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Vivian Nicholls
Miss Danielson
EAE 3UB
13 December 2021
Pride Is the Deadliest of Sins
There are times when doing things autonomously is the best option. Walking off the
main trail in a new region is not one of them. The story of a man on his solitary trek to
a camp in the wintery northern Yukon is told in Jack London's novel "To Build a
Fire". which was published in the early twentieth century. This man encounters other
characters who have experience on this subject, however he does not take their
guidance and believes that he will not require additional support. Once on his journey,
he realizes that he misjudged the situation then his regrets become apparent and he
fixates on those missed opportunities. This piece is an allegory in which "the man"
personifies arrogance along with narcissism since he chose to be self-reliant and
refused to show that he cannot handle the challenges(London).
"The man" underestimated the knowledge that was given to him by people
who made the similar trek and tried to prove his dominance by getting to the camp
without certain benefits such as a partner or a sled(London). The old man from Sulfur
Creek is a recurring character who is often looked back upon as someone who tried to
give advice, namely not traveling in -50-degree temperature or without a companion.
He symbolizes knowledge since he is well informed on the territory and was willing
to share his experience. Of all the things he told him the sole piece of advice he kept
was not falling through the ice. "The man" kept this in mind since it posed the biggest
threat to his well being(London). He stated "50 degrees below zero was to him
nothing more than 50 degrees below zero." thereby saying he can handle the weather
and the worst it could do is make him feel uncomfortable(London 65). When "the
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man" was able to survive part way through on his journey, he said they were
overdramatic as well as "womanish"(London 72). It feeds his desire to be superior
since he was able to surpass the so-called necessity to accomplish such a feat.
Ironically, he faces a situation in which being with a partner could have helped him
and he learns to regret not heeding the warnings. He is not open to learning from
other’s past experiences which is caused by an overbearing sense of pride in addition
to an unwillingness to depend on others. He desperately wants to be seen as
independent and strong so he does not appear to show any sign of curiosity.
Subsequently it will negate the possibility of its interpretation showing "the man[‘s]"
negative qualities such as vulnerability or mediocrity(London).
Considering that he is a newcomer to the notion of winter, he lacks
comprehension on the proper technology skill that would be helpful during his
journey. Instead of inquiring about how he could use it he decides to completely
ignore it and views it as a weakness. He stated that without a nose guard it would only
be "a little bit painful" so he could manage without one. His journey was
unnecessarily difficult and aspects such as the ice on his face could have been avoided
by putting the proper gear in use(London 68). "The man" was advised by others who
had known the risks of the impending journey had in store for him, however his
feeling of superiority and close-mindedness did not allow him to think that he would
be affected(London). He wanted to assert his dominance by navigating his way to the
trail without using tools that would support him or being accompanied. He saw it as
support which could discredit his accomplishment and put him on the same level as
others who are supposedly beneath him.
A key feature of arrogance is being self-serving which he demonstrates by
viewing those around him as expendable. With the dog he often cursed at it and
refused to treat it like another living being by not offering any food. "The man" went
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as far as pushing the dog on a patch of ice to see if it were safe to cross which resulted
in it falling through(London). He treated the dog as a tool and showed little to no
remorse for endangering the animal's life. It was done for reasons which would be
advantageous for him such as testing the thickness of the ice. Not too long after,
needing a heat he decided to kill the dog then warm up his hands in the carcass. He
was not able to go through with it due to his physical limitations and not his personal
morals. His ability to endanger the animal for his own benefit displays his
egocentrism. The dog was a victim of cruelty since it was kept around when he
needed to test something out but would not be able to communicate the events that
occurred so "the man['s]" character could not be questioned(London).
"The man['s]" hyper independence which does not allow him to consider the
advice of those wiser than him leads to feeling regretful and admitting his
faults(London). For instance, if he traveled with someone else then they could have
helped each other build fires and cross the frozen creeks. At many moments his
regrets are made clear and he even admits that the old man on sulfur creeks was right.
In moments of desperation, he realized his faults and could come to terms with how
he underestimated the situation. He came to accept that he was not the best and not
feel guilty for relying on others.
This story characterizes conceit by showing the protagonist fall from
completely trusting himself and his abilities to reflecting on his mistakes which may
have been avertable. He refused to utilize the proper tools or consider that those
around him could have helpful information. Furthermore, he used others to get ahead
instead of attempting to work with them to create better strategies. These traits
contributed to his demise then and his probable ending in Yukon. He wanted to make
himself look courageous and be admired for his ability to make such an arduous
journey with less than ideal conditions. However, he needed to admit that it was an
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unattainable goal and search for a new way to go on his journey. In addition, "the
man" would accept that the support he would get from the others' insight was not a
drawback and it would not take away from his achievement(London). In the end his
ability to come to terms with his fate makes him a more relatable character since his
facade of being perfect was shattered. Had he approached the journey with an open
mind it would allow him to have better judgment and understanding of the situation.
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Work cited
London, Jack. To Build a Fire. Century Magazine, 1908. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.