States.

At seven o'clock, when he turned the heels of his moccasins

toward Calumet Camp, it was still black night. And when daybroke at half past nine he had made the four-mile cut-off

across the flats and was six miles up Paul Creek. The trail,

which had seen little travel, followed the bed of the creek,

and there was no possibility of his getting lost. He had gone

to Dawson by way of Cherry Creek and Indian River, so Paul

Creek was new and strange. By half past eleven he was at the

forks, which bad been described to him, and he knew he had

covered fifteen miles, half the distance. He knew that in the

nature of things the trail was bound to grow worse from there

on, and thought that, considering the good time he had

made, he merited lunch. Casting off his pack and taking a

seat on a fallen tree, he unmittened his right hand, reached

inside his shirt next to the skin, and fished out a couple of

biscuits sandwiched with sliced bacon and wrapped in a

handkerchief -- the only way they could be carried without

freezing solid.

He had barely chewed the first mouthful when his numbing

fingers warned him to put his mitten on again. This he did,

not without surprise at the bitter swiftness with which the

frost bit in. Undoubtedly it was the coldest snap he had everexperienced, he thought.

He spat upon the snow, -- a favorite northland trick, -- and

the sharp crackle of the instantly congealed spittle startled

him. The spirit thermometer at Calumet had registered sixty

below when he left, but he was certain it had grown much

colder, how much colder he could not imagine.

Half of the first biscuit was yet untouched, but he could feel

himself beginning to chill -- a thing most unusual for him.


11/28

This would never do, he decided, and slipping the packstraps

across his shoulders, he leaped to his feet and ran briskly up

the trail.

A few minutes of this made him warm again, and he settled

down to a steady stride, munching the biscuits as be went

along. The moisture that exhaled with his breath crusted his

lips and mustache with pendent ice and formed a miniature

glacier on his chin. Now and again sensation forsook his noseand cheeks, and he rubbed them till they burned with the

returning blood.

Most men wore nose-straps; his partners did, but he had

scorned such "feminine contraptions," and till now had never

felt the need of them. Now he did feel the need, for he was

rubbing constantly.

Nevertheless he was aware of a thrill of joy, of exultation. He

was doing something, achieving something, mastering the

elements. Once he laughed aloud in sheer strength of life,and with his clenched fist defied the frost. He was its master.

What he did he did in spite of it. It could not stop him. He was

going on to the Cherry Creek Divide.

Strong as were the elements, he was stronger. At such times

animals crawled away into their holes and remained in hiding.

But he did not hide. He was out in it, facing it, fighting it. He

was a man, a master of things.

In such fashion, rejoicing proudly, he tramped on. After an

hour he rounded a bend, where the creek ran close to the

mountainside, and came upon one of the most insignificant-

appearing but most formidable dangers in northern travel.

The creek itself was frozen solid to its rocky bottom, but from

the mountain came the outflow of several springs. These

springs never froze, and the only effect of the severest cold

snaps was to lessen their discharge. Protected from the frost

by the blanket of snow, the water of these springs seeped

down into the creek and, on top of the creek ice, formed

shallow pools.

The surface of these pools, in turn, took on a skin of ice which

grew thicker and thicker, until the water overran, and so

formed a second ice-skinned pool above the first.

Thus at the bottom was the solid creek ice, then probably six

to eight inches of water, then the thin ice-skin, then another

six inches of water and another ice-skin. And on top of this

last skin was about an inch of recent snow to make the trap


12/28

complete.

To Tom Vincent's eye the unbroken snow surface gave no

warning of the lurking danger. As the crust was thicker at the

edge, he was well toward the middle before he broke through.

In itself it was a very insignificant mishap, -- a man does not

drown in twelve inches of water, -- but in its consequences as

serious an accident as could possibly befall him.

At the instant he broke through he felt the cold water strike

his feet and ankles, and with half a dozen lunges he made the

bank. He was quite cool and collected. The thing to do, and

the only thing to do, was to build a fire. For another precept

of the north runs: Travel with wet socks down to twenty

below zero; after that build a fire. And it was three times

twenty below and colder, and he knew it.

He knew, further, that great care must be exercised; that

with failure at the first attempt, the chance was made greaterfor failure at the second attempt. In short, he knew that there

must be no failure. The moment before a strong, exulting

man, boastful of his mastery of the elements, he was now

fighting for his life against those same elements -- such was

the difference caused by the injection of a quart of water into

a northland traveller's calculations.

In a clump of pines on the rim of the bank the spring high-

water had lodged many twigs and small branches. Thoroughly

dried by the summer sun, they now waited the match.

