The Search for Reality 1

Ashley Cox

The Search for Reality: An Analysis of Jack Londons To Build a Fire

In a quiet narrative voice, Jack London tells the story of a man who doesnt recognize the
danger he has put himself in. At first glance this story may appear to be about no more than a
man slowly freezing to death, and therefore a commentary on death. But there is also a larger and
deeper theme just under the surface. While the themes of death and handling death are very
prevalent in the story, London is also creating a commentary on human nature and the habit of
rationalizing bad circumstances.
London subtly implies throughout his story that if the main character had an imagination,
his tragic story would have ended quite differently. Near the beginning of the story London tells
us, 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 50 degrees below zero was to
him nothing more than 50 degrees below zero. That it should be more important than that was a
thought that never entered his head (London).
It is interesting that London would combine two subjects, a lack of imagination and
reality, into nearly synonymous phrases, because the words seem to contradict each other.
However the author is pointing to a larger connection between the way people choose to
rationalize their reality, and the actual reality of what is going on. Evidence for this theme can be
found throughout the plot, characterization, and setting.
The characterization of this story is particularly telling because the story never mentions
the name of the main character. He is only seen in third person as his thoughts sift before the
reader. This lack of a name makes it easy for the reader to step into the story as the main

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character, and become the subject of the story. Indeed, as this character, the reader takes on the
flaws and fears that are so typical to human nature.
For example, the reader first learns of this characters stubborn insistence on one goal,
through the memory of an old man at Sulphur Creek. The main character remembers this old
man warning that no man should travel alone in that country after 50 below zero Those old
men were rather womanish, he thought. All a man must do was to keep his head, and he was all
right. Any man who was a man could travel alone (London). The main character, having been
warned of the plummeting temperature, scoffs at the suggestion of death because he lacks
imagination. He rationalizes that he is the exception to the rules and laws of nature. He also lacks
the imagination to see that for a man to become old in dangerous lands such as the Yukon, he
must be wise enough to have survived the cold winters.
The main character is not necessarily proud, but he is over-confident in his ability to
sense when he is in danger. This confidence in his abilities is shown in another passage of the
story. When trying to eat his lunch, he forgets to build a fire to melt the ice around his mouth so
he can eat. London says of the character, he laughed at his own foolishness (London). The
ability to laugh at a potentially life threatening mistake shows that this main character has
confidence in his ability to choose how fate will treat him. Because he has been warned about the
dangers by another character in the story, it cannot be concluded that he simply wasnt aware of
them. He chooses to laugh at them instead of seeing them for what they are: a deadly warning.
Another example of characterization is the main characters travelling companion, a
wolf-like dog. This dog provides a stark contrast to the main character because the dog has an
imagination. The dog could tell the weather was unfavorable, but instead of trying to excuse

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himself as the exception, the dog accepted what the cold meant. The text mentions, The dog did
not know anything about temperatures. Possibly in its brain there was no understanding of a
condition of very cold, such as was in the mans brain. But the animal sensed the danger
(London). The dog could sense that one thing might turn into another and its instinct helped
protect it from the same fate as his traveling companion. The dog did not lack imagination
because it saw and accepted that there was danger. This crucial ability to see and change
opinions about the reality of the situation protected the dog from the same deadly fate as his
master.
The theme of the story is also found woven throughout the plot. As the man walks
through the Yukon, avoiding the dangers, he often acknowledges the bitter cold without
acknowledging that the cold might kill him. The cold is a symptom of the danger hes in. He
walks quickly through the forest yet his limbs slowly become numb. He is unprepared for
weather that is 60 or 70 degrees below zero. When he cant feel his feet, he stamps them against
the ground until they regain feeling. When his fingers become unmovable, he snaps them against
his legs. This creates a continual cycle of numbness which turns into sharp intense pain as the
numbness leaves his body, and then into silence as the numbness creeps back.
While the author makes it very apparent that this cold is not working in the characters
favor, the character does not seem bothered by the constant fight against numbness. London
states that, Once in a while the thought repeated itself that it was very cold and that he had
never experienced such cold (London). The character does not realize what the cold means until
disaster strikes. He gets his feet wet in water that is 50 degrees below zero. He now received the
full force of the cold. The blood of his body drew back from it (London). This is the turning
point in the plot. Without the blood circulating through his system his body goes numb and stiff.

