Greek Tragedy In Jack London's To Build A Fire

In Jack London’s To Build a Fire, it is evident that Greek Tragedy is a theme that can be seen throughout the short story. The theme of Greek Tragedy is evident in the short story through the elements of pity and fear, tragic error through hubris, the downfall of a protagonist due to tragic error, and the plot of the story (GVSU). The element of pity and fear in To Build a Fire is shown through the pity the reader may have when the man falls in the water and when the snow puts out the man’s fire, and through the fear the reader may have that this situation could happen to them (London). The element of tragic error through hubris is evident when the man doesn’t listen to the old man, keeps moving even though he realizes it’s colder than fifty

degrees below, and when he believes he is stronger than nature and can brave the weather (London). The downfall of a protagonist due to tragic error is evident in the mans ignorance, when he ignores the old man, when he eventually ignores the thin ice and falls into water, and when he ignores the snow above the fire that will eventually put it out, showing that his ignorance and hubris leads to his freezing to death (London). The element of the plot also portrays a Greek Tragedy, through the pattern of reversal, recognition, and suffering, often seen in a complex plot of a Greek Tragedy (GVSU).
In To Build a Fire, the element of pity and fear is shown through the pity the reader may have when the man falls in the water and when the snow puts out the mans fire, and through the fear the reader may have that this situation could happen to them (London). In To Build a Fire, the man forgets about the holes of water that he may fall into, and eventually after a while, he falls into one and freaks out (London). This sudden change in pace of the story and the pain and anxiety the man is feeling causes the reader to feel pity towards the man. Once the man steps into the water and gets his feet wet, he begins to not think clearly and builds a fire under a tree covered in snow so that he may dry himself, soon after he does this, the snow falls onto the fire putting it out, and causes the man realize the depth of the situation (London). After reading that the man’s fire is put out by the snow, the reader feels pity towards the man because they are aware of the danger the man is in if he does build a new fire and are made aware of the mans shocked reaction causing them to feel compassion towards the man’s suffering. Through the experiences of the man falling in the water, the snow falling on the mans fire and other traumatic experiences the man faces, the reader is filled with fear, believing that this situation is possible for anybody, including themselves. The use of the element of pity and fear make it evident that To Build a Fire can be considered a Greek Tragedy.
In To Build a Fire, the element of tragic error through hubris is evident when the man doesn’t listen to the old man, keeps moving even though he realizes its colder than fifty degrees below, and when he believes he is stronger than nature and can brave the weather (London). According to Literary Devices, “Tragic flaw is a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall and the character is often the hero of the literary piece”. This shows that tragic flaw is what eventually leads to a characters down fall, and much like in the story of Oedipus Rex, the mans tragic flaw is his hubris and pride. It is first evident that the mans tragic flaw is his pride when he doesn’t listen to the old man in Sulphur Creek. London writes, “The old-timer had been very serious in laying down the law that no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below”. Even though the old man said that it was unwise to travel alone in fifty degree weather, the man ignored him, believing that he could take the trip on his own, portraying his hubristic outlook. Another way that the man shows his tragic flaw is when he keeps moving even though he realizes that its colder than fifty degrees below. London writes, “He knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the snow, but this spittle had crackled in the air. Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how much colder he did not know. But the temperature did not matter”. This shows the mans hubristic attitude because even though he’s aware that it’s colder than fifty degrees below, he still believes he can handle it, even though he’s not used to such an experience. One more thing that shows the mans tragic flaw of hubris is the mans belief that he is stronger than nature. London writes, “Then he pulled on his mittens, settled the ear-flaps of his cap firmly about his ears, and took the creek trail up the left fork. The dog was disappointed and yearned back toward the fire”. This also shows the mans hubristic attitude, he ignores the dogs wanting to stay by the fire, even though the dog is in tune with nature, which shows that the man believes he is stronger than nature, and is strong enough to brave the cold weather. It is this tragic flaw that eventually leads to the mans downfall, and eventually his death.
In To Build a Fire, the downfall of the man due to his tragic flaw is evident in the mans ignorance, when he ignores the old man, when he eventually ignores the thin ice and falls into water, and when he ignores the snow above the fire that will eventually put it out (London). According to DBU, “The tragic hero undergoes great pain and suffering because she or he makes a mistake in judgment or has a tragic flaw”. This shows that the protagonist of the story will undergo suffering due to their tragic flaw, and in the case of To Build a Fire, due to the mans hubristic outlook. One example of the mans hubris leading to his downfall is when he ignores the old man. London writes, “Perhaps the old-timer on Sulphur Creek was right. If he had only had a trail-mate he would have been in no danger now”. This shows that if the man was not overly prideful of his abilities, he would’ve found a trail-mate and might not be in any danger at the current time, and the man realizes it. The pride that the man has causes him to be ignorant of his surroundings, which then causes the man to eventually fall through ice into water. London writes, “At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway to the knees”. This makes it evident that because of the mans pride, he grew ignorant of his surroundings, causing him to eventually fall through the ice into water, which eventually leads to his death. Another way that the man is ignorant of his surroundings is when he builds a fire to dry his feet, and is unaware of the snow above him that will eventually put out the fire. London writes, “It grew like an avalanche, and it descended without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out! Where it had burned was a mantle of fresh and disordered snow”. This again shows that because of the mans hubris, he grew ignorant of his surroundings, and because of this, the snow put out the fire, taking away his ability to dry his feet, which eventually leads to his death. It is evident that the mans downfall is due to his tragic flaw, hubris, which shows how To Build a Fire can be viewed as a Greek Tragedy.
One more element that shows that To Build a Fire can be viewed as a Greek Tragedy is the plot, which is done through the pattern of reversal, recognition, and suffering, also seen in the plot of a Greek Tragedy (GVSU).

According to GVSU, “‘reversal’…: occurs when a situation seems to developing in one direction, then suddenly ‘reverses’ to another”. This reversal is evident when the man is making his way over patches of ice for a while, then all of a sudden transitions (reverses) when he falls through the ice and gets his feet wet (London). According to GVSU, “‘recognition’…: a change from ignorance to awareness of a bond of love or hate”. This recognition is evident when the man recognizes how fast his hands and feet are freezing in the cold, and when he realizes that he should have brought a trail-mate once the snow puts out the fire he made to dry his feet (London). According to GVSU, “‘suffering’…: Also translated as ‘a calamity,’ the third element of plot is ‘a destructive or painful act’”. This suffering is evident when the man begins to freeze to death, and eventually hallucinates that he sees himself with his friends, walking towards his dying body, and after this he slowly freezes to death (London). This shows that the plot of To Build a Fire is similar to that of a complex plot of a Greek Tragedy, which again shows that To Build a Fire can be seen as a Greek Tragedy.

It is evident that the given elements in To Build a Fire show that it can be seen as a Greek Tragedy. It is evident in the element of pity the readers feel towards the man and the fear that the readers have of the mans experience happening to them. It is evident through the tragic flaw that the man has in the story, his hubristic and prideful outlook, which in turn eventually leads to his downfall. Even through the story’s plot, with the pattern of reversal, recognition, and suffering, that it can be seen as a Greek

Tragedy.