SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FIRE IN "TO BUILD A FIRE"
The life-saving importance of fire which is something that most people in civilized societies do not think about, or at best take for granted, is the primary action motivator in "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. "To Build a Fire" continuously expresses the main character's fading warmth as he travels along the Yukon trail to meet "the boys." As a symbol, the concept of fire operates on many levels in this story. First is the simple physical action of building the fire itself, a challenge in an area where the availability of fuel is slight. On another level, the symbol of fire is used by London to emphasize the human concept of hope. We assume that the man's fate will be better when he gets to the camp. Because of that, we assume that once he gets the fire built, he will live long enough to actually get to the camp.
London uses a type of story telling that is called "omniscient," (all-knowing) which lets him move from point to view to point of view with ease. This has the effect of making the reader simply an observer, and forcing the reader to consider the fire on various levels. It is a sign of London's art that he is able to sustain such a story for any length of time. He does this by involving the reader with the basic elements of fire.
"He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the twigs with which he fed it" (P. 449). We have already been told that "the man" lacks personal experience travelling in the Yukon terrain. Even the dog that follows him knows that this is not the kind of weather when you should be travelling.
We learn that an old-timer at Sulphur Springs had warned the man about the harsh realities of the Klondike. But the main character has ignored this advice, fully confident of his survival abilities. Moreover, the reader feels confident too, until falling snow pu...