This story takes place in the 1900's. How might this story be different today?

That's a good question. I suppose our current technology allows for a small amount of respite from nature's wrath. Gadgets like GPS and tracking systems might have helped this man but time was running out for him even if he could call for help. Being stuck in the cold in the middle of the Yukon would kill any man if help were not quick. I wonder if it still gets that cold in the Yukon anymore but London's themes around naturalism still hold water today. Man, as an organic species, is still fragile and at the mercy of nature. Technology provides us with a measure of reassurance but we are no more evolved biologically than we were in the 1900's. In the face of extreme weather variations, we are warm blooded, as well as natural disasters (earthquake, tsunami) we are as helpless as the man in the story.