It is impossible to build a fire with heavy Alaskan mittens on

one's hands, so Vincent bared his, gathered a sufficient

number of twigs, and knocking the snow from them, knelt

down to kindle his fire. From an inside pocket he drew out his

matches and a strip of thin birch bark. The matches were of

the Klondike kind, sulphur matches, one hundred in a bunch.

He noticed how quickly his fingers had chilled as he separated

one match from the bunch and scratched it on his trousers.

The birch bark, like the dryest of paper, burst into bright

flame. This be carefully fed with the smallest twigs and finest

debris, cherishing the flame with the utmost care. It did not

do to hurry things, as he well knew, and although his fingers

were now quite stiff, he did not hurry.

After the first quick, biting sensation of cold, his feet had

ached with a heavy, dull ache and were rapidly growing

numb. But the fire, although a very young one, was now a

success; he knew that a little snow, briskly rubbed, would


13/28

speedily cure his feet.

But at the moment he was adding the first thick twigs to the

fire a grievous thing happened. The pine boughs above his

head were burdened with a four months snowfall, and so

finely adjusted were the burdens that his slight movement in

collecting the twigs had been sufficient to disturb the balance.

The snow from the topmost bough was the first to fall,striking and dislodging the snow on the boughs beneath. And

all this snow, accumulating as it fell, smote Tom Vincent's

head and shoulders and blotted out his fire.

He still kept his presence of mind, for be knew how great his

danger was. He started at once to rebuild the fire, but his

fingers were now so numb that he could not bend them, and

he was forced to pick up each twig and splinter between the

tips of the fingers of either hand.

When he came to the match he encountered great difficulty inseparating one from the bunch. This he succeeded in

managing, however, and also, by great effort, in clutching the

match between his thumb and forefinger. But in scratching it,

he dropped it in the snow and could not pick it up again.

He stood up, desperate. He could not feel even his weight on

his feet, although the ankles were aching painfully. Putting on

his mittens, he stepped to one side, so that the snow would

not fall upon the new fire he was to build, and beat his hands

violently against a tree-trunk.

This enabled him to separate and strike a second match and

to set fire to the remaining fragment of birch bark. But his

body had now begun to chill and he was shivering, so that

when be tried to add the first twigs his hand shook and the

tiny flame was quenched.

The frost had beaten him. His hands were worthless. But he

had the foresight to drop the bunch of matches into his wide-

mouthed outside pocket before he slipped on his mittens in

despair , and started to run up the trail. One cannot run the

frost out of wet feet at sixty below and colder, however, as he

quickly discovered.

He came round a sharp turn of the creek to where he could

look ahead for a mile. But there was no help, no sign of help,

only the white trees and the white hills, and the quiet cold

and the brazen silence! If only he had a comrade whose feet

were not freezing, he thought, only such a comrade to start

the fire that could save him!


14/28

Then his eyes chanced upon another high-water lodgment of

twigs and branches. If he could strike a match, all might yet

be well. With stiff fingers which he could not bend, he got out

a bunch of matches, but found it impossible to separate them.

He sat down and awkwardly shuffled the bunch about on his

knees, until he got it resting on his palm with the sulphur

ends projecting, somewhat in the manner the blade of a

hunting-knife would project when clutched in the fist.

But his fingers stood straight out. They could not clutch. This

he overcame by pressing the wrist of the other hand against

them, and so forcing them down upon the bunch. Time and

again, holding thus by both bands, he scratched the bunch on

his leg and finally ignited it. But the flame burned into the

flesh of his hand, and he involuntarily relaxed his hold. The

bunch fell into the snow, and while he tried vainly to pick it

up, sizzled and went out.

Again he ran, by this time badly frightened. His feet wereutterly devoid of sensation. He stubbed his toes once on a

buried log, but beyond pitching him into the snow and

wrenching his back, it gave him no feelings.

He recollected being told of a camp of moose-hunters

somewhere above the forks of Paul Creek. He must be

somewhere near it, he thought, and if he could find it be yet

might be saved. Five minutes later he came upon it, lone and

deserted, with drifted snow sprinkled inside the pine-bough

shelter in which the hunters had slept. He sank down,

sobbing. All was over, and in an hour at best, in that terrific

temperature, he would be an icy corpse.

But the love of life was strong in him, and he sprang again to

his feet. He was thinking quickly. What if the matches did

burn his hands? Burned hands were better than dead hands.

No hands at all were better than death. He floundered along

the trail until be came upon another high-water lodgment.

There were twigs and branches, leaves and grasses, all dry

and waiting the fire.

Again he sat down and shuffled the bunch of matches on his

knees, got it into place on his palm, with the wrist of his other

hand forced the nerveless fingers down against the bunch,

and with the wrist kept them there. At the second scratch the

bunch caught fire, and he knew that if he could stand the pain

he was saved. He choked with the sulphur fumes, and the

blue flame licked the flesh of his hands.

