Theme Of To Build A Fire And The Story Of An Hour

â€Å"To Build a Fire† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour†: Intangible Emotions Instigate Actual Mortalities â€Å"Thoughts become perception, perception becomes reality. Alter your thoughts, alter your reality† (James â€Å"William James Quote†). This sentiment from William James who was a leading philosopher and psychologist at the turn of the 19th Century inspires one to challenge their labeling of a current circumstance, suggesting happiness is a perception that can be manipulated. This mind over matter approach to life’s struggles has become commonplace in the repertoire of motivational speakers, close friends, coaches, and other well-meaning influencers alike. This ambiguous concept has the ability to produce very real consequences, even death. In†¦show more content†¦After further and cumulative study of the story, one may come to the conclusion that the man in the story has totally influenced reality both in his refusal to allow perceptions persuade him from his mission as he set out to it and also in his utter confidence in his own perceptions of his unique and higher judgment maintaining an overly optimistic outset in regards to his own abilities. One particularly dire incident began, â€Å"The man was shocked. It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death† (London 130). One can see by the word â€Å"shocked† that he clearly assumed nothing would go wrong, until it actually is done already. This is a recurring theme in the characters personality that never seems to expire until the man himself expires. The passage becomes increasingly grotesque: â€Å"His flesh was burning. He could smell it. Deep down below the surface he could feel it. The sensation developed into pain that grew acute. And still he endured it, holding the flame of the matches clumsily to the bark that would not light readily because his own burning hands were in the way, absorbing most of the flame† (London 131). This quote is symbolic of the way the man’s inability to challenge his own perception is causing his own demise; he is burning his own flesh and absorbing most of the flame in the process. Not only is his ego damaging,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of To Build A Fire By Jack London1006 Words   |  5 Pagesshort story, â€Å"To Build a Fire,† written by Jack London took place on the Yukon trail. Further analysis led to the discovery that the story took place in Alaska. The setting became an important aspect within this story due to how much description was given to how cold it was. The cold weather suggests that the time of year was during the winter months. The setting of the story reminds readers that there are harsh places in the world, where nature becomes overwhelmingly powerful. The short story startsRead MoreNaturalism In Jack Londons To Build A Fire828 Words   |  4 PagesThe main theme of â€Å"To Build a Fire† by Jack London is naturalism. Jack London has his own experiences in the Youkan that have been said to have links to the story To Build a Fire and his naturalistic viewpoints that have even influenced Ernest Hemmingway. This story was written in the early 1900’s describing a man and his dog who are new to the Yukon. The man and his dog plan on a nine-hour hike in -75 ° F weather. He is warned not to travel alone but the man thinking he is above nature takes on theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Build A Fire With The Film The Revenant 1558 Words   |  7 PagesNAME: TEJALBEN PATEL ID NO.121927156 To Compare and contrast the short story â€Å"To Build a Fire† with the film â€Å"The Revenant† The Battle of Nature versus Man Following the Romantic Period, a significant number of American writers for a better source of inspiration that has more to do with each day existence than the metaphorical or supernatural. The writers turned to research and the harsh realities of the universeRead MoreAn Analysis Of To Build A Fire By Jack London1673 Words   |  7 PagesIn the story To Build a Fire written by Jack London, a man and a dog travel together through the Yukon in freezing temperatures to get to a cabin where the man’s friends are. The significant events in the story include the man falling into a creek, the man’s fire going out and the dog leaving the mans body reveal the authors’ own understanding of how nature and humanity interact. The use of third person point of view and symbolism work together in order to help readers understand the themes that natureRead MoreJack Londons To Build A Fire Essay1025 Words   |  5 Pagesknown for classical writings of poetry, or hundreds and hu ndreds of books written by them. This author though was one who portrayed himself through dozens of short stories. His name is Jack London. Jack London is a writer who shows the conflict between Nature versus Man in his writings and supports this theme through his work, â€Å"To Build a Fire.† Jack was born on January 12, 1876 and died on November 22, 1916. He is best known for his nature novels depicting how nature can sometimes be so powerful thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Build A Fire 899 Words   |  4 PagesTo Build a Fire The theme of to build a fire is that arrogance leads to unnecessary pain. To build a fire starts with a man on a cold, snow-covered mountain. This man is thousands of miles away from civilization. He believes it is negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit while it is actually negative 75 degrees. He first notices it is below negative 50 when he spits onto the ground, but his spit freezes and cracks in the air rather than on the ground like it would do at negative 50. The man has his dog withRead MoreKate Chopin s The Minister s Black Veil1897 Words   |  8 Pagesreading the same types of stories without any diversity. There would be only one theme of a story until a brave author would break away from the chain and make a different type of story. Sure, the writer of the story would be rejected from society for a while, but the story they wrote will change the views of future author’s writing. Literature throughout history has shown many various ideas of themes. One of the most important themes is that of individualism. The theme of individualism means toRead MoreKate Chopin s The Minister s Black Veil1897 Words   |  8 Pagesreading the same types of stories without any diversity. There would be only one theme of a story until a brave author would break away from the chain and make a different type of story. Sure, the writer of the story would be rejected from society for a while, but the story they wrote will change the views of future author’s writing. Literature throughout history has shown many various ideas of themes. One of the most important themes is that of individualism. The theme of individualism means toRead MoreThe Lottery: Litterary Response1514 Words   |  7 Pagescompelling story about the human race and how it is affected by its surrounding traditions. When the 27th of June arrives, a village is overtaken by a two hour lottery, which includes the picking of stones, a black box and ends in a fight for the â€Å"winners† life. One of the prominent themes in this story is human hypocrisy. Although most of the characters are shown through their words and actions, one particular person stands out: Mrs â€Å"Tessie† Hutchinson. At the beginning of the story, Tessie headsRead MoreJack London : Nature And Figurative Sense Of Pride2252 Words   |  10 PagesThe film â€Å"To Build a Fire,† based on the story by Jack London, visualizes the religious theme of the short story by symbolizing humanity’s disregard for the literal power of nature and figurative sense of pride in the intelligence of being human. The man, known as a â€Å"chechaquo,† or newcomer (177), disregards the sub-freezing arctic temperature right from the beginning of the story. Even so, the man’s only thought is getting to the mining camp at a certain time, shown by his pleasure at his precise