#4-2. Reflective Essay: To Build a Fire

Ye Ji Park / 111053 / 11b3

Mr. Richard Menard

American Literature

April 4 2012

Reflective Essay: To Build a Fire

Reading To Build a Fire (Jack London, 1902), the first thought that came to my mind was that this story got some sharing points with the core of existentialism. Existentialism is a paradigm originated and flourished during the early 20^th century, along with the World War I (1914-1918) and II (1941-1945). Two times of Great War resulted in taking away hundred thousand innocent lives who devoted their life for the nation. As looking back these individuals’ deaths, people stopped to follow the belief of Renaissance and Romanticism that humans have the ability to become anything they want. Instead, they started to look after the new fact that individuals, who previously seemed to have limitless potential, could confront their death within one second of being shot. This abrupt and ungrounded death made people believe that their life is futile and meaningless.

Consider Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka, 1916), for example; Gregor, the protagonist, devoted his whole life as a salesperson which tasks he did not enjoy at all, for the sake of his family. He, however, turned into a big bug one day, and thus could not earn money any more. The family, who had been staying at home, relying on Gregor’s wage, started to work; and ironically, it is proved that the family’s financial conditions get better than before. The family, satisfied at their new life, paid no attention to Gregor and let him die forlornly in a corner of his room. Unless how hard Gregor worked and sacrificed his life, his acts had been meaningless. Even when he believed that he was doing something great and noble, by supporting his family, it is known, at the last, that all of his “greatness” was good-for-nothing.

The protagonist of To Build a Fire is similar to Gregor in this aspect. He proud himself, and believed some kind of “greatness”—ability to travel the cold alone—was inherited in him. This was why he “grew very calm”, even after his first fire blotted out; he believed that he could save himself, in confidence of his own ability. But at the last, all of his efforts to survive from the cold and succeed in reaching the camp were appeared to be futile. It is directly mentioned from the story: “His idea … was that he had been making a fool of himself running around like a chicken with its head cut off … Well, he was bound to freeze anyway …” Such determined conclusion – that his death is inevitable, despite of how he proud his ability or how hard he tried – tells that all of his efforts were meaningless, which is quite similar to the core belief of existentialism.  

It is bitter that existentialism and this story regard one person’s life and efforts for survival as exercise in futility. I believe that there is, still, a way to prevent from being vain; once subjects of existentialism, including protagonist of To Build a Fire, admit their fault, they can escape from futile last. For example, people who participated in World War, toward its end, realized that their fighting had been thoughtless and wasteful. Regretting violence and hostility they had been holding toward each other, they finished the war and established UN, the global organization, to prevent the outbreak of World War III. If Gregor of Metamorphosis figured out his fault before his metamorphosis – that he had been excessively benevolent to his family – he may demand his family to work, instead of letting them rely totally on him. Then his family might experience the hardship of work, thereby learn what a huge sacrifice Gregor had been making. This realization, of course, would make them never abandon Gregor easily even when he turned into a grotesque bug. In the same way, if the man of To Build a Fire was less arrogant, then he would have listened to the advice of old-timer on Sulphur Creek that he must accompany a trail-mate, who could have built the fire and save the man’s life. It’s sorry how one’s flaw could be “fatal” enough to turn that person’s whole efforts in vain, if not realized in beforehand.