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To Build a Fire

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To Build a Fire Jack London

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To Build a Fire Essays

Chain-smoking: causality in "to build a fire" theoderek wayne, to build a fire.

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In each of the two short stories, "To Build a Fire," by Jack London, and "A Mystery of Heroism," by Stephen Crane, the author portrays life's realism through the thoughts, actions, and descriptions of a central character. Both characters undergo...

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Our America: The Abiding Question of Nation and National Identity in American Literature Anonymous College

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A War Against Nature: Instinct in "To Build a Fire" Caroline Elizabeth Kaseburg 12th Grade

“But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” This quote by Rachael Carson evokes the internal struggle of man in his yearning to survive against the incessant onslaught of nature. “To Build a Fire”...

Comparisons in the Representation of the Modern Man in “The Hollow Men” and “To Build a Fire” Anonymous College

Writers and poets customarily portray the traits of the modern man in their contemporary setting akin to the altering literary and social values. In T.S Eliot’s poem, The Hollow Men, the titular men are confined in a purgatory of two counterpart...

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Jack London's Use of Literary Elements in "To Build a Fire"

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Literary elements in “to build a fire”.

• London, J. (1908). To Build a Fire. The Century Magazine.
• Labor, E. (2017). An Ecocritical Reading of Jack London's "To Build a Fire". Humanities Bulletin, 1(1), 26-32.
• Hensley, J. (2011). Naturalism in Jack London's "To Build a Fire". Short Story Criticism, 135, 86-93.
• Harrison, R. K. (2015). Symbolism and Irony in "To Build a Fire". College Literature, 42(1), 67-83.
• Shafer, R. (2004). Setting and the Quest for Nature in Jack London's "To Build a Fire". The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, 37(1), 20-32.
• Anderson, C. (2003). Survival and the Futility of Existence in Jack London's "To Build a Fire". The Explicator, 61(3), 157-160.
• Kilcup, K. (1983). The Importance of Instinct in Jack London's "To Build a Fire". American Literary Realism, 16(1), 28-38.
• Gray, R. (1999). "To Build a Fire": Physical Fiction and Metaphysical Critics. American Literary Realism, 32(2), 127-138.

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To Build A Fire Essay Sample

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Pets , Nature , Fire , Dog , England , Thinking , Literature , London

