"Humbled into Death"

The unfortunate nature of man sometimes, is to believe we have all the information necessary to make rational decisions. In life we learn we do not always have all the answers. We are given the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and move forward. The narrator gives an outside view of this man’s unfortunate arrogance. He did not get the chance to learn from his mistakes. We view him being humbled into death. Had he used the valuable information given by other characters in this story he may have survived his ordeal on the Yukon Trail.

Jack London had experience on the brutal trail told in this story. He had spent a winter there in 1897(Stasz). In hopes of striking it rich in the gold rush on the Klondike. He set about on his yearlong journey. Unlike the character portrayed in this story he was prepared for his journey and was in the company of friends (McSherry). Our character was doomed from the very beginning. Unlike London and others who had made this journey before our character was unprepared. He heads out to reach his destination at Henderson Creek, yet all he carried with him was his lunch, some matches, and with him another character the dog. Where was he coming from and why go alone?

His first mistake and ultimately the cause of his death was being out in the extreme cold to begin with. Our characters arrogance is explained very early on in, “The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life…and not in the significances” (Sipiora 149). He could understand that it was well below –50 degrees but could not comprehend what that implicated for him. His ignorance is displayed in the fact that no matter how much of a man he was he could not survive the current conditions. In this kind of weather no man needs to be out in the open without fire. The conditions are what they are. No matter how big of a man it is impossible to combat the weather. It is an inevitable force man cannot win against. Throughout the story he is placed in several circumstances where it is proven to him that he does not have what it takes to survive this trek.

The old-timer in the story attempted to warn the man. He apparently had experience in the conditions. He warned him not only of the extreme cold, but how a man should never be alone in the conditions. He also gives the man advice on what to do if his feet get wet. At the time the man was talking to the old-timer he laughed off his suggestions stating, “Those old-timers were rather womanish, some of them, he thought. All a man had to do was keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone” (Sipiora 154). Our character soon realizes the old-timer was right, yet it was not enough to save this man. He relied on his own judgment, which was not much since this was his first winter. He was unable to keep his head when the going got tough he panicked. His failed attempt to build a fire brought him to the point of this panic and ultimately his death.

Both the old man and the dog sensed this man was unable to survive the land. The man viewed the dog as insignificant, but he had the instincts and aptitude to survive the harsh conditions. The dog’s instincts lead him to rely on his man for fire because he could not provide this for himself. Yet the dog knew it was no time to be out in the open. The dog’s instinct told it not only the needed fire and shelter but also that he was in grave danger. The man only realized the danger he was in and death was imminent when he could not build the second fire. Keeping his head would not get him through this predicament.

In the end the man accepts his humility and realizes he has no business being out on the Yukon alone so ill prepared. “You were right, old hoss; you were right”(Sipiora 158). He did not have all the information and knowledge to complete his task. Like London our character would not strike it rich (McSherry). He would not have a story of survival to tell. Is this a true story that Jack heard during his time on the Yukon? “Most people believe that his writings are all fiction”(McSherry). Or is this his attempt to ask ourselves do we sometimes go off half-cocked, determined to accomplish a goal without all of the information need to achieve it?

McSherry III, Jack L. Jack London’s Klondike Adventure. 18 Feb. 2007
http://www.arcticwebsite.com/LondonJackKlond.html

Sipiora, Phillip. Reading and Writing About Literature. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.

Stasz, Dr. Clarice. Jack [John Griffith] London. 2001. 18 Feb. 2007
http://www.lindon.sonoma.edu/jackbio.html