Final answer:
Jack London's stories, such as 'To Build a Fire,' contrast the innate survival instincts of animals, like the wolf-dog, with humans' often misguided confidence, highlighting the themes of struggle for survival and nature versus nurture within his works.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jack London's narratives often explore the struggle for survival within harsh environments, contrasting the natural instincts and adaptability of animals with the often naive confidence of human beings. In the case of To Build a Fire, the unnamed man and his wolf-dog companion provide a stark contrast. The wolf-dog, with its inherent instincts and understanding of the Yukon setting, showcases an innate ability to navigate and respect the brutal cold.
The man, on the other hand, displays a disconnection from the environment, underestimating the forces of nature and overestimating his own capabilities. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of nature versus nurture, showing how the man's lack of respect for the natural world and overreliance on human invention can lead to peril, while the dog remains in tune with its surroundings, surviving where the man cannot. Through these contrasts, we see the deep connections and disconnections between characters, their environment, and each other, and how heredity and instinctive respect for nature often triumph over cultural arrogance and individualism.