Words: 1200

Published: 02/09/2020

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Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" tells the tale of a man and his dog, who attempt to survive in the Yukon. The harsh weather soon leaves them stranded, leaving them to take different methods to keep themselves alive. The attempt to build a fire takes up the majority of the story, as the man attempts to keep himself warm. The conflict between instinct and logic is told through symbolism and metaphor; the protagonist learns all too well that relying on logic is foolhardy, and that instinct must also be a component to his survival. Nature is shown to be an incredibly heartless and unfeeling entity – something to survive rather than work with. In this way, “To Build a Fire” is about the relationship between man and the natural world, and how his own acclimation to civilization has prevented him from learning how to survive. The protagonist is a man of logic, experiencing his first winter in the Yukon; he does not have any practical experience in the rough terrain of that area, and so he is operating by his own deductive reasoning, and not through memory. The man is incredibly stubborn; he refuses the old man's advice to not go alone throughout the Klondike, as he feels he can make it on his own. The man is also irresponsible, risking the fire that he creates several times for the sake of small details or his own quirks. The first time, he shortsightedly pulls at branches and leaves in order to keep a fire going under a pine tree, but that brings snow down upon it. Next, he risks all of his matches to create the fire, but then picks at a piece of moss and puts out the fire. All of these actions are borne of desperation, and eventually lead to his untimely demise. With this main character, London explores the relationship between man and nature – the omniscient narrator in the work allows us to understand the mistakes the man makes (such as going out in the cold in the first place), as well as see the consequences of these mistakes. Here, nature is shown to be a cold, unfeeling creature, as it gives him no quarter for his errors – every mistake he makes sets him back further and lessens his chances for survival. What is perhaps most significant is the man’s inability to fully recognize the danger he is in; it is not until his fire is extinguished that he starts to truly become worried: "It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death” (London, 1902). The man is representative of London’s treatment of human hubris; he believes he can easily navigate nature, but the short story and the storm itself prove him quite wrong. The dog, on the other hand, was a creature of instinct, as he simply relied on what he felt to be true about surviving in the Yukon. Here, the man’s wolf dog is the other half of the equation; he is a "big native husky, the proper wolf dog, gray-coated and without any visible or temperamental difference from its brother the wild wolf" (London, 1902). The dog itself is almost a spiritual creature, as it is much more in tune with nature, and its successes highlight the man’s failures. The dog is patient and loyal, always sticking with the man no matter what foolish decisions he makes. The dog's own preparedness for the environment makes it much more likely to survive; it has a wonderful sense of smell, and can naturally stand colder weather much better than the man can. As loyal as the dog is, it knows exactly when to give up; right when it knows the man is going to die, it heads "in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food-providers and fire-providers" (London, 1902). The dog is part of nature still, and as such it is just as indifferent to the man as the elements are. All through the story, the dog seems to know instinctually what it needs to do to survive, as it will "merely obey the mysterious prompting that [arises] from the deep crypts of its being" (London, 1902). The implication given by London is that the man lacks the preternatural instincts for survival that the wild dog has, as man has domesticated himself with his focus on civilization and escaping the necessities of survival. To that end, the dog is much more well-equipped to survive in the wilderness than man. Nature, as a force, is almost the third character in this story; the man and the dog attempt to defeat it, both using different methods. It does not intend to maliciously destroy the man and the dog; but its benign hostility is something that needs to be addressed. At every turn, nature seeks to disempower the man and make him responsible for his mistakes. By being so relentless, London shows the reader that nature does not have the power of sympathy, and is infinitely more powerful than man is. The power of nature is clearly beyond the two characters; they will certainly not make the environment warmer. All they can do is alter their reactions to nature, which the man refuses to do. This is the true lesson; nature is an immovable object, and one can either adapt to survive (as the dog does), avoid the situation altogether (as the old man implores the traveler to do), or die foolilshly (as the man himself eventually does). In conclusion, "To Build a Fire" is a tale of the battle between logic and instinct. Man does battle with nature here and loses, mostly due to his own stubbornness and pride – the main character does not pay enough credence to nature’s command of his surroundings, which leads to his death. The man, reasoning the usefulness of a fire, or even killing the dog to keep warm, still makes stubborn mistakes when these actions do not work out. The dog, on the other hand, simply knows more about nature in its veins than the man does, leaving it with the ability to survive. Nature tests both characters to see how they will attempt to survive, and the dog wins out through its use of instinct. The dog, being a much more primal creature and more in tune with nature, manages to survive while the inexperienced man freezes to death. Jack London, in his short story, seeks to illustrate the lack of control and power we have over nature, and the mistake in thinking we have it.

Works Cited

Gair, Christopher. Complicity and resistance in Jack London's novels: From naturalism to nature. Vol. 22. Edwin Mellen Press, 1997. Hendricks, King. "Jack London: Master Craftsman of the Short Story." 1966. London, Jack. “To Build a Fire.” 1902.

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Naturalism in “To Build a Fire” Story by Jack London

Naturalism is among several artistic movements in the early 20 th century that influenced numerous pieces of literature, art, and poetry. The literary works and art pieces were characterized by depictions of nature, natural forces, and the human being’s deterministic nature in the natural environment. Jack London’s To Build a Fire is among the classic pieces of literature influenced by the naturalism movement. Throughout the story, the author demonstrates how the forces of nature are uncontrollable and cannot be tamed by a man leaving human beings powerless. Thus, humans cannot confront nature but adapt or avoid being caught up in harsh environmental conditions since nature shows no mercy. The author focuses heavily on the elements of the natural environment and various literary approaches to convey nature’s unrelenting and unforgiving aspect despite man’s determination to outdo natural occurrences. This essay explores how London embodies naturalism in the short story by using harsh weather conditions and man’s deterministic and animalistic nature

London portrays naturalism by vividly describing the region the story is based upon. The story is set in Yukon, a town in Northern Canada that experiences harsh weather conditions during winter, where temperatures drop significantly below the minimum levels. At the story’s beginning, the author describes Yukon as a desolate, gloomy, and barren land with layers of snow covering the whole area (London, 2020). The sun had not risen for days without signs of warmth that could encourage life and movement from one place to another. The author constantly reminds the audience of the low temperatures when he describes how the man’s spittle freezes in the air instead of landing on the ground to be frozen by snow. The man is shocked the first time he spits and repeats the action to confirm his doubts regarding the reality of the coldness. If the temperature were below fifty degrees freezing, the spittle would have crackled in the snow. Nonetheless, it froze and crackled in the air, demonstrating the harshness of nature regardless of human intelligence and perseverance.

