The Characters

The central character of the story is a man accompanied by a dog. The author does not indicate the name of either of them. London describes the character’s appearance with practical purpose, that is to show how it effects him while staying in such severe weather conditions. “He was a warm-whiskered man, but the hair on his face did not protect the high cheek-bones and the eager nose that thrust itself aggressively into the frosty air.”

The man is clearly not an experienced Yukon adventurer. “He was a new-comer in the land, a chechaquo, and this was his first winter.”  He ignores all the facts that indicate danger and he underestimates the cold. The protagonist of London’s story is a vain creature, supremely and ironically confident of his ability to survive. The man thinks he is a self-sufficient, strong, independent and really though person. “Any man who was a man could travel alone”. But for London’s cold tone the readers would sympathize the character more. The writer’s disapproval of the man’s way of thinking can be confirmed by the following quotation: “The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances.” The man seems to be unwilling or, perhaps, even incapable of looking for the deeper meaning in things. “Empty as the man's mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant.” He accepts only facts and assigns them increasing significance.

Unlike the dog, what the man truly lacks is instinct. The dog is the only one who knows

how to survive. It has inherited this knowledge from all its ancestry. The animal here is not depicted as friendly or willing to help its master. “It was not concerned in the welfare of the man; it was for its own sake that it yearned back toward the fire.” However, one can’t say that the animal was not devoted to the man.  It went all the time with him, at his heels. And all the man had to do was to pay a little bit more attention to the behavior of the dog and make some conclusions.

Yet, the man has one trait that in my opinion is worth admiring. It’s his self-control. Experiencing a fear he had never known in his life he “struggled for calmness”. Trying to push away panic he is still able to think rationally and eventually to admit his mistake. “He thought in the moment of controlled despair that ensued: after fifty below, a man should travel with a partner.” The author emphasizes that the character manages to control his despair. Finally, the man decides to take his destiny decently.