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To Build a Fire/Annotated Bibliography: Difference between revisions
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}} The dog's survival in "To Build a Fire," symbolically reflects London's idea that man should, sometimes, rely on his intuition truths rather than his intellectual cognitive processes. He appears to suggest that animals live by instinct, individuals with low mental capacity fail, and human beings who use good judgment, balanced by emotional insights, overcome a harsh environment. He had a problem in that he lacked imagination. In the simple things in life, he was quick and vigilant, but only in these things, not in the significances. Rather than representing the victory of instinct over reason, London offers a third choice as a new perspective on human existence. In this case, it would be the old timer from Sulphur Creek. | }} The dog's survival in "To Build a Fire," symbolically reflects London's idea that man should, sometimes, rely on his intuition truths rather than his intellectual cognitive processes. He appears to suggest that animals live by instinct, individuals with low mental capacity fail, and human beings who use good judgment, balanced by emotional insights, overcome a harsh environment. He had a problem in that he lacked imagination. In the simple things in life, he was quick and vigilant, but only in these things, not in the significances. Rather than representing the victory of instinct over reason, London offers a third choice as a new perspective on human existence. In this case, it would be the old timer from Sulphur Creek. | ||
*{{cite journal | |||
| last1 = Hillier | |||
| first1 = Russell | |||
| date = 2010 | |||
| title = Crystal Beards and Dantean Influence in Jack London's 'To Build a Fire (II)' | |||
| journal = American Literature | |||
| volume = 23 | |||
| issue = 3 | |||
| page = 172-178 | |||
}} In the article Hillier explores the idea that the intense cold that defeats the protagonist is a attribute to Hell and the raging fire. Hillier compares the various different times the protagonist tried to build a fire, to the punishments that sinners must suffer in Dante's nine cycles of Hell. The burning of his hand with matches and the numbing cold is his punishment for the man's sins. To conclude, Hillier describes the "ice muzzle" around his mouth as the final cycle of hell. His attitude towards others, nature, and being overly confident is what ultimately destroys him in the end of the story. | |||
*{{cite journal | *{{cite journal | ||
| last1 = Pizer | | last1 = Pizer | ||