London embodies naturalism when describing the man’s efforts to stay warm despite the snow-covered landscape and cold temperatures. The man’s speed exhausted his nervous system making blood drain from his skin and causing a lower heart rate. Naturally, the body responds to stimuli, and the cold freezes his blood to lifelessness (Kim, 2022). He had overworked his heart by walking four miles per hour in the harsh weather, and it was retaliating by making his body numb. Despite the man’s efforts to build a fire and warm his bones to continue the journey, nature does not allow his efforts to bear fruit. The fire is blown out by snow since the man has started a flame below a spruce tree, melting the snow above that fell in big chunks on the flames. Building a fire and ice fall are natural occurrences that follow a specific order (Mitchell, 2020). The man gathered twigs from the spruce tree to start a fire that melted the snow on the top branches, fell into the flames, and blew it out. Although it is the man’s fault to build a fire under a tree, nature had no mercy for his efforts blowing out the source of comfort for the man and the dog. Thus, man cannot win against nature despite possessing creativity and intelligence.

London demonstrates naturalism through man’s innate nature of determination. The author demonstrates how the man becomes a victim of circumstances caused by his determination and harshness, leading to his demise. The traveler begins his journey knowing the risks of traveling during harsh weather conditions depicted by snow and gloominess. He believes in his strength, speed, and intellectual ability to maneuver through snow and extremely low temperatures (Mitchell, 2020). When he starts the journey, he observes that the sun has not appeared for a long time, and the land is covered in snow without any evidence of life, such as animal movement, human beings, and plants. However, “the strangeness and weirdness of it all made no impression on the man” (London, 2020). Thus, he starts his journey based on his natural instinct to outdo nature using speed and knowledge of the landscape.

During the journey, the traveler encounters a coldness he has never witnessed before. Due to his determination and human intelligence, the man assumes it is fifty degrees below the freezing point, which is standard during cold seasons. However, the author states that “in reality, it was not merely colder than fifty below; it was colder than sixty below than seventy below. However. It was seventy-five below zero” (London, 2020). London’s description gives a vivid imagination of how cold the region was that any sensible person would not deign to travel in such circumstances. Nonetheless, the man continues his journey disregarding the older man’s advice to have a companion and believing his dog can help him. Thus, he sets out with his dog companion on a journey through unbidden natural surroundings that challenge his determination and will to live.

The deterministic nature of the traveler makes him egoistic in his pursuit of going home, forgetting that nature cannot be tamed or controlled by human needs and demands. According to Kim (2022), human beings are naturally egoistic, and the man was following the natural order of humankind to disregard warnings until it leads to their downfall. The man experiences several obstacles in his journey caused by the relentless and unmerciful natural world. The weather numbs his body and facial features making him unable to perform certain activities effectively. He is unable to light a fire due to numb fingers and ends up burning his hands in an attempt to outrun nature.

Although his hands get burned as he perseveres to light a flame, the twigs are scattered by the wind after they catch fire. The numbness returns and consumes his whole body making the man regret his decision to travel alone. He had attempted to make fire twice, failing due to nature’s course in both attempts (Kim, 2022). He remembers the older man’s words and wishes he had a companion to help each other build a fire and stay warm. Likewise, he could have stayed indoors and heeded the warnings of nature’s unbridled and merciless natural occurrences.

Finally, London embodies naturalism in man’s animalistic instinct to survive during dangerous situations. When the man’s attempts to create a fire fail, he considers killing his dog and delving into its warm fur (London, 2020). The dog had been the man’s companion from the beginning of the journey, which may have created a bond as the dog’s owner. Regardless, the man does not hesitate to sacrifice the dog for his comfort. Following Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, the man grabs the dog intending to kill it to obtain its fur. However, the man cannot harm the dog due to the unmerciful weather conditions, which causes numbness in his fingers and hands, making them unable to hold a weapon.

