Stephen Cranes The Open Boat and Jack Londons To Build A Fire Essay

Stephen Cranes The readable Boat and fathead Londons To Build A FireStephen Cranes short story, The Open Boat speaks directly to Jack Londons own story, To Build A Fire in their applications of lifelikeism and views on humanity. Both writers are pessimistic in their views of humanity and are sapiently aware of the natural world. The representations of their characters show humans who believe that they are inviolable and ass ably brook, but these characters many times overestimate themselves which can lead to an understanding of their own mortality as they face rase death.In To Build A Fire, the main conflict through turn out is man versus nature although it would be inaccurate to say that nature goes out of its way to assault the man. The fact of the matter is, nature would be retributory as cold without the mans presence regardless of him be there .The surroundings as a whole is completely indifferent to the man, as it oftentimes is in naturalist literature. The bitter e nvironment does not aid him in any way, and it will not notice if he perishes. In the equal way, the dog does not care about the man, only about itself. ironically enough though, as the man was dying he was getting maladjusted toward the dog because of its natural warmth, the instincts that it had, and its survival skills and those were the elements that the man lacked for survival. It is ironic that the man had to give out in order to find out that mans fragile body cannot survive in natures harsh elements, regardless of a humans natural over-confidence and psychological strength.The protagonist of the story, who is purposely not given a name, as the idea that the environment will determine his fate rather than his save will. The Man is forced to accept that he is not invinc... ...nd they are solely along for the ride.Stephen Cranes The Open Boat and To Build a Fire by Jack London are both realistic tales that portray the universe as a somewhat indifferent being that could no t care less for the any of the men in all story. The irony is biting, yet completely subverts the ideals and values that humanity generally holds of being superior and invincible in the world. Works CitedGurian, Jay. The Romantic Necessity in Literary Naturalism Jack London. AmericanLiterature 112-20. Print.London, Jack. To Build a Fire, by Jack London. The World of Jack London 2012. Web. 02May 2012. .Pizer, Donald. Jack Londons To Build a Fire How Not to Read Naturalist Fiction.doctrine and Literature 34.1 (2010) 218-27. Project Muse. Web. 1 May 2012..