The Theme Of Survival In The Johnstown Flood, By Jack London

What steps would you take to improve your chances of survival when facing a life-threatening issue? In “To Build A Fire”, Jack London describes how nature does nothing to help its inhabitants survive. In “The Johnstown Flood”, David McCullough describes how determination helped Gertrude survive a disastrous flood. In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah describes how survival relies on learning from other people’s mistakes. Many authors express the theme of survival in their works by taking on different perspectives about the value of survival. In “To Build A Fire” by Jack London, the author takes on a naturalistic perspective to express the theme of how harsh nature can be. One of the scenarios that the author uses to express this was when the freezing weather made it nearly impossible for the man to pick up a twig. London shows just how challenging the environment is when he states, ”Lifeless they were, for he could scarcely make them move together to grip a twig, and they seemed remote from his body and him” (85). London includes this quote to show how nature was making it a challenge for the man to build a fire in order to survive. Another scenario that he uses was when the snow from the tree fell onto the fire that the man had built. London shows just how challenging it is to survive in the environment when he states, “It grew like an avalanche, and it descended without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out!” (85). London includes this quote to show