At first he could not feel it, but it burned quickly in through

the frosted surface. The odor of the burning flesh -- his flesh -


15/28

- was strong in his nostrils. He writhed about in his torment,

yet held on. He set his teeth and swayed back and forth, until

the clear white flame of the burning match shot up, and he

had applied that flame to the leaves and grasses.

An anxious five minutes followed, but the fire gained steadily.

Then he set to work to save himself. Heroic measures were

necessary, such was his extremity, and he took them.

Alternately rubbing his hands with snow and thrusting them

into the flames, and now and again beating them against the

hard trees, he restored their circulation sufficiently for them

to be of use to him. With his hunting-knife he slashed the

straps from his pack, unrolled his blanket, and got out dry

socks and footgear.

Then he cut away his moccasins and bared his feet. But while

he had taken liberties with his hands, he kept his feet fairly

away from the fire and rubbed them with snow. He rubbed till

his bands grew numb, when he would cover his feet with theblanket, warm his hands by the fire, and return to the

rubbing.

For three hours he worked, till the worst effects of the

freezing had been counteracted. All that night he stayed by

the fire, and it was late the next day when he limped pitifully

into the camp on the Cherry Creek Divide.

In a month's time he was able to be about on his feet,

although the toes were destined always after that to be very

sensitive to frost. But the scars on his hands he knows he will

carry to the grave. And -- "Never travel alone!" he now lays

down the precept of the North.

The illustrious author Jack London journeyed to Alaska in 1897.

Eleven years later, he wrote one of his most appreciated works,

"Tobuild a fire", based on his rich experiences in this sub-polar

area. Although, at first sight, "Tobuild a fire" appears to be a

simple adventure story, the hero's end is rather puzzling. Actually,

the finale paragraph takes aback: why is the main character

suddenly desirous to die whereas he has strived to survive along

the whole story? The man's intentions are not obvious at first

glance. Nevertheless, traces can help the reader to discover the

man's desire. The purpose of the

subsequent analysis is to demonstrate that the man's character is

a person with suicidal tendencies and therefore his plight is not the

fruit of a thoughtless behavior.

Right after the first two paragraphs, which introduce the reader with

a description of the situation, Jack London asserts that the man

"was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and


16/28

not in the significances". This sentence's aim is to present the

man's character as a person who does not realize the

consequences of his actions.

However, the fourth paragraph proves he is far from being

irresponsible. Indeed, the man's character conducts an experiment.

He spits several times to verify that spittle "had crackled in the air".

As a result, that test convinces the man that "undoubtedly it was

colder than fifty below". Since he carries out experimentation andhe is able to reach a conclusion, he confirms he can have a mature

reflection and therefore he is responsible.

The next paragraph provides clues of his will to minimize his

chances to achieve his travel. Actually, the man "was

glad" to undertake a journey "without a sled, traveling light"

whereas no evidence is given in the story that explains why this is

an asset for him. The reader only knows that "a foot of snow had

fallen since the last sled had passed over". The man never affirms

that this amount of snow or a weighty load could slow down or

hamper him. On the other hand, such an amount of snow exhaustsa trekker who is not equipped with snowshoes and London never

mentions such items in the text. Consequently, since the beginning

of the story demonstrates he is fully responsible. He most likely

wants to enter the forest with the deliberate intention to expose

himself to serious danger.

Moreover, the reader is informed in the fifth paragraph that the man

"carried nothing but the lunch" and the fourth paragraph stresses

his food is only made of some "biscuits". In addition, in the eighth

paragraph, the man is not particularly hungry but "he

decided to celebrate" an event "by eating his lunch" although it

could have been more valuable to him to restrain from eating at

this time and keep his biscuits for a later meal. Therefore, once

more he jeopardizes his survival because he deprives himself from

keeping a reserve and deliberately runs the risk of lacking

alimentary supplies in the future.

From the onset of the story, he is fully aware he is on the verge of

commencing a progression in the forest although the temperature is

extremely cold and he is bound to be short of supplies. At this very

moment of his journey, not only did he ignore the advice of the old-timer from Sulphur Creek, who warned him that "no man must

travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below", but he also makes

every efforts to reduce his chances of success. He could have

decided not to engage in this journey and he can still make the

choice to turn back. No forms of determinism govern the man

because he can take his own choices and he can anticipate the

consequences of his actions. Furthermore, he is presumably

preparing his future predicament and his subsequent death. A

strange parallel could be drawn between the not so evident

London's suicide and the man's fate. One could argue that the


17/28

man's character embodies Jack London and thus, the author could

express a secret desire to lay down arms after enduring fights

during his life. Could the short story "Tobuild a fire" be a kind of

swan song from a man who desires to "live and let die" his

existence?

