To Build A Fire: The True Story of a Man

A man travels in the Yukon, north of present day Alaska on a very cold morning with a wolf like dog. A newcomer to the Yukon, the man is not fazed by the cold and plans to meet his friends at an old-claim by six O’clock. It grows colder and the man realizes that his unprotected cheekbones will freeze, however, he does not give much attention to it. He walks along a creek, and is mindful of concealed and dangerous springs.

Getting wet feet on such a cold day is extremely dangerous, and thus he stops and builds a fire.

The man continues with his journey, and in a seemingly safe spot, he falls of the snow wetting himself to the knees. He curses his luck, as when he stops to start a fire to dry his foot gear, it will slow him down for at least an hour. His fingers and feet are numb but he manages to start a fire.

Get quality help now

Prof. Finch

Verified writer

Proficient in: Free Essays

4.7 (346)

“ This writer never make an mistake for me always deliver long before due date. Am telling you man this writer is absolutely the best. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

He remembers words from an old timer who had warned that no man should travel through Klondike alone when the temperature were fifty degrees below zero.

The man unties his moccasins that are icy and before he can cut the frozen laces, the snow falls down from the spruce tree down, dowsing out the fire. It could have been wiser for the man to start the fire in the open, however, it was easier for the man to pull down twigs from the spruce tree down, directly to the below fire.

Each time the man pulled a twig from the spruce tree he agitated it to a point a large clump of ice fell bolting out the fire.

The man is engulfed in fear and sets out to start a new fire as he is aware that he would lose some of his toes to the frostbite. His fingers are numb and almost lifeless and he fails to light a match. He lights all his matches and protects the fire to light a bark, but it goes off. He decides to kill his dog and put his arms in its warm body to restore his circulation. He calls out to the dog, but his strange voice frightens it. The dog comes out at last but he fails to kill it and he lets it go. He realizes that he is staring at death and frostbites should not scare him.

The man panics and runs quickly along the creek out of fear as he tries to restore his circulation. His endurance, however, finally ends as he falls and cannot rise. He fights against the idea that he will die and freeze in the ice, he gets up and runs but falls again. He makes one last panicked attempt but falls. He decides he will die in a more dignified manner, as he imagines his friends finding his body. He falls into a comfortable sleep, but the dog does not understand why he is sitting in snow and not lighting a fire. As the night progresses and the dog detects the man’s death through its scent it runs in the direction of the camp where there were other fire and food providers.