Analysis Of To Build A Fire By Jack London

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Trails Of Inspiration What occurred in the life of Jack London that influenced him to write the short story “To Build A Fire”? Throughout London 's life, he faced many trials. The events that Jack London experience in this lifetime were reflected in the stories he wrote. In addition, London uses symbolism, imagery, and character to achieve his literary goals. Jack London uses fire in a symbolic way. London wrote “the blazing matches fell sizzling into the snow, but the birch-bark was alight. He began laying dry grasses and the tiniest twigs on the flame. He could not pick and choose, for he had to lift the fuel between the heals of his hands. Small pieces of rotten wood and green moss clung to the twigs, and he bit them off as well as he could with his teeth. He …show more content…

I believe he uses the tactics of creating a great character to keep readers intrigued. If the characters were dull then it wouldn’t be as engaging. Jack London also relates back to his life and who he is, he uses pieces and parts of his life and puts them in his character 's life. “London investigated many traditional issues of the literary topos of plague, ranging from a reflection on morality and justice to the contagion and clinical features of the disease. In particular, the author focused his attention on behavioral responses to a pandemic, showing the emergence of fear, irrationality, and selfishness in a previously civilized and modern society” (Augusto 1). London continuously writes on the negative aspects on life like diseases and death. In “To Build A Fire” the nameless man and his dog companion had many face-offs with death. The short story came to a tragic end by the man died. In London’s actual life he drank so much alcohol that eventually he got really sick, sooner than later he drank himself to death. That is is just one of the many ways Jack incorporated his real life with his fictional life

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