First Part Summary:A man turns off from the main trail in the Yukon (in Alaska)

on an extremely cold, gray morning. He surveys the icy,

snowy tundra. The cold does not faze the man, a newcomer

to the Yukon, since he rarely translates hard facts, such asthe extreme cold, into more significant ideas, such as man'sfrailty and mortality. He spits, and his saliva freezes in mid-

air, an indication that is colder than fifty degrees below zero.He shrugs it off; he is going to meet "the boys" by six o'clock

at the old claim near Henderson Fork. He has taken analternate route to examine the possibility of getting out logs

in the spring from the islands in the Yukon. He feels his lunch

of biscuits inside his jacket, warming against his skin.

The manwalks through the thick snow, his unprotectedcheekbones and nose feeling numb. A husky wolf-dog follows

him, instinctively depressed by and apprehensive of the cold.

Every warm breath the man exhales increases the ice depositon his beard. He passes over more terrain to the frozen bed

of a stream, ten miles from his destination, where he plans to

eat lunch. The faintness of the last sled-trail in the snowindicates no one has been by in a month, but the man pays it

no mind; still, he occasionally thinks that it is very cold, andautomatically and unsuccessfully rubs his cheekbones andnose to warm them. He realizes his cheeks will "frost," andwishes he had prepared for this, but decides that frosted

cheeks are only painful and not very serious.

Though the man does not spend much time thinking, he is

observant of the curves and the possibility of dangeroussprings in the creek as he wends along it. If he crashedthrough one, he could potentially get wet up to his waist, and

even wet feet on such a cold day would be extremely

dangerous. As he continues, he avoids several springs. At onepoint, suspecting a spring, he pushes the reluctant dog
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18/28

forward to investigate.The dog's feet get wet, and it

instinctively licks and bites at the ice that forms between its

toes. The man helps the dog, briefly removing his mitten inthe numbing cold.

A little after noon, the man takes out his lunch. His frozen

beard prevents his biting into it, and his fingers and toes arenumb, so he decides to build a fire. He thinks about the man

from Sulphur Creek who gave him advice about the cold; hescoffed at it at the time. He takes out matches, gathers twigs,

and starts a fire. He thaws his face and eats his biscuits. Thedog warms itself near the fire. After, the man continues up afork of the creek. The dog wants to remain with the fire or at

least burrow in the snow, but since there is no "keenintimacy" between the two, the dog does not try to warn the

man for his own sake; it is concerned only with its own well-being. Still, it follows the man.

Analysis:

"To Build a Fire" is the quintessential naturalist short story.

Naturalism was a movement in literature developed largely byEmile Zola, Theodore Dreiser, Edith Wharton, Stephen Crane,

andJack Londonin the late 19th-century. Its major themes(which will all be explained and explored in greater depthhere) are determinism over free will; the indifference of theenvironment; survival; absence of moral judgment; instinct

over intellectualism; a fascination with processes; the

emphasis of narrative over character; depiction of charactersin the lower classes; and more realistic language befitting

such characters and settings.

"To Build a Fire" reveals much about itself and its naturalistorigins in its title. "To Build a Fire" sounds almost like an

instruction manual, and the story does, indeed, teach the

reader how to perform various acts, such as building fires,

avoiding dangerous springs, and navigating a creek. As inHerman Melville'sMoby Dick(not considered a naturalist

novel, but it shares many of the same concerns), where the

reader learns all about whale hunting, the reader leaves thestory with a sense of the processes at work in its world. We

see other processes in effect, too, such as the layers of snow

and ice that have built up in the Yukon, or the ice thataccumulates on the man's beard.

The title also implies the need for survival. London might

have (unwisely) given his story the unpleasant title "To

Survive, You Need To Build a Fire." Naturalism is interested in

the deep conflicts that bring out the brute instincts of man.

London's story provides one of the oldest conflicts in literatureand life: man versus nature. The man is at constant risk of

freezing in the brutal cold, and soon mere survival, ratherthan the prospect of finding gold, will become hispreoccupation.

The man is clearly not an experienced Yukon adventurer. He

ignores all the facts that indicate danger--he underestimatesthe cold, he ignores the absence of travelers in the last

month, he de-emphasizes his soon-to-be-frostbitten

cheekbones. Again, processes are important: he does notmake any mental processes, taking facts and assigning them

increasing significance. While this may seem at first like an
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19/28

intellectual deficit, what the man truly lacks is instinct--the

unconscious understanding of what the various facts mean.

The dog, on the other hand, is pure instinct. While it cannot

intellectualize the cold as the man can, assigning numericalvalues to the temperature, it has "inherited knowledge"

about the cold. Without thinking, the dog knows the cold isdangerous, knows the spring is risky, knows to bite at the ice

that forms between its toes, and even knows not to get tooclose to the fire for fear of singeing itself.

