Importance Of Setting In To Build A Fire By Jack London

Setting is an important concept in any work of literature, but plays a prevailing role in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. This short story is set on a trail in the Yukon where the man, against the locals’ advice, ventures into sub-freezing temperatures with a dog as his only companion. The time portrayed in the story is important to the setting because it was before modern technology, such as cell phones, so the man could not simply call for help. He had to continue to fight nature, the cold, and the snow throughout the story to survive. There are many other aspects of setting that are important in this short story, but these four features play key roles in his inability to light the fire that could have saved his life.
One of the most important parts of setting in “To Build a Fire” is nature, which is shown in many ways such as the stream he falls into, the disadvantage humans have for the cold, and the empty expanse of the Yukon. Nature is very unforgiving and treats everybody fairly regardless if they are man, woman, child, or animal, and this is shown throughout the story. Falling into the stream was one of the huge mistakes made by the man. He said …show more content…
Nature, cold, snow, and the time were four of the key features of the setting because they forced his inability to start a fire. Nature, which is shown in many ways such as the stream he falls into, the disadvantage humans have for the cold, and the empty expanse of the Yukon plays a key role because it is unforgiving and is the main reason he starts making a fire in the first place. The cold was a huge factor because the man could not imagine the severity of the cold and how it would affect his body. The cold affected him by decreasing the motion and control he had over his fingers. This caused him to fail in starting the second fire, and was the main reason he could not kill the