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Frantically he tries to light the fire only to find that while he can light a match with his elbows,
his panic causes him to smother the fire. The cycle of numbness is finally broken when he cant
bring feeling back into his limbs. He runs and runs in denial, until he realizes that the next step
he takes will be into death.
The constant battle to fight away the numbing power of the cold makes an interesting
parallel to the denial that happens in reality. The man felt two sensations as he travelled;
numbness and sharp pain as he chased the numbness away. In the same vein, denial in everyday
life is often treated by a numbing substance such as food, TV, or alcohol. When this numbness is
taken away it leaves a sharp stinging pain that people dont know what to do with. Interestingly
enough this pain is a sign of life, while the numbness is a sign of death. The main character also
realizes that numbness means death, but by the time he realizes that his sensations are gone, and
it is too late to stop the cold. The man is forced to face what he didnt have the imagination to
look at, and because he waits so long the reality is extremely harsh.
The last element pointing to the theme is the setting. The story takes place in Yukon
Canada, which borders all of Alaska. It is assumed that it is in the midst of winter because the
main character is not worried or concerned that he hasnt seen the sun in several days. The
character also notices that the land was all pure white. North and south, as far as his eye could
see, it was unbroken white (London).
The main character travels on a trail left by those already at the camp, and he travels in a
land thats completely white and in semidarkness. While many might interpret the lack of light
and mountains of snow as a deadly setting, this is not always the case. The words used to
describe the snow are pure and unbroken white (London). These are not the words of a harsh

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killing environment. They are the words of potential. The white snow is like a white piece of
paper; anything can be written on it. Any number of stories can be told in the snow because it
allows the people in that environment to create the colors and shapes they see in life.
The setting helps the characterization become more prominent. And while the lack of
light is certainly ominous it does not necessarily imply evil. The darkness could be interpreted as
a lack of knowledge, and light a representation of that knowledge gained. Because the main
character is traveling in this darkness it means he has the ability the entire time to overcome the
darkness of his mind caused by rationalization. But he chooses instead to remain in the darkness
and not confront the reality of the cold and its frightening implications.
The link between the setting, characterization, and the plot are a dramatization about
what happens so readily in real life. The characterization points to the characters constant
rationalization of unfavorable experiences. The plot points out how the character handles his
problems through the numbing cycle. And the setting shows that the character chooses his
ending by his lack of imagination (London).
Rationalization and ignoring a problem are devices often used by people to cope with
harsh circumstances. While these circumstances arent ideal and perhaps threatening they are
also familiar and habitual, and changing them requires work. It is much easier to rationalize and
hide from the problem. Abusive relationships are an extreme example of this. The victim always
believes that the abuser can change and go back to what they used to be. However this rarely
happens, so they have great difficulty getting out of the relationship, if they can get out at all.
A lack of imagination means refusal to see the current circumstances for what they truly
are. It means fighting the stinging pain of harsh facts, with the sweet numbness that comes from

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rationalizing current situations. This denial lead to death in Londons story, and it brings a type
of death in reality. An inability to face the cold that exists in a relationship, a work environment,
a chosen major, or even a religion, slowly kills the soul. Hiding behind numbness kills
emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Reality is harsh. But having the imagination to realize that life could be better gives the
reader an ability to find joy in life. The sting of life and reality are painful but it means that there
is life within. That sting which removes the numbness requires action; action to remove oneself
from dangerous, harmful, or deadly situations, environments, or relationships. To face that pain,
and have the imagination to paint a different ending on the canvas of life, will lead to action
towards a better reality. Seeing the problem in its true light is the only way to truly live and gain
satisfaction from living.
Through this interpretation of the story, Jack London leaves us some very important
questions. What are we missing in our everyday experiences because we lack imagination? What
harsh situations do we rationalize and put up with? And most importantly, are we brave enough
to confront the numbness in our lives and change our reality?

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Ashley Cox

Works Cited
London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." American English. U. S. Department of State, 1
Jan. 1908. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. <http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/to-builda-fire.pdf>.