London's traveler is, to a certain degree, experiencing less terrible conditions and he is practically responsible for everything that happens to him. In contrast, the men on the boat have no power over what happens to them and they are constantly subjected to unfortunate events, even with the fact that they do everything that they can in order to remedy things. Crane's characters virtually refuse to believe that nature can be as unforgiving as to present them with an island and prevent them from reaching it, especially after they went through a lot of trouble to get to that location. Nature is cruel to these men, as it provides them with hope but refrains from protecting them from its power. Even if they eventually save themselves, they are left with the impression that they are ultimately powerless in the face of nature and that they have little to no power regarding their future.
London's character largely appears to suffer as a consequence of his own mistakes: he builds a fire in a wrong place, he falls into water, and he ruins his second fire by removing a piece of moss. However, his fate is not necessarily decided by his lack of experience, as he actually suffers because of nature's power. An old man who he remembers said that it was wrong for any sane individual to go out when temperatures are below minus fifty. This enables readers to understand that no one, regardless of their training, had any reasonable chances to survive in times like these. "To Build a Fire" puts across a man vs. nature theme, supporting the concept of naturalism through the fact that it deals with the main character's foolish confidence regarding his ability to withstand the forces of nature without falling victim to its power.
One of the principal concepts in both stories is the fact that...
Throughout the two stories readers are lead to believe that characters are going to be saved and that everything changes for the better. They are virtually influenced in considering that nature is not as cruel as it initially appears to be. London's character manages to build a fire and the four men on the boat see a less furious ocean as it appears to become calmer. However, nature never changes it attitude and acts when people least expect it. Their instincts are not enough to help them in conditions where nature dominates them. Death itself is a part of nature and man is powerless in its face. On the one hand, people are generally dependent on nature and their experiences are the result of nature's influence on their lives. Nature, on the other hand, does not depend on humanity, as it is independent and considering that it acts solely depending on its own laws.
The dog in London's story perfectly exemplifies the fact that people are largely insignificant. It knows that its only chance to survive is to return to the camp and does not want to risk its life by staying with its master. The three survivors on the boat similarly employ their survivor instinct through abandoning the oiler, considering that they accept that they have to fight for their own lives and that it is pointless to try to save him.
Bibliography:
Crane, Stephen, "The Open Boat and Other Tales of Adventure (Mobi Classics)," MobileReference, 2010.
London, Jack, "To Build a Fire and Other Stories," Digireads.com Publishing, 2008.