While the main conflict is man versus nature, it would be

inaccurate to say that nature actively assaults the man.Nature does not go out of its way to hurt the man; it would

be just as cold without the man's presence, as well. Rather,

the environment is indifferent to the man, as it frequently isin naturalist literature. The bitter environment does not aidhim in any way, and it will not notice if he perishes. In the

same way, the dog does not care about the man, only about

itself.

Even London does not seem to care about the man too much-

-or, more precisely, he does not make any overt moral

judgments about the man. He merely conveys the objectivefacts, pessimistic though they may be about the man. Forinstance, in describing the man's inability to make mentalleaps, London only states "That there should be anything

more to it than that was a thought that never entered his

head." London never denounces outright the man'sfoolhardiness; his most aggressive comment, "The trouble

with him was that he was without imagination," is only a

suggestion that the man will encounter trouble because ofthis deficit.

Likewise, London maintains an air of neutrality with his prose,

objective and reportorial. He focuses mostly on the narrative

and little on the man's interior world and history--indeed, wenever even know the man's (or the dog's) name. He is less an

individual and more a representative of all humanity,

especially humanity up against nature. Also in keeping withthe naturalist tradition, the man is obviously not a member of

the upper class. Like "the boys," he hopes to strike it rich by

prospecting for gold, as did many during the Yukon Gold Rushin the late 19th-century, or even by selling logs.

One major point of naturalism not discussed yet is

determinism. It will become more important in the next part

of the story.

Major Themes

Determinism

The movement of naturalism was greatly influenced by the

19th-century ideas of Social Darwinism, which was in turninfluenced by Charles Darwin's theories on evolution. SocialDarwinism applied to the human environment the

evolutionary concept that natural environments alter an

organism's biological makeup over time through naturalselection. Social Darwinists and naturalists cited this as proof

that organisms, including humans, do not have free will, but

are shaped, or determined, by their environment and biology.Naturalists argued that the deterministic world is based on a

series of links, each of which causes the next (for more on


20/28

these causal links, see Causal links and processes, below). In

"To Build a Fire," London repeatedly shows how the man does

not have free will and how nature has already mapped out hisfate. Indeed, both times the man has an accident, London

states "it happened," as if "it" were an inevitability of nature

and that the man had played no role in "it." The mostimportant feature of this deterministic philosophy is in theamorality and lack of responsibility attached to an individual's

actions (see Amorality and responsibility, below).

Amorality and responsibility

A curious revision occurs when London writes that the man'ssecond accident with the snow was his "own fault or, rather,

his mistake." While both are damning words, "fault" is much

more serious; it implies an underlying moral responsibilityand role in future consequences, while "mistake" suggests anisolated incident outside of one's control. Likewise, the man

believes his first accident is bad "luck," another word that

connotes lack of free will. "Accident," too, insinuates anunforeseen or unanticipated event out of one's power.

If naturalism maintains that an individual has no free will (see

Determinism, above), as London's careful phrasing suggests,then it is logical that the individual should not bearresponsibility for his actions: if humans are not even incontrol of our own actions, why should we take responsibility

for them?

The answer is that one should take responsibility for one'sactions if one can anticipate potential consequences. Since

the naturalistic world is based on causal links (see Causal

links and processes, below), it should be possible, to anextent, to predict the consequences of our actions. The man

could not have anticipated his falling through the snow, and

therefore it is merely bad "luck." However, he should have

anticipated that his other action--building a fire under aspruce tree--could carry potentially significant consequences:

the snuffing out of the fire. Only in this anticipatory sense is

he somewhat responsible. That London revises his judgmentfrom "fault" to "mistake" suggests the gray area in the man's

responsibility; while he should have anticipated the results of

his actions, and thus be held liable, he did not, so he cannotbe held liable.

Causal links and processes

"To Build a Fire" is, among other things, a virtual instruction

manual on how to build a fire. It details specifically how onegoes about gathering twigs and grasses, assembling them,

lighting them, and keeping the fire going. The story, likemany naturalist works, is obsessed with processes. These

processes can be viewed as causal links--each event causesthe next one. Causality is another preoccupation of

naturalism, which grounds itself in the philosophy ofdeterminism (see Determinism, above).

While the man in the story is adept with physical processes,

he cannot make associative mental leaps and project causallinks in his mind. London tells us this from the start,describing how the extreme cold does not make him meditate

in successively larger circles on man's mortality. He has alsoignored advice about avoiding the cold, not thinking ahead to


21/28

what might happen in such harsh conditions. This deficit hurts

him most when he builds the fire under the spruce tree; he

does not think ahead that he might capsize the tree's load ofsnow and snuff out the fire. Only by the end of the story,

when he is near death, does he mentally process causal links,

thinking about his own death and how others might comeacross his body. The ability to process these mental causallinks is the only way one can be held responsible for his

actions in naturalism (see Amorality and responsibility,

above). Since the man does not make these mental links, he

is not fully responsible for the accidents that befall him.

