The 1908 version is about an unnamed male protagonist who ventures out in the subzero boreal forest of the Yukon Territory.
He is followed by a native dog and is en route to visit his friends—ignoring warnings from an older man from Sulphur Creek[1] about the dangers of hiking alone in extreme cold.
The protagonist underestimates the harsh conditions and freezes to death after his fire is doused and he is unable to re-light it.
"To Build a Fire" is an oft-cited example of the naturalist movement that portrays the conflict of man versus nature.
The animal's instincts warn it about the dangers of the extreme cold, but the dog reluctantly follows the man.
As they follow the course of a frozen creek, the man is careful to avoid patches of thin ice hidden by the snow.
Shortly after resuming his hike, he accidentally breaks through the ice and soaks his feet and lower legs, forcing him to stop and build another fire so he can dry himself.
With no way to start another fire, the man thinks of killing the dog and using its body heat to save himself, but his hands are so stiff that he can neither strangle the animal nor draw his knife to cut its throat.
Finally, he tries to restore his circulation by running toward the camp, but stumbles and falls multiple times in the snow.
The man feels the cold gradually freezing him to his core, and he ultimately falls asleep and dies of hypothermia.
The protagonist decides to face the brutally cold temperatures of the Yukon Trail despite being warned by an older man.
The short story depicts the protagonist's battle of life and death while highlighting the importance of the fire.
One theme illustrated in the story is the man's sense of judgment contrasted with the dog's animal instincts.
Although the man makes several mistakes and gets frostbite in his fingers and toes, he continues to fight for survival.
Through this story, London shows how the man's demise is due to his humanity and lack of knowledge when entering this journey.
London's use of relaxing words dissuades the reader from feeling a great deal of sympathy for the man, as the death is merciful and graciously anticipated, rather than sad.
As readers, we can assume we see and picture the character this way since London purposely doesn't give us a name or much information at all about him.
Although it differs in some details, the general structure and storyline are similar; the primary differences are as follows: in the first version it is not as cold, there is no dog, the fire is not doused, and the man (named Tom Vincent) suffers some permanent frostbite damage but survives, sad but wiser.