The man holds onto the dog despite its ferocity and struggles to escape. Despite being companions, the dog sensed danger due to its animal instincts, making it struggle free from the man. Trying to kill the dog shows man’s innate nature as an animal with survival instincts. At the same time, it demonstrates how nature can predetermine an individual decision during harsh times (Mitchell, 2020). The man was following his natural instinct to harm the dog because nature had forced him to seek warmth and comfort, creating a natural order of events. Therefore, man cannot defy or control nature leading to naturalism.

The short story To Build a Fire is an excellent embodiment of naturalism. The main character struggles against nature throughout the tale, which remains unmerciful and relentless. The authors demonstrate the harshness of the weather by describing its cold intensity below the freezing point by over seventy-five degrees. The climate has made the land gloomy and uninhabitable for living things since the snow has covered the whole region. Despite the severity of the weather, the man resolves to travel through the harsh weather to reach his destination by traversing the barren land. He encounters challenges caused by natural occurrences, which leads to making critical decisions and evokes his animalistic nature. The author keeps the audience hooked on the event of man versus nature, which ends with the man’s regretful death. As the story concludes, the author demonstrates that despite man’s knowledge and determination, one cannot defy nature as it is uncontrolled by humans, making it harsh and unmerciful.

Kim, Y. (2022). Human hubris against Nature in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire.” Modern Studies in English Language & Literature , 66 (1), 219–233. Web.

London, J. (2020). To build a fire . E-Content Generic Vendor.

Mitchell, L. C. (2020). Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” How not to read naturalist fiction. In D. Pizer (Ed.), American Literary Naturalism: Late Essays (pp. 57–65). Chapter, Anthem Press.

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St. Augustine man dies after setting himself on fire outside NY courthouse for Trump case

A man from St. Augustine set himself on fire Friday afternoon outside the New York City courthouse where jurors in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump were being chosen. 

Officials with the New York City Police Department identified the man as Max Azzarello , 37, of St. Augustine at a 3 p.m. news conference. 

According to USA TODAY , Azzarello doused himself with an accelerant and set himself on fire around 1:35 p.m. across the street from the courthouse, in Collect Pond Park. 

Officials said Azzarello was in critical condition at a nearby hospital and died later Friday. 

USA TODAY reported the incident took place in full view of news cameras shortly after a full panel of 12 jurors and six alternates was seated for the former president's hush money trial. Witnesses told the newspaper Azzarello tossed flyers into the air before dousing himself in fluid and setting himself ablaze.

Witness: 'He pulled out a lighter. And he set himself on fire'

A witness who asked to be identified by only his first name, "Dave," told USA TODAY he watched the victim's actions with a growing sense of panic before the young man went up in flames.

"I heard this clap, and this fellow was throwing these papers into the air," the 73-year-old Manhattan resident said. "He had a can and he poured fluid around himself, and which point I thought, 'Oof, I'm going to see something bad here'."

"And sure enough, he pulled out a lighter. And he set himself on fire."

Max Azzarello manifesto: 'I deeply apologize for inflicting this pain upon you'

In a post on a Substack newsletter called "The Ponzi Papers," victim Max Azzarello said he had burned himself alive to draw attention to the U.S. political and economic system. 

"My name is Max Azzarello, and I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan," the post says. 

Azzarello's manifesto took aim at Trump, President Joe Biden, cryptocurrency and the federal government. 

"To my friends and family, witnesses and first responders, I deeply apologize for inflicting this pain upon you," he wrote. 

Azzarello had lived about three years in a restored two-story apartment building on St. George Street in St. Augustine’s historic district, said Larry Altman, the property’s building manager. He said Azzarello worked from home, doing something online, and had moved in the past few weeks to a home n West Augustine.

”He was just a normal person, nice guy, easy to talk to,” Altman said, but said Azzarello had become focused recently on a belief that a world government was operating a Ponzi scheme against the interests of the public.

“Although I never had a problem with him, he didn’t like authority,” Altman said. “You can’t just not listen to authority and expect to make a change. I think his feeling was that was the only way.”

The Ponzi scheme concerns are underscored in federal court records from New York’s Southern District, where last April Azzarello filed a lawsuit against the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation and scores of other parties including New York University and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The suit asserted the defendants “knowingly conspired, participated in and benefited financially from a decades-long fraudulent scheme.”

