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Symbol of Fire in Literature

areful in his use of it.

While Abner Snopes uses fire as a means of punishment and vengeance, the protagonist in London's "To Build a Fire" uses fire as a means of salvation. London describes his protagonist as a man of no imagination who was "quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances" (88). This man stands alone with a dog in the Yukon in temperatures of seventy-five degrees below freezing and ponders nothing more than the time it will take him to reach his colleagues. For him, fire is nothing more than a means of warming himself when necessary. He is inhabiting a world where things are turned around; water means death and fire means life. Even after he falls into the hidden water and fire is the only thing standing between himself and death, he never really questions the ironies or significance of his situation. He is only concerned with trying to save as much of his body from frostbite as is possible.

The struggle London's protagonist undergoes is nothing more than a basic struggle for survival. As he approaches death, he never seeks to repent sins he might have committed during life or ponder people he will miss or who may miss him. He appears to be a completely solitary and self-centered character, willing even to sacrifice the dog for his own survival. In this way, he is similar to Abner Snopes, who also does not appear to think of how his actions will affect anyone other than himself. Just as London's protagonist would sacrifice the dog, so too would Abner Snopes sacrifice his son in the name of vengeance.

The difference between the two stories is that Abner's actions can be curtailed by Colonel Sartoris. Colonel stands as the moral center of "Barn Burning," a center that is missing from "To Build a Fire." Any question of morality is missing from the cold, stark setting of "To Build a Fire," a coldness and starkness that is reflected in London's protagonist...

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Symbol of Fire in Literature. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:48, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1682701.html