Final answer:
In Jack London's "To Build a Fire," the man's fire is extinguished by falling snow, showing his struggle against nature and his mistakes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Paragraph 17 of Jack London's "To Build a Fire," the man experiences a devastating setback.
Despite initially succeeding in creating a fire, which was crucial for his survival in the extreme cold, his fire is accidentally extinguished when snow from a tree falls on it. This happens because he made the mistake of building the fire under the spruce tree, where the snow from the branches could fall. As a consequence, he fails to get warm, which puts his life in great danger.
The fire that was meant to save him ended up being blotted out by the snow, leaving him in a dire situation, highlighting his struggle against the unforgiving forces of nature and his own human limitations.