Naturalism: To Build A Fire

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Naturalism: To Build a Fire

When people think of naturalism most think of nature lovers or people who like nature. When in fact that’s not it at all. Yes, in naturalism the environment does play an important role. But, it is because the characters in the stories are caught with in the forces of nature, or society, which are beyond their understanding or control. In naturalism there is a showing of brutal realism, which may promote social reform. And the facts in the stories only approach detailed observations of human experiences. In Jack London’s To Build a Fire, the environment in which surrounds him is crucial to the story, he is caught within forces of nature in which he has no control, and that is why this story is great at depicting naturalism.
In this story the environment is the most important factor. The whole story is based around it and which is a key characteristic in naturalism. He says, “ It had been several days since he had seen the sun.” Also, “ The furrow of the old sled trail was plainly visible. ” He again quoted that, “ It was seventy five below zero.” These quotes give direct proof that the environment is key and by emphasizing the surroundings the landscape and climate giving an idea of where the story takes place. They also help set up the events that will take place later in the story. Events that depict forces in which we have not control.
Certain events take place in this story, which really signify this as naturalism writing. Events that the man is, or is not aware of, but either the case has no control over. “ At a place where there were no signs, when the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. He wet himself halfway to the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust.” This man is caught within the forces, he had no warning, no clue, and no idea that the trap was there or that he would come across it. He had seen them earlier and ha...