Question

How does contextual information about the Klondike gold rush help readers understand Jack London’s story and his purpose in the excerpt from “To Build a Fire”?

Answer 1

Hi There

The contextual information is the conflict between man and nature.  Jack London wrote this story in 1908 it was reflected in the story of his own life Yukon Territory.

Answer 2

Answer:

Jack London spent some time as a prospector in the Klondike. He was aware of how dangerous ignorance could be in such harsh conditions. “To Build a Fire” reflects London’s experience with many foolish prospectors who died from the cold and of malnutrition.

The contextual information suggests why the unnamed prospector in the story might have been overconfident: He was new to the area and might have been misled by popular and sensational accounts of the gold rush. These accounts depicted the prospectors as heroes discovering new frontiers and making their own fortunes. They did not describe the suffering of life in the Canadian wilderness.

Contextual information also helps us understand the author’s purpose: to expose the truth about the dangerous conditions faced by prospectors during the Klondike gold rush. London informs his readers of what exactly prospecting involves and the importance of knowing the dangers of the environment and one’s own limits.