In the short novel, “To Build a Fire,” Jack London creates a very oblivious, unnamed character. The main reason he appears oblivious is because of his massive amounts of arrogance and ignorance. The short story revolves around him hiking in the cold, and that’s just what it is. It’s cold. He knows how extraordinarily cold it is, but this fact “made no impression on the man.” Being fifty degrees below zero matters little to him, that it’s nothing more than a pair of mittens and ear flaps could fix. These facts alone only just merely suggest the man’s lack of experience and the obvious disasters to come.

  Although the man was very oblivious, his only companion was not. Accompanying him was a lone dog, a Husky. The dog, although the lack of an advanced human brain, had its primitive animal instincts to tell him it was far too cold to be out. Though sadly he was forced to come along with the man. Soon enough, the man realizes it may have been colder than he originally thought. But his arrogance got to the best of him, seeing as being frozen isn't a big deal.

  “What were frosted cheeks? A bit painful, that was all; they were never serious.”

  The man was dead set on making it over to his friends, ignoring the dog’s cries, the cold, and the advice a man had given him before setting off on this adventure.

  Soon enough, the man stops for lunch. His ease on making a single fire fuels him with the thought that the old man whom gave him advice was just being a wimp. Though a single success, soon after come a long series of failures, such as falling in freezing water and ironically failing to build a fire, the thoughts of his demise come to him, and it certainly does. In his private thoughts, he finally somewhat realizes his ignorance and just how right the old timer he dismissed was.

  As well, London’s writing gives quite a lonely, desolate mood. It soon turns into frustration, then fear at the end. London’s constant reminders of the cold and just how little the man cares gives us readers the perfect reason of why we feel frustrated, and not just the character.

  Jack London did exceedingly well at describing the theme. Determinism. How the man was so determined to get to his destination. Unfortunately, sometimes being overly determined isn't a good thing.

  Responsibility. The man’s actions alone are his fault, his responsibility. He chose to ignore the cold and all warnings from anyone and everyone, so it was his fault alone for his failures and he is responsible for it. You should never blame someone else for your doing.

  Instinct. The man relied on his ability, which failed him, while his companion, the husky, relied on his animal instincts and survived the cold. He knew how to survive, while the man knew little to nothing about his surroundings and how to withstand.

  This short novel by Jack London is a good example for authors trying to learn how to express a message, and although it is quite bland it has its moments of true persuasion. It reminds us that we are always better off in numbers. In one of the passages, while the character is struggling, he agrees that "after fifty below, a man should travel with a partner". In the end, it is only through being close to his own death that he accepts that he was just as any other man- perishable.