The case argued “the defendants’ actions have caused significant financial, emotional, psychological harm to plaintiff,” and listed injuries incurred as financial loss due to economic inflation; damage to personal security; psychological damage as a result of intentional media misinformation; and environmental damage due to fossil fuel emissions created in service of the scheme.

The case was dismissed without prejudice in October.

While Altman said he had never known Azzarello to be abusive to anyone, court records reflect moments when he was accused of strange, disruptive actions.

On Aug. 19, St. Augustine police were called to the Casa Monica Hotel about a complaint that Azzarello had eaten dinner in the building’s restaurant, then approached a wall in the lobby where a framed autograph of President Clinton is displayed and threw a glass of wine at it. The wine stained the autograph and surrounding wall, causing damage a police report estimated at $400-$500, according to a police affidavit .

Police and Azzarello were back at the hotel two days later, where an arrest report said Azzarello was “wearing nothing but his underwear , standing on the sidewalk holding a speaker blasting music and yelling.” He was charged with breach of peace and booked into jail but on August 24 he was arrested again on a criminal mischief charge involving damaging a sign at the front of the Little Free Library at 117 Bridge St.

He was placed on probation, court records show.

A man who lives in house close to Azzarello's old apartment, Richard Loud, said he does not know Azzarello but has seen a car outside he believed to be Azzarello's, notable for its abundance of anti-Clinton and anti-bitcoin stickers.

Azzarello's father, Richard, lives nearby on Keith Street. He was home Friday evening but declined to comment when a reporter approached him.

Aysha Bagchi, Kinsey Crowley and Bart Jansen of USA TODAY and Steve Patterson of The Florida Times-Union and Lucia Viti of the St. Augustine Record contributed to this report.

88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best to build a fire topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting to build a fire topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about to build a fire, ❓ to build a fire essay questions.

