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Symbols in To Build a Fire

Symbols Examples in To Build a Fire:

To Build a Fire

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"When the man had finished, he filled his pipe and took his comfortable time over a smoke...."   (To Build a Fire)

Once again, tobacco symbolizes the man’s boldness and lack of care. Despite the time constraints, he takes his “comfortable time over a smoke.”

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"Once clear of the danger, he took a fresh chew of tobacco and swung along at his four-mile gait...."   (To Build a Fire)

We can see how London uses the chewing tobacco as a motif to symbolize the man’s boldness and recklessness. As we have seen, the growing residue of frozen tobacco in his beard indicates the dropping temperatures. In this moment, he takes another chew of tobacco after conquering a momentary obstacle.

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