The climax of Jack London's short story To Build a Fire occurs when the story's protagonist, simply referred to as "the man," warming himself after falling through the ice in the extreme, frigid cold of the Yukon Territory, discovers the folly of building a fire beneath a snow-covered tree. As anybody who has experience camping or hiking in the woods during winter knows, building a fire underneath a snow-covered tree will invariably result in the snow-covered branches buckling under the weight of that snow and dumping the icy powder onto the meticulously-crafted fire, extinguishing the individual's sole source of warmth. The point of London's story, however, is precisely this: the folly of man's insistence on believing that he can conquer nature, and the dangers of arrogance.
London's protagonist is presented as a newcomer to the harsh, forbidding coldness of the far-north during the middle of winter. He is also depicted as suffering from an acute sense of intellectual superiority, cavalierly casting aside warnings of dread, firm in the belief that he knows better. Observe, for instance, the following passage from early in To Build a Fire:
"He was a newcomer in the land, and this was his first winter.
"The trouble with him was that he was not able to imagine. He was quick and ready in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in their meanings. Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not lead him to consider his weaknesses as a creature affected by temperature."
As the man continues his trek through the woods for his meeting with "the boys," he repeatedly demonstrates disdain for the warnings of "the old man on Sulphur Creek." The latter's warnings against attempting to undertake a hike under such conditions as existed are ignored, and the result, or resolution of London's story, is the man's death. And, it is only when he knows that he has failed in his mission, and that his death is near, that he finally acknowledges that the warnings he had ignored were prescient. As London brings his story to an end, his protagonist murmurs to himself regarding the old man from Sulphur Creek's advice, “You were right, old fellow. You were right."
That London titled his story "To Build a Fire" is a clear indication that he intended the climactic scene to be that which involved the construction of a fire under preposterous conditions (i.e., under snow-covered branches). That his protagonist should perish from the harsh winter conditions due to his arrogance and ignorance is an apt resolution of the central conflict of man versus nature.
The climax of "To Build a Fire" occurs when the man is trying to remove his moccasins to warm his feet by the fire and the snow from a bough of the tree collapses onto the fire, effectively destroying his chances of survival and causing him to realize he...
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is going to die. The resolution takes place after this realization when he begins to run, only to collapse in exhaustion, and finally, as the dog watches faithfully nearby, numbness fills his freezing body. Hope this helps. For a more detailed summary check the link below. Brenda
In "To Build a Fire", the man is trapped in the Arctic wilderness with his dog. He must build a fire or die. Additionally, he has gotten his feet wet. At first he reconciles himself to losing his feet but the climax comes when he realises that if he does not build a fire, he will die. He then begins to run frantically to no avail. The resolution comes when when the man accepts his fate and sits down to die. As he nears death, he has an outer body experience he hears himself telling the Old Timer whose advice he ignored, that his advice was indeed correct.
What is the climax of the story "To Build a Fire"?
The climax, or point of highest emotional intensity, in "To Build a Fire" occurs after the man's first fire is extinguished and he is unable to start a second.
In Jack London's story that dramatizes his conviction that "civilized" beings are either destroyed or re-created in savage environments, the man who has not stopped earlier to warm himself notices that his fingers are starting to freeze, so he hurries to build a fire. He realizes too late that he has lit a fire under a snow-covered spruce tree; when the snow melts from the heat of the fire, it extinguishes the flames.
The man was shocked. It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death.
He hurries to make another fire in the open, but after he has the twigs to do so, he cannot clutch a second piece of birch bark in his pocket that will ignite the twigs he has gathered; his fingers are frost-bitten. Finally, he extricates the bark after removing his glove. Unfortunately, his fingers are stiff and he drops the matches into the snow; "the dead fingers could not touch nor clutch." Nevertheless, in his desperation, he finally succeeds in lighting the matches, and he tries to put pieces of rotten wood and twigs on it to fuel it, but he must use his mouth and arms. The clumsy attempt causes the fire to go out this time.
The dog watches quietly as "the provider" fails. When the man notices the dog watching, he recalls how a man saved himself by climbing inside a steer that he killed. Now he thinks, perhaps, that he can kill the dog and warm his hands inside its body until the numbness leaves so that he can build another fire. But, as he approaches the dog on his hands and knees, the dog's suspicious nature makes it move away. The man stands and calls to the dog in the normal manner. The dog holds still and the man encircles its body with his arms, but he cannot clutch it, nor can he use his knife or throttle the animal. Now, "a certain fear of death, dull and oppressive came to him." In his despair, he realizes that the old-timer on Sulfur Creek was right. After the temperature goes to fifty below, no one should travel alone. Still, he tries to run, but he lacks the endurance to make it to the camp. "It was his last panic."
