Underestimating Nature's Strength: Analyzing To Build a Fire

An individual's pride and arrogance can lead to two outcomes: either a grand success or an upsetting failure. In Jack London's story To Build a Fire, the main character's egotism takes over him as he attempts to survive the wintry weather during his sole travel in the Yukon Trail. He chooses to ignore the evidence of danger, such as the cold weather conditions and the absence of fellow travelers. Unfortunately, this causes him to spiral into a downfall and face a regrettable outcome. The series of events occurred in the narrative is called hubris. According to the Web site, www.answers.com, hubris is defined as "the arrogance or pride of the protagonist in a tragedy in which he or she defies moral laws or the prohibitions of the gods. The protagonist's transgression leads eventually to his or her downfall, which may be understood as divine retribution or nemesis." In the short story, London utilizes hubris through the main character to illustrate that an individual's lack of logical judgment to defy nature can eventually lead to an unpromising end. By then, realization of any mistake will be too late.