Thursday, March 8, 2012

What is the crisis and the resolution in Jack London's short story, ''To Build a Fire''?

Concerning London's "To Build a Fire," a crisis is,
according to a college textbook I have:


readability="8">

The point of uncertainty and tension--the turning
point--that results from the conflicts and difficulties brought about through the
complication of the plot.  The crisis leads to the climax--that is, to the decision made
by the protagonist to resolve the
conflict.



If the climax of
the story is when the snow puts out the protagonist's fire (his last hope of survival),
then the crisis is whatever most directly leads up to that
point. 


At least two possiblities
exist:


  1. When he makes the decision to build the
    fire under the tree without first shaking the snow off of the limbs, which leads to the
    fire being put out (this moment is one candidate for the climax, as well, according to
    the above definition), or

  2. When he breaks through the ice
    and gets wet. 

I suggest the crisis is when he
gets wet, but you might disagree.


Concerning the
resolution, that includes everything that occurs after the conflict is decided.  In
other words, it includes everything after the man is doomed--when the fire goes
out.


He attempts to survive, coming up with a few ideas and
trying to put them into effect.  But his situation is hopeless, and at last he resigns
himself to his fate. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

In Act III, scene 2, why may the establishment of Claudius's guilt be considered the crisis of the revenge plot?

The crisis of a drama usually proceeds and leads to the climax.  In Shakespeare's Hamlet , the proof that Claudius is guilty...