Ignorance is not Always Bliss

Ignorance is not Always Bliss

Essay One

“‘You were right, old hoss; you were right,’ the man mumbled to the old-timer of Sulphur Creek. Then the man drowsed off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known. The dog sat facing him and waiting” (124). Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire” greatly parallels Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare”. The man in the story, whom is never named, is traveling across the Yukon in weather colder than fifty below zero. Only serving to add to his pride he is not only defying nature being out in dangerous conditions, he is doing it alone. The old-timer of Sulpher Creek had warned the man about times like this; that it is better to wait, than to go at it alone. "Don't brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady wins the race!" (Aesop's ABC). The man becomes the Hare of the story, while the old-timer like the tortoise is wise about his actions and knows the dangers of nature. Through imagery, tone, and flashbacks London shows, the slow and wise win the race, while the ignorant and impatient die along the way.

Through the use of intricate imagery Jack London paints a picture as well as a story within his readers’ mind, showing how actions as well as decisions have repercussions. According to friends in Alaska this is true; “He knew that at fifty below spittle crackled on the snow, but this spittle had crackled in the air. Undoubtedly it was colder that fifty below—how much colder he did not know” (115). The man knew it was cold, cold enough to be seriously dangerous. However, he sees it as almost an interesting fact, not a warning to take heed; shown by this quote, “…but the temperature did not matter. He was bound for the old claim on the left fork of Henderson Creek, where the boys were already…He would be in to camp by six o’ clock…” (115). Nothing short of defying the cold and getting to camp mattered to the man. He was so caught up in the pompous ways of his actions that he would stop at nothing, not even the threat of death hinging in the air. The image of his spit chattering on the ground, frozen even before it hits the ground is said in very few words; however, it is an image engrained into the readers memories. Through this imagery Jack’s point begins to be foreshadowed; being full of oneself has consequences.

Jack London sets the tone of his story by the words he carefully selects to tell his story. The dialect which he uses to describe the man’s suffering and hypothermia tell the reader that things are not going well—and that there is more to come down the road. “…the hair on his face did not protect the high cheek bones and the eager nose that thrust itself aggressively into the frosty air” (116). Not only is there superior imagery used here, but the tone he creates is not happy or excited; it is a cry of misery from the arctic cold. Words like eager, thrust and aggressively all have negative connotations. After his fatal mistake of falling into water he begins to freeze; “…he glanced down at first in order to assure himself that he was really standing up, for the absence of sensation in his feel left him unrelated to the earth” (122). This quote shows the consequences coming into play for his haughty attitude; it also through words such as; absence and unrelated, shows the beginning of the end.

Through flashbacks towards the end of “To Build a Fire,” Jack London shows the denouement of the man traveling across the Yukon. The first quote shows his panic in knowing that this had become a life and death situation. “He remembered the tale of the man, caught in a blizzard, who killed a steer and crawled inside of the carcass and so was saved” (122). The man is beginning to realize that because of his actions, and pressing on he is now in a situation in which drastic measures are being called for. Within a short amount of time however, he realizes nature has won and flashes back yet again to the old-timer. “He drifted on from this to a vision of the old-timer on Sulphur Creek. He could see him quite clearly, warm and comfortable, and smoking a pipe. ‘You were right, old hoss; you were right,’ the man mumbled to the old-timer of Sulphur Creek” (124). This flashback shows the man’s final moments as he admits he was wrong, and is now suffering the consequences which happened to be death.

Just as the lesson was learned in “The Tortoise and the Hare” the same lesson is learned in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire.” One must be wise in the decisions he makes in order to quite literally stay alive. Being open to advice from wise, experienced parties is much greater than being ignorant and closed minded to advice. So much so it could save a man from freezing to death, alone… somewhere along the Yukon. The Bible even speaks on this topic; in Proverbs 4:6-7 it reads, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

Works Cited

Proverbs. NIV. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.

"Story Arts | Aesop's ABC | The Tortoise and The Hare." Story Arts | Story Arts Online! Web. 10 Feb. 2010. .