Aylmer remains alone and solitary, to think about the limitations of his intellect and his understanding in contrast with the profound depths within which Nature hides her secrets.London's human character in "To Build a Fire" is not given a name-he is only referred to as "the man", perhaps suggesting that he could represent all men, or many men. When Georgiana wakes, Aylmer rejoices at the sight of his pretty wife with her new, perfect face.Īlas, as all the 'imperfection' leaves Georgiana's body, her soul leaves the world along with it. The dose he gives her is strong enough to remove the imperfection from her face. Nobly encouraged by his wife, he persists with the operation. Two scientific experiments with which he tries to divert his pretty wife before the major operation backfire. ![]() " The man of earth appears wiser, however, than the man of spirit when he mutters to himself, "If she were my wife, I'd never part with that birthmark." Aylmer receives two more warnings of disaster. seemed to represent man's physical nature while Aylmer's slender figure, and pale, intellectual face, were no less apt a type of the spiritual element. When he assures her that he could remove the birthmark, she encourages him, without of any thought of the danger to herself.Aylmer is assisted in the operation by Aminadab, who with "his vast strength, his shaggy hair, his smoky aspect, and the indescribable earthiness that incrusted him. She has great faith in her husband's knowledge and abilities. Georgiana supports her husband in this experiment because she prefers even death to the possession of a face that could 'shock' or disgust her husband. Yet, led on by his confidence in his skills and the power of Science, or pulled by Fate, Aylmer decides to remove the birthmark. Aylmer has been warned in a dream that an attempt to remove the mark could place the life of his beloved in danger. The 'error' referred to is nothing more than a tiny birthmark on the otherwise perfect face of his beloved wife Georgiana. Such men usually get adequate warning and advice, and if they choose to ignore these, they are doomed.Hawthorne reveals that some scientists of Aylmer's time believed that they could rob the secret of creation from Nature, but he only wonders whether "Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in man's ultimate control over Nature." Anyway, Aylmer is so blinded by his learning that he believes that he can correct an error of Nature. Whether he has imagination or not, the man's thoughts mean nothing in the face of the vast and cold Yukon.The point is that although man cannot hope to overcome nature, some men are foolhardy enough to try. ![]() In "To Build a Fire," Jack London shows us that nature's true value lies in the fact that it does not care about humanity. Does it mean anything that the dog howls at the man's dying, or is it just an instinctual response to the smell of death?.Do you ever get the sense that nature is actively trying to kill the man?.Does the man have any say in his fate, or are all his efforts useless in the face of nature's brute power?. ![]()
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