"To Build a Fire" is the story of an unnamed man traveling across the Klondike territory in winter to meet his partners at a mining camp. Ignoring the advice of an old-timer, the man makes the journey alone except for a dog, despite the intense cold. As the result of a series of mishaps, the man freezes to death without reaching camp.
Point of view means the perspective from which the story, or narrative, is told. The point of view in "To Build a Fire" is third-person omniscient. In other words, the narrator stands outside of the story and refers to the characters in the third person ("he," "the man," "the dog," "it") and sometimes comments on their behavior and personalities.
The omniscient narrator is by definition all-knowing— able to present not.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 735 words. This
study guide contains 19,816 words (approx. 66 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our To Build a Fire Access Pass.