Question

Describe an important piece of the backstory from your novel or short story. Provide a quotation from the text to support your answer. The short story I read was To build a fire by Jack London.

a. The biting cold stung every exposed inch of skin.
b. The protagonist's journey was marked by a relentless battle against nature.
c. In the desolate wilderness, survival was a constant struggle.
d. The chilling wind whispered tales of danger in the protagonist's ears.

Answer 1

The important backstory in Jack London's 'To Build a Fire' highlights the protagonist's underestimation of the cold Yukon environment, which is essential to the story's conflict of man versus nature.

Step-by-step explanation:

An important piece of backstory from Jack London's short story To Build a Fire involves the protagonist's underestimation of the Yukon's brutal cold, which is a key element in the story's exploration of the theme of man versus nature. The protagonist's nonchalance towards warnings about the severe temperature underscores his struggle against the elements. A relevant quotation from the text that supports this comes from a moment when the man realizes the gravity of his situation: "That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country. And he had laughed at him at the time! That showed one must not be too sure of things. There was no mistake about it, it was cold." This excerpt reflects the theme of human arrogance and the unforgiving force of nature, as previously the man had scoffed at such warnings, illustrating his ignorance and the dangers of underestimating the natural world.