To Build a Fire

How do the man and the dog differ in the ways they approach the intense cold? What point do you think London is making?

In the story a man who thinks is contrasted with a dog who reacts by instinct. How do the man and the dog differ in the ways they approach the intense cold? What point do you think London is making?

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Last updated by Aslan
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The dog is guided by instinct and the man is guided by a sense of arrogance. The man treats the dog as he treats nature: he lacks respect for both. The dog and the elements are in sync with nature’s rhythms; the man is not. London's familiar theme of respect for this setting is hammered home when the man freezes to death alone in the snow.The dog will survive, he knows the cold and what his limits are born through ages of instinct and conditioning.

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