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  • Essay / The theme of existentialism in Building a Fire by Jack London

    Jack London writes the tragic story of a man who decides to travel through the terrible freezing temperatures of the Yukon and how this man becomes a victim of power . of nature which proves to be implacable and merciless in the short story “To Build a Fire”. The man in the story ended up falling through ice and hot spring water and getting his feet wet. With the bitterness of the cold, “one hundred and seven degrees below zero” (London). To save his life, he needed to start a fire so he could keep his feet from freezing, which turned out to be a partly successful attempt at starting a fire and a few pitiful attempts, which resulted in the struggle notable solitude that man endured. against a hostile environment. The man panicked to try to restore any sensation to his limbs by “running like a chicken with its head cut off” (London). The man finally becomes calm again and faces the reality of the death that awaits him. The main theme of this story, described by many existentialist writers, is that man leads a solitary life, exemplified by the relentless and merciless forces of nature; a subtle part of this theme was the goal that man set for himself to find the meaning of his existence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe philosophy that fully emphasizes the difference and solidarity of a sung person in a hostile and ordinary universe is existentialism. This type of philosophy is the theme of this story, as it is simply about a lone man traveling across a huge expanse of land in a cruel and uncaring environment to test his limits. At the end of the story, London recounts how the Final Man realizes that he must face the fate that awaits him with a certain dignity, in turn giving real meaning to what would have been a cruel and destitute death of meaning. The existentialist theme of "To Build a Fire" was set up intentionally by London rather than being a mere coincidence. So it’s no mistake that the heart of the store lies in an existentialist theme. The theme of existentialism has been approached in several ways by London. The most important thing was the choice of where the story takes place. The setting of this story takes place in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon, where winters are intense and "there was neither sun nor trace of sun" in the sky (London). The way London places this solitary character in this terrible and brutally cold environment was created by seeing that this is the epitome of the existential. Since the Yukon wilderness is devoid of individuals who could have served as man's traveling companions, this gives the impression that man is alone in the universe to the existentialist idea. London didn't even give the man a name which put a deadly distance between the reader and the setting, thus making the man more alone in the dark and hostile universe. Another important element that London used to draw a picture and emphasize the theme. it was using images. London relied heavily on imagery to create the mood of this story, and it helps depict the terrible environment the man must endure. London had the ability to illustrate how deadly and severe the area's weather conditions were, where a reader could almost hear the "high-pitched, explosive crackle" as the man spat and he froze before hitting the ground . With such vivid imagery, London was able to visually guide the reading along the path of the man "losing in his battle against the frost" (London), and be able to imagine the conflict..