To Build a Fire: Theme

Most of Jack London's stories are set in the outdoors. By using the outdoors as a backdrop, London offers a unique perspective to the story's themes and different character types. In "To Build a Fire," I believe that London uses the theme and character of a rugged, independent outdoorsman to show that, even though we may want to travel alone in the outdoors, we should always travel with friends or stay within our limits. He …

…the man had been traveling with a friend, then he most likely would have survived. In Boy Scouting, this idea of traveling with a "buddy" is taught in the first rank that a scout attains. The young scouts must know why to travel with a buddy and what to do if that buddy becomes injured. I believe that London is showing us that, no matter how invincible we think we are, the inevitable can happen.