To Build A Fire

After reading “To Build A Fire” I felt quite saddened.  It is a story of a man perishing due to their ignorance and not heeding the advice of the old man. Who is much more experienced and knowledgeable on surviving the harsh weather.  As the story progresses his situation just gets worse and worse by the minute.  Additionally, the story says that our protagonist is a simple man and often doesn’t think deeply or imagine how things affect him. So he often downplays the intense weather. This aspect of his character leads to his downfall. If he was more sensible he would have had a companion with him. Or even better have not gone outside at all when the weather is this severe. The story beautifully connects to this through its use of imagery and how descriptive it can be. Some strong examples are how his lips freeze, how chillingly numb his hands and toes are. Or how his spit shattered like glass when it came into contact with the floor due to the immense cold. As I read these lines I felt cold as well, like I was in his shoes. This is what good imagery does to readers.