To Build A Fire Analysis Essay

To build a Fire is about a man who was traveling on a trail, but later on becomes lost in the woods. While traveling along the trail, the man was accompanied by a grey coated wolf on his heels. The man was told by a wise old man with much experience to not go out in such harsh conditions, but the man did not listen. The man is headstrong, this means that he thinks too much of himself to listen to other people because he thinks that his ways are better than what a wise, and much older, man. When the man stops listening he gets lost, and quickly begins to realize that he is now in trouble and his life is in danger. Once again the man let his thought consume him because he believes that he knows all.

While reading the short story, it is continued in third person point of view. This can make the narrative pacing go in a few different ways. The author, Jack London, chose to make the narrative pacing start fast and then begin to go slower as the man is meeting his final demise to make the reader feel the story in a deeper way and to make the third person point of view to give the story more of a perspective of what is happening as the story goes on. These techniques can bring us closer to the imagery and characterization of To build a Fire.

The imagery aspect of the story is what gives the reader more vivid details about the setting. It makes a reader picture what they are reading in their mind just like dyslexic kids can without the more detailed passages. The characterization aspect gives us deeper intel on who the man and the dog are, tells us how they are feeling, and what they are doing. These together help the narrative pacing with planning the man’s last moments and telling the reader why and how this is happening. This can help bring the message of the story come to the