Jack London Nature And Figurative Sense Of Pride

The film â€Å"To Build a Fire,† based on the story by Jack London, visualizes the religious theme of the short story by symbolizing humanity’s disregard for the literal power of nature and figurative sense of pride in the intelligence of being human. The man, known as a â€Å"chechaquo,† or newcomer (177), disregards the sub-freezing arctic temperature right from the beginning of the story. Even so, the man’s only thought is getting to the mining camp at a certain time, shown by his pleasure at his precise estimation of his arrival at the fork in the creek for his meager lunch ration. He believes that his intelligence is more than enough to get him through the treacherous journey which lay before him. Although the man knows that it is important to†¦show more content†¦The story illustrates the man’s denial of the dire situation he has placed himself in. The Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature offers a brief synopsis of Jack London’s â€Å"To Build a Fire,† originally written in 1902, and published in its final form in 1908 (1995). It describes how the man ignores the warnings given to him by the old man at Sulphur Creek and attempts to travel a long distance with no appreciation for the power of nature. The man believes that his intelligence and guile will allow him to make the treacherous journey with little supplies. Although the man is intelligent in things, the dog is intelligent in the ways of nature and the cold. In both the cinematic version and the short story, the setting takes place during the period in the Yukon when the sun never rises over the horizon to warm the earth. In both, the story begins by describing the atmosphere as, â€Å"cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey,† (176), the man sets out on his dangerous journey without an inclination to the danger he is walking into. He only realizes that the temperature is 75 degrees below zero when he spits, and the spittle crackles in the air, rather than on the ground. He fails to realize that nature does not care for the whim of humans, regardless of their accomplishments or will to live. In the story, the man is continuously chewing tobacco, creating a, â€Å"crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber† (179). This is an important aspect missed in the filmShow MoreRelated Visions of The Primitive in Langston Hughes’s The Big Sea Essay examples6201 Words   |  25 Pagesâ€Å"The Haunted Ship† section of his autobiography The Big Sea (1940), Langston Hughes writes This rusty tub was towed up the Hudson to Jonas Point a few days after I boarded her and put at anchor with eighty or more other dead ships of a similar nature, and there we stayed all winter. ...[T]here were no visitors and I almost never went ashore. Those long winter nights with snow swirling down the Hudson, and the old ships rocking and creaking in the wind, and the ice scraping and crunching againstRead MoreStudy Guide Literary Terms7657 Words   |  31 Pagesalliteration,: I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet. The repetition of the s sound creates a sense of quiet, reinforcing the meaning of the line 3. allegory – Where every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event. Lord of the Flies provides a compelling allegory of human nature, illustrating the three sides of the psyche through its sharply-defined main characters. A form of extendedRead MoreLiterary Devices in Pride and Prejudice8198 Words   |  33 PagesBishkek Humanities University named after K. Karasaev The Faculty of European Civilizations The English Language Department â€Å"Peculiarities of the Lexical Stylistic devices (Metaphor, metonymy, irony, simile, epithet) in the novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† by Jane Austen† DIPLOMA PAPER Scientific Supervisor: E. B. Jumakeeva Done by: Satarova Rahat, group: A08-2 Contents: Pages: Introduction Read MoreMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 Pagesmarketed might include (a) ideas such as reducing air pollution or contributing to the red cross (b) people, such as new football coach or a political candidate and (c) places, such as industrial plant sites or a place to for a vocation. In a broad sense markets include more than the direct consumers of products services and ideas. Thus a state university’s market includes the legislators who provide funds, the citizens living near the university who may be affected by university activities and the