1、To Build a FireJack London Born as John Griffith Chaney in January,1876.His travelling provided him with materials for writing.His family background and his early experiences with poverty made him a socialist.Died in November,1916.An innovator in the genre of science fiction.Most famous works includ
2、e The Call of the Wild,White Fang and short stories,such as“To Build a Fire.”A famous writer of realism and naturalism.The hero in the story is never named.He goes to visit a camp and his friends in the forest of Yukon Territory,taking a dog with him.The temperature outside is seventy-five below zer
3、o and this man ignores the warning of an“old-timer”about the dangers of hiking alone.He is confident that he will arrive at that camp at six oclock.He carefully avoids dangers on the path,using the dog as a help.He arrives at a stop and has lunch.Later he falls into the ice and gets wet.With some di
4、fficulty he builds a fire under a tree.Unfortunately,the flame is put out by the falling snow from the trees boughs.This man tries to build a fire again,using all the ways he could manage in extreme cold.All fail.At last he accepts his failure and is frozen to death.His dog runs in the direction of
5、the camp.Setting:Time:Arctic Winter Place:Yukon,which is the wasteland in North America.The natural environment:Only the man and his dog on this lonely,gloomy and deadly cold wasteland.1)“Day had broken cold and grey,exceedingly cold and grey”2)“There was no sun nor hint of sun,though there was not
6、a cloud in the sky”3)“Since the freezing point is thirty-two above zero,it meant that one hundred and seven degrees of frost obtained.”Symbolism of this wasteland(North America)Powerful nature vs.Man The powerful nature does not hold any sympathy.There is an obvious contrast between the mysterious,i
7、ndifferent nature and the fragile,emotional human beings.1.Relationship between nature and mankind Despite warnings of an old man,the protagonist hikes alone in the arctic winter with his dog.He even laughs at the warning and proud of his own ability to overcome natural difficulties.The story ends w
8、ith the death of him.It reveals that humans should learn to understand and respect nature.discoloration 2.Mans perseverance Although the hero fails to build the fire and dies on a deadly cold day of seventy-five below zero at the end of this story,his courage and persistence can be admirable.discolo
9、ration Person vs.Nature The hero vs.arctic winter and northern wasteland 1)“The cold of space smote the unprotected tip of the planet,and he,being on that unprotected tip,received the full force of the blow.2)“He was losing in his battle with the frost.It was creeping into his body from all sides.”P
10、erson vs.Animals The man forces his dog to go on in front to check safety of the path,and he even wants to kill it to warm his hands.1)“He compelled the dog to go on in front.The dog did not want to go.”2)“there was no keen intimacy between the dog and the man.The one was the toil-slave of the other
11、.”3)“He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until the numbness went out of them.”4)“He encircled its body with his armswhile it snarled and whined and struggled.”Person vs.Person The hero vs.the old-timer The man ignores warnings of the old-timer.He laughs at the“cowardice of old-
12、timer.”“He had the accident;he was alone;and he had saved himself.Those old-timers were rather womanish,some of them,he thought.Keys to the QuestionsWhat does such a place(Yukon tail)suggest about the possibility in terms of setting and characterization?1.The beginning of the story talks Yukon tail
13、is a long river which flows through the American northern area.It is the wasteland for most Americans.Such setting represents the power of nature.It also helps to present human desire about conquering the nature and forms a stage where man exercises his curiosity,tests his ability and potential as t
14、he hero does.By the time the man starts his first fire,the story has managed to tell something about the man,his mission and his personality.What do we learn?His mission:to travel across the“Yukon Territory.”His personality:a confident,self-satisfied newcomer,never knows how to respect others advice
15、 and the law of nature.If there is a climax in the story,which part do you think is the climax?What tension is revealed at the climax?Climax:the snow extinguishing the fire.So far the man has been successful,though he does encounter problems.But with the snow falling on his fire,his situation is sud
16、denly worsened.He is very cold and can hardly hold his strength.The attempts he makes to rebuild a fire becomes too difficult to accomplish.The climax thus builds the tension between life and death.What do you think is the intention of the author when he simply refers to the hero as“the man”?And wha
17、t is the function of the dog and the“old-timer”?Intention:It refers to all the ordinary men who boost their own abilities and do not respect nature.The dog:an animal with instincts that help him to survive.The lack of such instincts leads to the mans death.The old timer represents man who has gained good knowledge through experience.What is the dominant conflict in this story?What other conflict could you identify besides the main conflict?Locate the details that support your ideas.The dominant conflict:person vs.nature Other conflicts:person vs.animals person vs.personThe End
