To Build a Fire, Essay Example

Introduction

Combining literary elements is what makes short stories remarkable. Readers enjoy reading well-crafted short stories due to the transition between events. In the short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, the author uses literary elements to build up the narrative. For example, characters, themes, and setting are literary elements used in London’s short story. Character is a literary element referring to people involved in actions or activities. Characters are fundamental elements of a short story because its plot revolves around them. The theme is the central idea being revealed by characters in the short story. Characters are the central ideas’ driving force because they are involved in events. Still, the setting is a literary element referring to a place where a story’s events occur. This essay emphasizes setting to reveal how London uses the literary element to reveal characters and the short story’s primary theme. Often, landscapes, sceneries, and seasons are used by authors to refer to a story’s setting. An author incorporates the setting in a story because it enhances readers’ experiences while the narrative unfolds. London combined literary elements in the short story to express ideas, enhance the narrative, and enable readers to connect with the pacing of the author’s writing.

Analyzing Literary Elements in the Short Story

The setting’s role in London’s short story is to reveal the context and period that events occurred. In order to establish a short story’s setting, it is essential to focus on how the author uses elements such as time, environment, and place. In London’s short story, the setting is important because it sets an environment where events occur and enhance a narrative’s development. According to London, “The bulge of the earth intervened between it and Henderson Creek, where the man walked under a clear sky at noon and cast no shadow” (114). As per the quote, the setting is revealed through Henderson Creek, which is a stream located in Yukon, Canada. This implies that the short story’s setting is Yukon, which has high ice fields in Canada. The short story’s setting is realistic as it is aligned with the plot. The climate and features brought out in London’s story made it easier to determine the setting used by the author. In London’s short story, the author emphasizes the high-pressure ridges located in Canada. Undeniably, the author had prior knowledge about Canada, which is why the short story does not feel out of place. Yukon is a cold region covered with snow. Thus, the author emphasized the setting to build a scene where the short story’s events unfold.

The setting reveals another element, such as character, by revealing how people create environments through their actions and adapt to new places. The primary character in the short story is the man. “Empty as the man’s mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and bends and timber jams” (London 113). As per the quote, London reveals how the character reacted to Yukon’s unsafe weather. The man ventured out to explore Yukon and its surroundings. However, the unsafe weather because of winter hindered the man from exploring his surroundings. Indeed, a character is a literary element that is consistently utilized in London’s short story. The author focused on the unnamed man by emphasizing the setting he resides. The dog is also another character whose purpose in the short story is to accompany the man. “The dog did not want to go” (London 113). The dog accompanied the man while moving across the creek covered with ice. The man observed the dog in disbelief relaying facts about the environment. Indeed, the setting utilized by London aligns with the characters used in the short story. The characters are placed in a cold environment, and the relevance is revealed when the man is concerned about the dog accompanying him across the ice.

The setting reveals another element, such as theme, by conveying an atmosphere that shapes characters’ mentality and behaviors. In the short story, the primary theme is individualism’s limits. “The old-timer had been very serious in laying down the law that no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below” (London 116). The man is the short story’s protagonist, accompanied by the dog. However, the man intended to travel alone as he believed he could survive the extreme weather conditions. “Any man who was a man could travel alone. But it was surprising, the rapidity with which his cheeks and nose were freezing” (London 116). The man intended to travel alone and refused to be accompanied. However, Yukon’s weather could not allow him to progress with his journey. The weather is a natural element that enabled the author to reveal the short story’s central idea. Although the older man warned the man about the repercussions of traveling alone, he sought to move across the snow without a companion. This is because the man initially believed he was capable of traveling alone. However, the man’s ability to continue moving across the snow was limited by the harsh weather conditions. “And he had not thought his fingers could go lifeless in a short while” (London 116). Individualism had its limits which were why the man could not continue traveling in Yukon’s wintry conditions.

Conclusion

To conclude, London effectively integrates literary elements in the short story to strengthen the narrative. In the short story, London used literary aspects to explain concepts, enrich the narrative, and allow readers to connect with the author’s perspective. This essay affirms that the functions of the short story’s setting are to reveal the environment, enhance a narrative’s development and enhance readers’ experiences. Yukon is the setting employed in London’s short story. The author’s choice of setting was made simpler by the climate and features highlighted in the short story. The setting shows another element, such as character, by exposing how people construct surroundings by their behaviors and how they adjust to different areas. The man and the dog are the primary characters in London’s short story. The last literary element employed in London’s short story is the theme. Individualism is a major theme revealed through the short story’s setting. Despite the man believing that he possessed capabilities to travel in wintry conditions, he could not survive in Yukon’s snowy territory. Traveling alone led to the man’s demise as he did not accept help from companions. Through the theme, London emphasizes the significance of cooperating with others to receive help and avoid nature’s extreme conditions. Therefore, London utilized literary elements to strengthen the short story’s narration and enable readers to connect with elements.

Work Cited

London, Jack. To Build a Fire. Century Magazine, 1908.