• “To Build a Fire” a Story by Jack London Another of the details that support the postulation that the main idea of the story is that assumptions can kill is the inability of the main character to recognize his limitations.
• “Open Boat” and “To Build A Fire” Comparison Similar to the theme of natural forces, in ‘The Open Boat,’ Crane describes the plight of four men who have been shipwrecked and are isolated on the ocean in a tiny dinghy. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• “To Build a Fire” by Jack London: Literary Analysis The author’s choice to use nature as the antagonist portrays an understanding of a force working against the main character, the man, as he struggles to endure in the cold.
• “A Blizzard Under Blue Sky” by P. Houston and “To Build a Fire” by J. London The nature is one of the greatest mysteries of the world; the value assumptions about the place of individuals in nature and their relationship to their canine companions is the issue discussed in two nice […]
• “To Build a Fire” and “White Snow” by Jack London In order to analyze how patterns in writing occurs, I take the example of Jack London and the following paragraph will analyze the two short stories written by the author, ‘To Build a Fire’ and […]
• “To Build a Fire” by Jack London The protagonist of the story is the man who “was a newcomer in the land, a chechaquo, and this was his first winter” and he is the prime tool at the hands of the writer […]
• Nature and Man in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London In conclusion, it should be noted that the theme of the struggle between man and nature is a wonderful aesthetic approach.
• Instability of Characters in London’s To Build a Fire and Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart Therefore, the only obsession that the narrator has with the man is his strange eye, but his inability to control his feelings drives him to commit the heinous act and take the blame.
• Exploring Futility in “The Chrysanthemums,” “To Build a Fire,” and “The League of Old Men” The article explores the symbolism of Elisa as the main character in Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” and especially her representation of the ignored and oppressed women of her time.
• Courting Futility in “To Build a Fire,” “The League of the Old Men,” and “The Chrysanthemums” London’s “To Build a Fire” quite likely the most famous of the author’s short stories tracks the trail of a lone wanderer in the Yukon Territory at the turn of the 20th century.
• “To Build a Fire” by Jack London: Man and Nature By describing the protagonist’s challenges and his death at the end of the story, the writer emphasizes the power of nature and its indifference towards an individual’s life.
• Man’s Doom: “To Build a Fire” by Jack London The man’s fallacy of not appreciating the realities again becomes evident in the fact that he decides to build the fire “under the spruce tree,” instead of building it “in the open”..
• “To Build a Fire” Short Story by Jack London Although the story is built on the understanding that the man is heading to his camp, the way that the events continue to repeat themselves suggests that the man is really going nowhere because he […]
• Man-Animal Conflict: “To Build a Fire” by Jack London Out of a variety of the elements depicted in the story, the greatest impression is made by the conflict between the man and his wolf dog.
• ‘The Open Boat’ and ‘To Build a Fire’ In fact, the hard language in the narration and the twists and turns of the story make the man seem like a sideshow.
• Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” The dog that accompanies the man is also indifferent to the man even though it seems to be have more aware of the danger posed by travelling in that kind of weather than the man […]
• Naturalism in Jack London’s To Build a Fire and The Call of the Wild The validity of such an idea can be well explored in regards to the literary legacy of one of America’s greatest writers Jack London, as the extreme naturalism of many of his short stories and […]
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• The Role of Setting in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
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• Intellect vs. Instinct in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
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• An Analysis of the Setting and Theme in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• The Awakening Journey in “Young Goodman Brown” and “To Build a Fire”
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• The Theme of Perseverance in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• “To Build a Fire” as a Representation of Authors Attitude to Klondike Gold Rush
• Analysis of Traveller in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Human Flaws and the Importance of the Open Mind in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Significance of Words “Dying” and “Death” in “To Build a Fire”
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• The Three Principle Themes in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Nature in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
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• The Harsh Reality of Life in “To Build a Fire,” “Genesis of the Tenements,” and “Men in the Storm”
• Choices and Responsibility in London’s “To Build a Fire” and Crane’s “The Open Boat”
• Comparison and Contrast of “To Build a Fire” and “The Open Boat”
• The Notion of Realizm in “The White Heron” and “To Build a Fire”
• The Definition of Nature in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• Realism in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and Stephen Crane’s “A Mystery of Heroism”
• The Fight of Survival in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• “To Build a Fire”: An Environmentalist Interpretation
• The Disregard and Discredit of Women’s Intelligence as a Result of Perception in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• Biographical Criticism in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• Man’s Struggles in the Domination of Nature in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• Fighting Nature: Animalistic Instinct in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Comparison of Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” and London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Life Theme in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Character Analysis of the Main Character in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• Evident Social Darwinism and Determinism in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• A Symbolic Interpretation of “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• The Importance of the Dog to Understand the Theme in “To Build a Fire”
• The Theme of Existentialism in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London and in the Film “Up in the Air”
• Chain Smoking: Causal Links in “To Build a Fire”
• Stability of Characters in “To Build a Fire” and “The Tell Tale Heart”
• An Analysis of the Winter Wonderland in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
• Foreshadowing in “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
• How Does “To Build a Fire” Reflect Key Naturalist Beliefs?
• What Was the Temperature in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is a Chechaquo in “To Build a Fire”?
• What External and Internal Forces Must the Man Struggle Against in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Happened to the Matches in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Does the Man’s Failure in “To Build a Fire” Symbolize?
• What Is the Irony in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Was the Man’s Biggest Mistake in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Do the Man and Dog Represent in “To Build a Fire”?
• Why Does the Man Die in “To Build a Fire”?
• Why Did Not London Give the Man a Name in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Happened to the Man at the End of the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• What Motivates the Dog in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the Goal of the Author in Writing the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• What Does the Snow Symbolize in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the Foreshadowing in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the External Conflict in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the Relationship Between Man and Nature in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• What Does the Boys Symbolize in “To Build a Fire”?
• How Many Attempts Did the Man Make in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the Climax in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Was Unusual About the Man’s Journey in “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the Man’s Fatal Flaw in “To Build a Fire”?
• Where Was the Man Going in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• What Does the Man Finally Learn From His Experience in “To Build a Fire”?
• How Is the Conflict Resolved in “To Build a Fire”?
• Who or What Is the Antagonist in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• What Is the Plot of the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• Why Is the Man Out in the Cold “To Build a Fire”?
• Who Is the Main Character in the Story “To Build a Fire”?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-build-a-fire-essay-examples/

"88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 2 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-build-a-fire-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 2 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-build-a-fire-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-build-a-fire-essay-examples/.

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IvyPanda . "88 To Build a Fire Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-build-a-fire-essay-examples/.