Instinct over intellectualism

Though the man is hardly an "intellectual," he exercisesintellectual properties more than instinctive ones. He uses

complicated tools (matches) to build a fire; he understandhow cold it is through temperature readings; he identifies

where he is (Henderson Creek, the Yukon) through languageon a map. The dog, on the other hand, is pure instinct. It

remains warm through its fur coat or by burrowing into the

snow; it has an innate understanding of the cold and itsdangers; it could not point out its location on a map, but it

knows by scent where to find the nearby camp with men. In

the Yukon, instinct is far superior to intellect. The man'sintellect backfires on him. His ability to light the matches withhis numb fingers suffers in the extreme cold, and both his

fingers and the matches are examples of man's naturally

selected advantage of intellect: man has fingers to operatetools, and his larger, more complex brain allows him to create

such tools. The dog is much wiser, aware that the cold is too

dangerous for them; it even knows when the man is trying todeceive it somehow (he wants to kill it and bury his hands inits warm carcass). Accordingly, only the dog survives, and

though it may not be able to take care of itself fully, itinstinctively knows to go to "the other food-providers and

fire-providers" in the nearby camp.Indifferent environment and survival

Naturalism not only maintains that the environment is

deterministic (see Determinism, above), but indifferent. Theenvironment does nothing to help its inhabitants; in fact, it iscoldly indifferent to their existence and struggle. In "To Build

a Fire," the Yukon would be bitterly cold without the man, as

well, and it does not cease when the man struggles to stayalive. This indifference makes survival itself a critical goal for

naturalist characters. As the story goes on, the man changeshis goal from reaching the camp, to warding off frostbite, to

merely staying alive. Naturalism thus elicits profound

conflicts, man versus nature being one of them.The objective power of numbers and facts

Naturalism maintains that the world can be understood onlythrough scientific, objective knowledge. In "To Build a Fire,"

the reader receives a number of these hard facts. For

instance, temperatures lower than negative fifty degreesFahrenheit demarcate the danger zone of traveling alone.London tells us the exact amount of matches the man lights

at once (seventy). Moreover, the man is preoccupied with thedistance to the camp and the time he will reach it. These hardfacts should arm the man with enough information to assess

competently the deterministic environment (see Determinism,


22/28

above), but he fails to do so before he is in mortal danger.

Naturalistic subject matter and language

Naturalist fiction writers devised new techniques and subject

matters to convey their ideas. Generally, they focused more

on narrative rather than character. "To Build a Fire" has a

nearly nonstop narrative drive, and we only occasionally enter

into the mind of the man--who does not even have a name in

the story, indicating how little London is concerned with himas a unique person. Naturalists often used sparer, harder

language to complement their plot-driven stories; this

tendency can be seen as a verbal corollary to naturalism's

preoccupation with objectivity (see The objective power of

numbers and facts, above). Finally, naturalism usually turned

its attention to the often-ignored lower classes. The man in

the story is a lower- to middle-class drifter trying to strike it

rich; no one with any wealth would risk his life in such brutal

conditions.

You've written a very insightful take on the man's character! I

remember that when I read this story years ago, my main

impression of the man was that he was stubborn to the point of

stupidity--but you have delved deeper and discerned a very

plausible motive for his somewhat implausible actions.

I'll make just a few editing notes:

Actually, the final [no "e"] paragraph takes one [or, the reader]

aback: why is the main character suddenly desirous to die [better

would be "why does the main character suddenly want to die"]

whereas he has strivento survive along the whole story? - This

brings up a good point: very few native English speakers know the

past tense and past participle of "to strive." In fact, I had to look it

up to be sure! It's strive, strove, has striven. Very strange word!

Consequently, since the beginning of the story demonstrates he is

fully responsible, he most likely wants to enter the forest with the

deliberate intention to expose himself to serious danger. [make it

into one sentence]

he also makes every effort [delete "s"] to reduce his chances of

success.

And a note re: British vs. American English, for any students who

might be confused: in British English, the punctuation goes outside

the quotation mark, unless the punctuation is part of the quote: "no

man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below",

In American English, periods and commas always go inside the


23/28

quotation mark, unless it's a single letter, such as "a". For example,

"no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below," but...

As usual, your essay is outstanding! Great job!

