A lack of Respect “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a short story about a man traveling along the Yukon River in the bitter winter weather. While warned against traveling alone in the frigid cold, he ventures out to meet his companions at a remote camp many miles away, with only his dog. Overcome by nature’s power, he eventually perishes along the way, leaving his four-legged partner to complete the journey alone. …showed first 75 words of 790 total…

…showed last 75 words of 790 total…three feet of ice and just as much snow on top. “The curves and bends and timber jams” give the reader the impression of mounds of snow and ice with a creek “frozen clear to the bottom.” All of these phrases alert the reader to the importance of the frigid weather in the story, as it seems the Traveler pays little attention to the consequences of his lack of respect for the forces of nature.