to build a fire
An Analysis of the Setting in Jack London’s “To Build A Fire” Jack London’s “To Build A Fire” tells the story of a man traveling in the freezing wilderness with no one but his dog. ... He accidentally steps through some ice on top of a small pool of freezing water, and realizes that he cannot continue without stopping to build a fire and warm his wet, frozen feet. ... The man’s attempt to successfully build a fire is foiled by a number of problems and he soon becomes overtaken by the frigid temperature and freezes to death. ... As the man is taking a break for lunch (before the incident with the wet feet), he builds a fire, and the dog stretches out and warms himself right next to it. ... In closing, “To Build a Fire” is a story about a man traveling through the desolate, freezing land around the Yukon, who after several foiled attempts to build a fire to warm himself and his dog, eventually succumbs to the environment and freezes to death.