Discussion Topic
Impact and Implications of "To Build a Fire" Ending
Summary:
The ending of Jack London's "To Build a Fire" underscores the harsh realities of nature and the consequences of ignoring its power. The protagonist's death highlights Naturalism, emphasizing human vulnerability and the insignificance of individual actions against nature's forces. Speculating on events after the story, one might follow the dog's survival journey back to civilization, or explore the discovery of the man's body, aligning with London's thematic focus on the natural world's indifferent continuation.
What is the impact of the ending on "To Build a Fire" story?
Jack London's “To Build a Fire” is the story of an unnamed man, traveling
with his dog in the Yukon in extraordinarily cold conditions. He follows a
“dim and little-traveled trail,” planning to reach the safety and comfort
of a camp. The man makes good time, stopping for lunch precisely on
schedule, but when he breaks through
thin ice covering water from a spring, his fate is sealed. He gets wet “halfway
to the knees,” and must build a fire to dry his footwear, or else he will
freeze to death. He gets a fire started, and seems to have averted worse
trouble. “He remembered the advice of the old-timer on Sulphur Creek,” the
narrator tells us, “and smiled.” The old-timer’s advice the previous fall
included the admonition that one shouldn’t travel without a partner in
weather colder than fifty-below, but now the man thinks, “Any man who was
a man could travel alone.”
Acting in...
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haste, theprotagonist has made the mistake of building his
fire under a tree. When a load of snow falls and blots his fire out, the
man’s situation becomes critically dire. Nothing the man tries—not his
panicked attempt to light another fire, his inept plan to kill the dog and
warm his hands inside it, nor his delusional idea of running the remaining
distance to camp—can save him now. With frost “creeping into his body from
all sides,” he resigns himself to
“meeting death with dignity.”
A great strength of the story is London’s ending. A more generic ending in which the protagonist lives would not suffice; in this extreme environment, each small action—even a small part of an action—can mean life or death, and London’s ending adds significance to his philosophy of Naturalism. Small and large actions mattered to Naturalists; it emphasized our connection to the environment while at the same time emphasizing our small part, people die and the planet continues. This is the very nature of his story.
In "To Build a Fire," what do you think happens after the story ends?
Assuming that the man actually freezes to death in "To Build a Fire," I would also pick up the story with the dog's quest for survival. I would probably describe his journey back to civilization; how he might bury himself in the snow to avoid the much colder weather above; and then follow him to Henderson Creek, where the chechaquo's friends are waiting. I think this would be a satisfactory conclusion, but I suppose you could further draw out the story to show the men retrace the dog's trail back to their friend's body.
Obviously, any continuation of London's "To Build a Fire" is pure speculation, and you can extend the story in any direction you want without risking error.
I can give you a couple of directions you might want to take the story. A continuation of the story could center on the dog. London liked to write stories from the dog's perspective, so this would even fit London's practices. Maybe getting to the next warm spot is easy for the dog, but once its there, trouble develops.
Or, if you choose, you could probably pick up the story with the discovery of the body. You could then center on whoever discovers it.
Again, you can write whatever you want. These are just a couple of ideas.