What is the initial incident and climax in Jack London's "To Build A Fire"?
The inciting incident of Jack London's "To Build a Fire" is the moment during which the unnamed protagonist ignores the warnings of the old man and ventures out into the harsh wilderness of the Yukon to visit his friends. He sets out alone with his dog, who's animal instincts seem to recognize the foolishness of the undertaking. The climax is set in motion when the protagonist's feet slip through the ice after stopping for his lunch. He attempts to build a second fire to dry himself, but it is extinguished by falling snow. As the protagonist begins to lose sensation in his extremities, the severity of his situation becomes horrifyingly clear. After failing at a third fire, he panics and takes desperate measures such as attempting to kill his dog, which he fails to do. Having exhausted all other options, he attempts to run to the camp. This is how he falls and eventually dies.
What is the initial incident and climax in Jack London's "To Build A Fire"?
The initial incident or narrative hook of "To Build a Fire" is the newcomer's realization that it is much colder out that he thought when he left the warmth and safety of the camp. At the story's beginning, he chooses to set out with only his dog and disregards the oldtimer's advice. In doing so, he begins the story's main conflict--man versus nature.
In regards to the conflict then, the climax is when the man's foot slips through the ice, gets wet and causes him to have to build a second (and eventually a third) fire. When he is trying to build the fire to save his life, the story is at its highest tension because he causes the reader to question who will win the conflict--man or nature?
What is the crisis and the resolution in Jack London's short story, ''To Build a Fire''?
Concerning London's "To Build a Fire," a crisis is, according to a college textbook I have:
The point of uncertainty and tension--the turning point--that results from the conflicts and difficulties brought about through the complication of the plot. The crisis leads to the climax--that is, to the decision made by the protagonist to resolve the conflict.
If the climax of the story is when the snow puts out the protagonist's fire (his last hope of survival), then the crisis is whatever most directly leads up to that point.
At least two possiblities exist:
- When he makes the decision to build the fire under the tree without first shaking the snow off of the limbs, which leads to the fire being put out (this moment is one candidate for the climax, as well, according to the above definition), or
- When he breaks through the ice and gets wet.
I suggest the crisis is when he gets wet, but you might disagree.
Concerning the resolution, that includes everything that occurs after the conflict is decided. In other words, it includes everything after the man is doomed--when the fire goes out.
He attempts to survive, coming up with a few ideas and trying to put them into effect. But his situation is hopeless, and at last he resigns himself to his fate.
What is the crisis and the resolution in Jack London's short story, ''To Build a Fire''?
CRISIS. The crisis in Jack London's "To Build a Fire" concerns the "Chechaquo"--a newcomer--and his attempts to cross the frozen Yukon River and complete a day-long trek to Henderson Creek, where his friends are waiting. However, the man has broken one of the ironclad rules of the Yukon: Never travel alone in extreme, sub-freezing temperatures; in case of an emergency, there will be no one else on whom to rely. On this day, the temperature is 75 degrees below zero. The man will fall through the ice, have to stop and build a fire to dry out, and delay the completion of his trip by several crucial hours... that is, if all goes well.
RESOLUTION. I hate to spoil the ending of this great story, so I will only add that all does not go well while the man attempts to build the fire. The extreme cold becomes evident, and the man remembers the advice given him by "the old-timer on Sulphur Creek"--advice that he does not heed. His attempts to continue onward to Henderson Creek are met with disastrous results.
What are the critical points in the story that lead to the conclusion in "To Build a Fire" by Jack London?
The crux of the story deals with the harsh and merciless side of nature where "only the strong survive." The man in the story is obviously a newcomer: he 1)travels alone (only in the company of his dog), 2)is underequipped ('travelling light') and 3)lacks foresight. Besides all that, he 4)is physically inept, as portrayed when he stumbles and falls into the river.
Drenched to the bone, he makes his final mistake of building a fire under a cedar laden with snow, which when heated, slushes off, thus putting out the fire underneath. As he had used his very last match, the man freezes to death.
Although Jack London was Canadian (and not USA 'American'), this short story is an example of the naturalist tendency in American literature at the time. In naturalism as a literary genre, nature is depicted as a hostile force which pits itself against the intelligence and instinctive wisdom of man. The protagonist in "To Build a Fire" falls very short in both of these categories and pays with his life.