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domestic Lives

Rebuilding After a Fire. Are Things Really Just Things?

A writer reflects on what it means to lose nearly everything in a disaster, as she moves into a new home.

By Brooklyn White-Grier

Since surviving a house fire in January 2023, Brooklyn White-Grier has interviewed Beyoncé and given birth to a baby girl.

It was a day like any other — the day my home was engulfed by fire. No one on earth or above asked me if I was ready for the shoulder shake. The morning started with a buzzy, two-minute car ride to my daughter’s school. It ended with us — me, my husband, our then 4-year old and 1-year-old — sharing a queen-size bed at my in-law’s house. I spent the night gasping for air while on my husband’s phone with my friends and family. My phone had been lost to the blaze.

We know the fire began in our sunroom and quickly spread while my son, grandmother, husband and I were inside. My virtual yoga instructor watched it all via FaceTime, frozen in horror as she watched the fire’s light and thick black smoke fill my living room. She saw us leave out of a door, but wasn’t sure where we’d gone. A fire department investigation deemed the cause inconclusive. So we’ll never know what exactly caused the biggest change of our lives.

In the United States, a home fire was reported every 88 seconds in 2022, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The financial outcome of the fire is contingent on if you were a homeowner or a renter (we were the latter). Your insurance payment also depends on the amount of coverage you had, the cost of the personal items lost, and the deductible. Unfortunately, the process isn’t always so straightforward or timely, insurance companies are slow to pay or a mortgage lender buries homeowners in red tape. Since we were uninsured renters, a former co-worker started a GoFundMe for us, a common go-to for people and families who have recently experienced disasters.

The only items I retained from the fire were a crew-neck shirt, sweatpants and the underwear I was wearing. I never liked the shirt much. It’s teal and I’d bought it during my second pregnancy. I’m not a maternity wear person (too matronly! See: ugly), but I would buy clothes a bit bigger than my size. Now it feels like a spoil of war, or a wedding dress from a first marriage gone sour.

They’re just things . Of course they are. Then I really began missing all of those just things . They were more than that. A year later, we will live an hour away from the empty lot that once cradled our house. It took a few months for the new house to become ours. I squirmed until my mind adjusted to my new bedrooms, backyard and bathrooms. But through the slow acquisition of new things, this house feels like a warm embrace.

Baking Tools

There was overlap between closing on our new home, moving in and my son’s birthday. Between scheduled deliveries of bed frames, mattresses, the living room set and major appliances, I was trying to plan a scaled-back birthday party.

For at least a week, I told myself that I was going to bake the cake. I’ve been baking sweets from scratch for a few years and looked forward to my time in my new kitchen.

But when the big day finally came, I squatted and peered into a few cabinets where you’d expect baking utensils to be. I had tricked myself into thinking we had round baking pans. I ordered a cake from the place that’s now my favorite bakery and called it a day.

In the year since we moved in, I’ve filled those cabinets with cupcake pans, mixing bowls, measuring spoons, a Bundt pan and regular round pans, the works — what I need to celebrate a family milestone.

Christmas Décor

My immediate family has been collecting Black Christmas memorabilia since before I was born. I was ecstatic to continue the tradition with my own growing family, spending a few years making a former bachelor pad feel comforting for the holidays. I was devastated by the loss of the tree and trinkets, especially since some of them were gifts from family and friends.

In the months ahead of the fire, I had also suggested that we get a storage unit for holiday décor, but we never got around to it. I often think back to those conversations and regret not following through. I’m not sure what would hurt more: having nothing or only having Christmas items.

In our new space, we started collecting Christmas decorations and presents for the children last July. For the sake of money, we settled on a real tree that was about $100. The bulk of the ornaments came from my best friend and her mother with additional contributions from my grandmother and aunt.

Christmas Day wasn’t what I imagined. My son had a high fever, my daughter was high energy and I was six months pregnant. Brunch was slightly overcooked. My son’s eczema flare-up and ear infection kept him and I home from the big traditional dinner with family. My grandmother calls any sudden, child-related shift in plans one of “the joys of children.” The warmth of our home kept our spirits level.

