Jack London's "To Build A Fire"; Inferiority of Intellect

On the surface, Jack London's "To Build A Fire" is the tale of a traveler making his way through the Yukon on a severely cold day. The consequence is expectantly tragic but a deeper revelation can be discerned from this symbolic tale: Although man's use of intelligence makes him superior above other animals, it is his abandon to instinct that at times makes him inferior. The traveler starts out on an ominous and oppressively cold …

…Armed with a car and possibly a map, quite a few of us have confidently set off down roads that become increasingly uncertain. Although reaching our destination in a timely fashion becomes more and more unlikely, we ignore the innate instinct that implores us to turn around, check our map, or ask directions. And off we go... intelligently superior creatures, demonstrative in our abilities, resembling nothing more than a chicken with its head cut off.