51 pages • 1 hour read
Jack LondonTo Build a Fire
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1902A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Literary Devices
Third-Person Omniscient POV
Through omniscient narration, the author is able to convey all characters’ thoughts. In “To Build a Fire,” this is important because it allows London to juxtapose the man’s reasoning against the dog’s instinct. The story begins with the man’s POV, but switches to the dog’s perspective when the author states that “the animal was depressed by the tremendous cold” (3). It is then noted that “the brute had its instinct” (3), and that the dog inherently knows it should remain near the warmth of fire when the temperature is this low.
The omniscient POV permits the author to cast judgment on the protagonist, stating that he is “quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances” (2). This criticism of the man is measured against the author’s appreciation for the dog’s natural instinct, through which it knows that “it was not good to walk abroad in such fearful cold” (7).
When the man dies, the POV again shifts to the dog, which recognizes “the scent of death” and then “trot[s] up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food-providers and fire-providers” (17). This perspective shift permits the author to reiterate the point that, in this harsh climate, one’s own survival takes precedence over sentimentality.
Flashbacks
In literature, flashbacks are often used to provide background or contextual information that is relevant to the story’s current moment. In “To Build a Fire,” flashbacks are used to convey the protagonist’s arrogance and regrets.
The old man of Sulphur Creek advised him to never hike alone in the Klondike when the temperature is below negative 50 degrees. After the man’s foot gets wet, he builds a fire and “remember[s] the advice of the old-timer,” who had been “very serious in laying down the law” (9) about traveling alone in such harsh conditions. As he reflects on the old man’s advice, he thinks that some of the “old-timers were rather womanish” (9). Here, we see the man’s arrogance, which is a characteristic that contributes to his death. After the fire goes out and he fails to rebuild it, he again reflects on this advice, acknowledging that the old man was right. He regrets his disregard for the advice, which likely would have saved his life.
Foreshadowing
The man’s struggle and death are foreshadowed earlier in the story. When walking along the creek bed, he knows that there are springs that run below the snow and above the ice. This creates “ice-skins,” under which there are pools of water. He understands that falling into one of these “traps” could be a disaster. He feels “the give under his feet and hear[s] the crackle of snow-hidden ice-skin” (5), which makes him feel uneasy. This description hints at the scene in which he does break through the ice-skin.
Shortly thereafter, he builds a fire for lunch. When he walks away to continue the hike, the dog “yearn[s] back toward the fire” (7). By this point, it’s clear that the dog has a trustworthy instinct. When the man ignores the dog’s instinct, it suggests that he is making a decision that could have dangerous consequences. The dog inherently knows they should not be hiking in such extreme cold. Sure enough, the man soon freezes to death.
Repetition
As the story progresses, there is repeated, albeit simplistic, acknowledgment of how extremely cold it is. Early in the hike, it is repeatedly noted that it is 50 degrees below zero. A bit farther down the trail, the man simply concludes that “it certainly [is] cold” (3). Soon after that, through the dog’s perspective, the temperature is deemed to be “colder than sixty below, than seventy below” (3). While preparing for lunch, the man again thinks that “it certainly [is] cold” and that “there is no mistake about it, it [is] cold” (7). Later, as he slips into death, he again makes the same simple observation: “It certainly [is] cold” (17).
Though these understated acknowledgments of the cold could be viewed as redundancy, they are intentionally used as repetition, which serves a rhetorical purpose. This repetition makes the cold seem ever-present and inescapable. Even for the man, who is a rugged outdoorsman, the cold continues to be noteworthy. The author uses repetition to make the story feel like it’s fully immersed in the cold Klondike air. This is crucial because the plot’s plausibility is dependent upon the reader’s belief that the cold is indeed deadly.
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