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Analyze the intensifying conflict in this story. With whom or what is the main character in conflict? Who appears to be winning?

"He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger.
Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the
twigs with which he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the twigs
out from their entanglement in the brush and feeding directly to the
flame. He knew there must be no failure. When it is seventy-five below
zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire—that is, if
his feet are wet. If his feet are dry, and he fails, he can run along the
trail for a half a mile and restore his circulation. But the circulation of
wet and freezing feet cannot be restored by running when it is seventy-
five below. No matter how fast he runs, the wet feet will freeze the
harder.
All this the man knew. The old-timer on Sulphur Creek had told
him about it the previous fall, and now he was appreciating the advice.
Already all sensation had gone out of his feet. To build the fire, he had
been forced to remove his mittens, and the fingers had quickly gone
numb. His pace of four miles an hour had kept his heart pumping
blood to the surface of his body and to all the extremities. But the
instant he stopped, the action of the pump eased down. The cold of
space smote the unprotected tip of the planet, and he, being on that
unprotected tip, received the full force of the blow. The blood of his
body recoiled before it. The blood was alive, like the dog, and like the
dog it wanted to hide away and cover itself up from the fearful cold.
So long as he walked four miles an hour, he pumped that blood,
willy-nilly,[11] to the surface; but now it ebbed away and sank down
into the recesses of his body. The extremities were the first to feel its
absence. His wet feet froze the faster, and his exposed fingers numbed
the faster, though they had not yet begun to freeze. Nose and cheeks
were already freezing, while the skin of all his body chilled as it lost its
blood."

User Keithics
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2 Answers

5 votes

Final answer:

The protagonist is in a life-threatening conflict with the harsh, freezing wilderness. Despite his efforts, the environment seems to be the dominant force, often putting him at a disadvantage in his struggle to survive.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main character in the story is in conflict with the extreme cold and the challenge of survival in the wilderness. The conflict is intensified by the character's realizations of the severity of his situation, especially after failing to maintain a source of warmth and facing the possibility of freezing to death. The harsh conditions and the character's lack of proper preparation are presented as the primary antagonists, and as the story progresses, it seems that these elements are winning over the character's struggle to survive.

The old-timer's advice stands out as a grim reminder, and though the character tries to fend off the cold, the unforgiving environment proves to be a formidable opponent. The story depicts a man's battle against nature and the importance of heeding experienced advice, highlighting the dominance of the environment in the life-and-death struggle that unfolds.

User Goulash
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2 votes

Answer: the extremities

Explanation: ur welcome

User Damany
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