Thanks,

Part I

To Build a Fire begins at nine oclock on a winter morning as an

unnamed man travels across the Yukon Territory in Northwestern

Canada. The man is a chechaquo(cheechako), a Chinook jargon

word meaning newcomer. This is the mans first winter in the

Yukon, but because he is without imagination and thus

unaccustomed to thinking about life and death, he is not afraid of

the cold, which he estimates at fifty degrees below zero. He is on

his way to join the rest of his companions at an old mining camp on

a distant fork of...

Jack London had already established himself as a popular writer

when his story To Build a Fire appeared in theCentury

Magazinein 1908. This tale of an unnamed mans disastrous trek

across the Yukon Territory near Alaska was well received at the

time by readers and literary critics alike. While other works by

London have since been faulted as overly sensational or hastily

written, To Build a Fire is still regarded by many as an Americanclassic. London based the story on his own travels across the

harsh, frozen terrain of Alaska and Canada in 1897-98 during the

Klondike gold rush; he is also said to have relied on information

from a book by Jeremiah Lynch entitled Three Years in the

Klondike. Critics have praised Londons story for its vivid evocation

of the Klondike territory. In particular, they focus on the way in

which London uses repetition and precise description to emphasize

the brutal coldness and unforgiving landscape of the Northland,

against which the inexperienced protagonist, accompanied only bya dog, struggles unsuccessfully to save himself from freezing to

death after a series of mishaps. Involving such themes as fear,

death, and the individual versus nature, To Build a Fire has been

categorized as a naturalistic work of fiction in which London depicts

human beings as subject to the laws of nature and controlled by

their environment and their physical makeup. With its short, matter-

of-fact sentences, To Build a Fire is representative of Londons

best work, which influenced such later writers as Ernest


24/28

Hemingway.

Most of Jack London's stories are set in the

outdoors. By using the outdoors as a backdrop,

London offers a unique perspective to the story's

themes and different character types. In "To Build

a Fire," I believe that London uses the theme and

character of a rugged, independent outdoorsman toshow that, even though we may want to travel

alone in the outdoors, we should always travel with

friends or stay within our limits. He uses his

knowledge of nature to set a wilderness backdrop

that fits well into any story that he writes.

The plot in this story is one of a man trying to

conquer the last frontier. I believe that London,

through this plot, shows how one needs to keep in

mind that, no matter how much we think that we

control something, we are still at nature's mercy.Nature's scorn is shown when the central character,

after passing through the most dangerous areas of

"ice springs," thinks that he is home free. Then he

steps into a puddle of shallow water that goes up to

his knees. But just when the man thinks that he is

home free again and his fire is started and will soon

be drying him, it is put out by snow on the very

tree that has given him the branches to create his

fire. London also shows how we should respect our

elders by the knowledge the old man from SulphurCreek possesses. The old man had warned the

younger one about trailing in the back country in

such harsh weather. The young man shrugged off

the warnings and went out anyway. I believe that

London is trying to show us how we need to listen

to our elders and not to what our young minds tell

us to do. The elders have been there and know

what will work. An example of this is when

engineering students first begin work. They design

projects that work well on paper however, by thetime that these projects reach the foreman on the

job site, the sites are often immediately sent back

to be reworked. The man in charge of construction

on the site knows designs that will work and ones

that will not by experience. The fresh young

college graduate knows only what works on paper,

unless he has spent some time in the field earlier in

college or in his life.

I believe that London uses the theme of rugged


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individualism to show how sometimes we do not

need to be alone. If the man had been traveling

with a friend instead of a dog, then he would most

likely not have died. Instead the man tries to prove

his ruggedness by traveling alone. He most likely

had nothing to prove but to increase his self-

esteem. The man also refuses to listen to the dog; it

knew that it was too dangerous to traveling. The

dog cowers away and even wants to return to the

first fire that the man builds. The dog tucks his tail

between his legs and whimpers for the man to

return to the warmth. I believe that the dog is

trying to show the man that it was foolish to try

and travel in such weather. London also shows the

theme of ruggedness by how the man seems to

have no fear of a temperature of fifty below zero.

To me this emphasizes the man's cockiness. I have

many years of camping in my life, either throughhunting or from my Boy Scout days. I have enough

sense to know when it is too cold or the weather is

too rough to begin a trip. This man knows the

dangers and what may happen and chooses to live

with what the consequences may be and pays the

ultimate price. I have been camping before when

there have been lightning storms, thunder storms,

or hurricanes approaching. However, the group I

travel with has enough sense to know when "the

getting is good" and to make it home or to sheltersafely.

London uses the man as a symbolic character. The

man symbolizes certain people who believe that

they can survive on their own. London uses this to

show that, even if someone tries to make it on their

own, that the unlikely often happens. If the man

had been traveling with a friend, then he most

likely would have survived. In Boy Scouting, this

idea of traveling with a "buddy" is taught in the

first rank that a scout attains. The young scoutsmust know why to travel with a buddy and what to

do if that buddy becomes injured. I believe that

London is showing us that, no matter how

invincible we think we are, the inevitable can

happen.

