Blog Sixteen

Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" revolves around nature. A man is walking around in thirty below weather and he has to deal with all the negative effects that the freezing weather brings. For example, he can not even eat because of his frozen beard (London). Walking along with a dog, the main character faces many problems that are nature related.

Thoreau, Emerson, and London all respect nature. They all seem to have their own views on nature. According to Abby Werlock, Jack London's short story is about his respect for the "white silence" (Werlock). He relates it to a man's insignificance in the world and the will to survive (Werlock). I think that both Emerson and Thoreau had the will to survive. They each played a part in war, Emerson being a nurse and Thoreau fighting, because they had their own personal feelings about the wanted out come. They did not only want to survive the war, but they wanted to win. I think that Jack London felt the same way. Putting the main character in such harsh conditions, he would have to have a strong will to survive. Same with Emerson and Thoreau in war.

Harold Bloom wrote that "Everything good in nature and the world is in that moment of transition, when the swarthy juices still flow plentifully from nature, but their astringency or acridity is got out by ethics and humanity" (Bloom). I think that Jack London would agree with this quote. Ethics and the humanities can really play an effect in nature. It is the people and animals that can ruin nature, and it is also them who can see all of the beauty in it. I think that this quote from Emerson would also apply to Jack London.

"To Build A Fire" has many references to nature. Jack London definitely respected nature and knew a lot about it to write what he did. His work was very good and comparable to Thoreau and Emerson's. Emerson and Thoreau had a broader perspective on nature while London seemed to make the view a little more personal. He described the beauty of nature negatively, effecting people in bad ways. That is how they are different.

London, Jack. "To Build a Fire, by Jack London." The World of Jack London 2012®. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. .

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'To Build a Fire'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS814&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 2, 2012).

Bloom, Harold. "Bloom on Ralph Waldo Emerson." Essayists and Prophets, Bloom's 20th Anniversary Collection. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLCEP012&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2012).