Character Sketch of the Man:
Introduction:
The unnamed man is the protagonist of the story. In other words, he is the main character of the story. The character of the man is confidently stubborn because he ignores a piece of advice from the old - timer while undertaking his journey in Yukon land as a newcomer. He walks in brutally cold weather to meet his companions at a camp during his first winter in the Klondike region. He is so perseverant that he keeps trying despite difficulties. The man seems to have internal conflict with himself because he does not want to feel regretful for ignoring the old - timer's advice. He tries as best he could to prove that he has made a right decision to ignore that advice. The development of the man is static since he has changed nothing from the beginning to the end of the story. He remains stubborn throughout the story.
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| Story To Build A Fire: Character Sketches of the Man and the Dog |
His Being without Imagination:
The man is first described in the story as ‘without imagination’. This means he does not think things through before acting and this has a dire consequence for him. The man is inexperienced with the bitter cold weather of the Klondike, yet he sets off for a nine hour walk to meet some men. While he realises it is cold, he does not think through the possible consequences of the weather, like hypothermia and the fact that people die from it. He laughs at the man who tried to warn him, as he believes he can easily remedy any occasion that comes up by staying calm. He has not considered that he is taking a life and death chance and has not thought or respected the power of nature over man. His shortsightedness does not allow him to think that there are things that will be more powerful and out of his control.
His Overconfidence and Arrogance:
Man's overconfidence in his own abilities leads him making poor decisions and scorning the advice of those who know what they are talking about. Instead he laughs at the old man after he tells him ‘a man should travel with a partner’ and goes out into the frigid weather anyway. The man knows that it is seventy five degree below zero and that his body is numb but he does not care because he thinks he can handle it. In his arrogance, the man disregards the warnings of nature and terrible cold. In the end the man finally realises the seriousness has put him in.
His Spirit of Adventure:
The man is filled with adventurous spirit. In spite of knowing the risks involved, he embarks on a nine hour exciting journey through Yukon wilderness without a trail mate. The man is newcomer who is unfamiliar with Klondike's harsh winter landscape. Against the advice of an old – timer, the man undertakes the challenging journey alone, except for a dog and was ‘travelling light’ - on foot rather than by Sled and carrying only a bacon sandwich, tobacco, matches and some birch – bark. From the beginning, it is made clear that the nature is against the man's chances of survival. Though the man does not meditate upon his physical frailty as a creature of temperature, he is startled when his spittle crackles in the air. It is so cold that his nose and cheek - bones are numb, the juice that is being expelled from his mouth on chewing tobacco is instantly freezing, and his fingers go numb when he unbuttons his jacket and shirt to take out his lunch. It is in such a deadly cold that the man's adventurous spirit is at peak.
His Being Keenly Observant:
The man seems to be a keen observant. He notices the changes in the creek, the curves and the bends. He always notes where he has placed his feet. He knows also that there are streams of water that come out from the hillsides and run along under the snow and on top of the ice of the creek. He knows that even in the coldest weather these streams are never frozen and he also knows their danger. He is also quick and alert. When he feels that the ice is moving under his feet, he jumps away.
His Not Showing Respect for Nature:
The man does not have much respect for nature. This is due in part to a lack of understanding of his fragility as a creature of temperature. He understands the meaning of cold and that fifty degrees below zero stand for a bite of frost that hurts and must be guarded against but he has no experience living in these conditions. He is a newcomer in the land. As such he should have greater respect for the forces of nature.
His Relying on His Scientific Knowledge:
The man lacks the instinct of the dog. The man relies on scientific explanation rather than experience. This knowledge fails him when he makes a series of minor mistakes in Judgement, such as building a fire under a spruce tree. These errors occur because he relies on his own scientific knowledge rather than recognizing the environment he is in. He does not realise that, here, the environment controls him and not the other way around unlike the dog, the man believes he can overcome any obstacle nature presents. He pays dearly for this belief.
Character Sketch of the Dog:
Introduction:
The dog is a big native husky and the man's only companion on the trail. The dog is well adapted to the harsh environment of the Yukon trail. It is described as a foil to the man. It functions as a symbolic character, as it is opposite of the man. It represents nature and natural instinct for survival.
Dog's Having An Instinctive Understanding:
The dog represents pure instinct, a trait necessary for survival in the harsh Yukon. Unlike the man who requires the products of intellectual civilization warm clothing, matches, maps, thermometers - the dog simply uses its own natural advantages - fur, a keen sense of smell. Perhaps more importantly, the dog has an instinctive understanding of the cold. It knows that such conditions are dangerous and unsuitable for travelling. When its feet get wet, it instinctively bites at the ice that forms between its toes. This sense of instinct preserves the dog as opposed to the man - it even knows instinctively when the man is attempting to kill it to warm his hands in its carcass. Although the dog cannot create a fire for itself , or even hunt down food in the wild so well , its instinct keeps it, alive and allows it to find the nearby camp of men – ‘the other food providers and fire providers’.
The Dog's Relationship with Man:
The man and the dog's relationship is followed throughout the story. The man is in strict control of the dog, as explicitly mentioned by London. The dog is almost like a slave to him. The dog is shown cowering before the man and following orders. There is no physical intimacy between the two. The man does not pet the dog or treat it fondly. In fact, the man forces the dog to go ahead of him when he suspects the ice will break. The dog is simply a ‘toil slave’ obedient to the ‘caresses of the whip – lash’ and the ‘harsh and menacing sounds’ of the threat of the whip - lash. The dog simply longs for a warm place near a fire and food. He is dependent on humans for both, so it has no choice but to obey the man. It is not concerned with the welfare of the man.