Louisiana Hot Sauce

I was born and raised in Shreveport, La. It’s about 3.5 hours north of New Iberia, the city where Louisiana Hot Sauce is made. The sauce is vinegary and not-too spicy, the perfect complement to a bowl of red beans, rice and golden yellow cornbread. It reminds me of eating at my aunt’s house after short bus rides home. I could smell the food as I was cracking her rickety screen door. My ponytails swiveled in the spicy steam of fried chicken and lima beans.

My husband is a Texas native, so he prefers Cholula. We’re both fans of Tabasco, too (made in Louisiana). But I just don’t feel right unless I have Louisiana in the cupboard.

We have a 12-ounce bottle that’s empty. I opened its replacement this week, but I haven’t allowed myself to toss the old one. I’m trying not to hoard or give sentiment to the mundane. I don’t think I’m doing it right.

Rocking Chair

The listing for our home said it was “perfect for a growing family,” so I think this pregnancy came with the house. Since the extra bedroom in our previous home became our son’s bedroom, we were excited to have an office space and a guest bedroom. I used to have to take calls standing up in my bedroom or in the living room. Though I wrote some of my best stories in my old bed, it was nice to have a designated work area. My husband’s aunt sold us a bed for $100. We got a little shelf and an inexpensive TV to help the room feel more comfortable. My mother came and stayed with us for a month as we settled in. There was an after-fire groove for us, and we were nestling into it. Then I got pregnant with my third child, a girl.

On Black Friday, a children’s furniture site had a sale on nursery fixtures. We got a crib, mattress, mattress pad, sheets, dresser, and gliding rocking chair for just under $800. I’d wanted a rocking chair for months and they were on the more costly side, so it was a win-win. When I need to collect myself in a room that is transforming as I am, I go to the chair. It’s a symbol of the rhythm of life and the new experiences that await.

The Playroom Sofa

My family has movie nights on Friday or Saturday nights. We grab several throws, let out the indigo sofa/bed in the children’s area and munch on popcorn and pizza. Sometimes I think my daughter enjoys it most — she constantly asks if we’re going to watch a movie and eat popcorn, even though I’ve clarified we don’t do that on school nights. I don’t know if it’s possible that it could bring her more joy than it gives me.

The sofa came from IKEA. It’s stained from hair gel because my son smeared it into the interior one busy morning. It also has toys, felt, and hair pins in every crevice. We fluff and braid hair and soothe tears. It’s part jungle-gym and part bed. The day after a movie night, it’s covered in popcorn kernels and tiny buttery bits that my 3-year-old tries to eat.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

China From My Grandmother

My grandmother was living with us at the time of the fire. She had some of her things in storage near her previous home in Shreveport, including her mother’s china, as well as some of her own. She’s a meticulous collector of things and memories. She prides herself on keeping the same clothing for decades. More than once, she talked about giving some china to me, as well as the cabinet the pieces perch in. I didn’t take the trip to get it. I’m glad that didn’t pan out, because it wasn’t lost in the fire.

I’ve since inherited a few pieces of the gold-trimmed dinnerware. The plates rest on our dinner table, waiting to tell me about all they’ve seen. I don’t see myself eating off them, but I desperately want to know the stories they hold. What memories do they have of me? I lived with my grandparents on and off throughout high school and in some of my adult years. I know they saw me typing my first play, a school assignment, until the sun inched into the sky on the play’s due date. Maybe they were paying attention when I proudly carried my first baby girl to the living room. They’re certainly watching me now as I dig my heels into life and bring the love of family, living and dead, with me.

The State of Real Estate

Whether you’re renting, buying or selling, here’s a look at real estate trends..

Courts allow co-op boards significant power over building finances, including assessments — if the fees are in “good faith.” Do you have to pay  what they say?

Agents in South Carolina, the fastest growing state in the country  last year, say that many newcomers are Republicans eager to leave the Northeast and West Coast.

When St. Francis College moved to its modern Brooklyn Heights campus in 1963, giving up an older South Brooklyn location, its yearbook heralded the new site with pomp and self-satisfaction. Here’s how eight feet jolted a $180 million  real estate deal.

David Saint, a theater director and a producer  of the 2021 film version of “West Side Story,” is selling his duplex with a wraparound terrace in the East Village.

A new version of the Pritzker Prize-winning architect’s Paper Log House  is on display at the Glass House in New Canaan, Conn.

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Naturalism in to Build a Fire

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Published: Mar 20, 2024

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