Naturalism in "To Build a Fire"

Naturalism in “To Build a Fire”
In his many novels and short stories, Jack London exposes the American readers to a new world outside of their homes, away from their comfy fireplaces.   A majority of his writings deal with life, death, and journeys through the tundra regions of the world, mainly The Yukon.   London is undoubtedly best known for these things, and also the presence of animals in his classic tales.   In “To Build a Fire,” London shows the reader how cruel and unjust nature can be towards humanity.   Jack London and his writings, more specifically “To Build a Fire,” portray in great detail, through vivid descriptions, the extreme circumstances brought about by the wilderness, making his Naturalistic outlook on life evident.
When looking deeper into the Naturalistic ideas inside “To Build a Fire,” the reader really becomes tied up in the intense setting and mood that the story will prove to have.   One quality of Naturalism is an outdoors that is indifferent to humanity; it just doesn’t care,   The setting and mood is introduced in the first paragraph of the story.   The rigid, unforgiving climate of the Yukon is described as “cold and gray” by London.   The same paragraph of the story describes the setting and mood very vividly at the same time, claiming that “there was no hint of sun” and the clouds were nowhere to be found.   “It was a clear day” but there seemed to be “gloom that made the day dark.”   (London).   This line in the first paragraph tells the reader more about the mood of the writing with a slight bit of foreshadowing going on.   The reader soon finds out that the temperature is -50 degrees.
Evolution and some of its basic principles can be considered Naturalistic in several cases.   In “To Build a Fire,” the temperature is approaching -80 degrees.   Survival of the fittest is very evident in this story, and it works together with the harshness of nature in order to get the main message across.   All humans, especially men, are well adapted for...