An Analysis of Jack London's To Build A Fire


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Charles E. May, Author of the article "To Build A Fire': Physical Fiction

and Metaphysical Critics" was giving his psychological criticism on the

Jack London short story. May was elaborating on the naturalistic

behavior of man versus nature when it comes to survival. May's article

suggests that theprotagonistin the story did not only have a

psychological discovery but a "simple physical discovery that self is

body only"(23).

In the story, "To Build AFire", the protagonist has to accept that he

was not invincible, but a human with a weakness. The man may have

been psychologically apt in his own eye but weakagainst natureand

the physical elements. The protagonist displayed defiance in authority

when he "laughed" (152) at the advice of the Old-Timer on Sulphur

Creek when he told him how cold it gets in the country. The protagonist

felt he had everything under control when he made the first fire to keep

warm in spite of the numbness of his fingers. The test of egos and wills

began to surface when the man was ready to move on and the dog

wanted to stay near the fire. However, just as "there was no keen

intimacy between the dog and the man"(152) the dog would be the

protagonist constant companion until the man's death.

The man had to accept that the "fire provider had failed"(156) when he

did not have control of his frozen fingers or the building of the fire.

Nature had defeated him. The id in the protagonist wanted to kill the

dog to keep himself warm. But the ego along with the man's inability to"neither draw nor hold his sheath knife"(157) caused him not to be able

to kill the dog. The aura of death was prevalent. Realizing that he no

longer had dominion over his own body as well as accepting his

making a "fool of himself"(158) he had to accept the inevitable. Not

only did he have to accept death, he had to acknowledge that the Old-

Timer was right when warning him about traveling alone.

Ironically, while the man was dying, he was angry at the dog because

of its natural warmth, instincts that he had, and the survival skills thatthe dog used. Those were the elements that the man lacked. It was a

shame that the protagonist had to suffer and die in order to find out

that man's fraille body cannot withstand nature's harsh elements in

spite of his over-confident, psychological strength.

Work Cited

Literary Analysis Of To Build A Fire
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As generations pass and the quest for unlimited knowledge isreduced to a couple clicks on your favorite search engine, manyof the youth today take what their elders say for granted andsimply block it out with their iPod headphones, as though a slapof ignorance to the faces of the hoary. But what these feebleminded juveniles did not know is that what was overcome withsounds Ke$ha and Katy Perry, were the key ingredients to theperfect lifestyle. Through the writings of Jack London, we learnthat we should cherish the past generations, for what they have

learned is as valuable as life itself.

To Build a Fire by Jack London is a short story about a man

traveling along the Yukon River in the bitter, winter weather.While warned against traveling alone in the frigid cold, heventures out to meet his companions at a remote camp manymiles away, with only a stray dog by his side. From thebeginning, the reader understands that the man is undertaking atask where most would wait for more suitable conditions. Themost important remark for this man is from The Old-timer fromSulpher Creek, who warned him about the dangers of the

Yukon. His trip begins well enough, yet soon becomesdisastrous when he breaks through the ice and wets himself up

to the waist. He is more angry than worried as he begins to

build a fire to dry his wet boots and socks. His arrogance showswhen he thinks to himself about how The Old-timer from SulpherCreek "was rather womanish. With this arrogant insult againstthe elderly and the wisdom that they conceal, many may seethat this gap between generations is may find that it connectswith Ernest Hemingways infamous short story A Clear Well

Lighted Place, where we find another epic fight between

generations. As the story goes on the main character faces the

icy bath of cold water again and has to make a fire once more.Due to a grave mistake on his part of building the fire under atree branch overburdened with fresh snow, his fire is doused outwhen the heat collapses the branch. Many may think that thismay be a form of Karma towards our protagonist due to his rudecomment about the Old-timer from Sulpher Creek. Hisextremities are already numb from the cold and he lacks thedexterity to light another fire so begins to run in an effort to get tohis companions camp as well as increase his circulation enoughto warm up. He fails in both attempts and soon collapses fromexhaustion. While lying in the snow, defeated and dying, hecomes to understand that the old-timer was right. You wereright, old hoss; you were right, he says; further realizing how

important the old-timers advice was.

With the ending of this tragic tail, one may consider this as aforewarning towards the youth of America; a dramatization of thedangers of ignoring the guidance of the elderly not only innature, but also in the twenty-first century. In hopes that thiswork of fiction is not created in reality, for those you who havethe time to change your moronic, rebellious ways, stop as soonas possible to avoid the same fortune as Jack Londons

protagonist.


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Documents

The World of Jack London