Jack London’s to Build a Fire and John Updike’s A&p

Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and John Updike’s “A&P” were very different, but interesting stories. Both authors chose a different approach to their chosen tone. Updike wrote in a more laid back and entertaining way, while London, on the other hand, chose to write in a more formal and serious way. The authors also developed much different characters. London’s main character was much older and rugged than the complicated teenage girls and grocery clerk that Updike chose to focus his story around. The most significant difference, however, is the choice of conflict. Updike’s conflict was a simple one focusing on man versus man, but London’s story had many conflicts that dealt with much more serious issues like, for example, life and death.

From the beginning of both stories one can get an immediate sense of where each story is headed. The author’s very appropriately set the tone to each of their stories early on. The first sentence in London’s “To Build a Fire” said, “Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where a dim and little- traveled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland” (561). From that very first sentence the audience can immediately tell that this is going to be a dramatic story. The strong and descriptive language prepares us for the rest of the story. The beginning of Updike’s “A&P” sets a much different tone for the story to follow. He wrote, “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. I’m in the third checkout slot, with my back to the door, so I don’t see them until they’re over by the bread. The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece” (612). The beginning of this story has a relaxed and enjoyable tone. We, the audience, are now prepared for some easy reading.

Next, focusing on the characters, we see another big difference. London’s story had very few characters. London took his time and very descriptively developed his main character throughout the entire story. The story is periodically filled with bits about how the unnamed man feels and what he’s thinking. London paid very close attention to how his main character physically felt. For example, he wrote, “After a time he was aware of the first faraway sensation in his beaten fingers. The faint tingling grew stronger till it evolved into a stinging ache that was excruciating, but which the man hailed with satisfaction” (566). Sentences like the previous were found all throughout the story describing in great detail how the man felt and what he was thinking, but it was very rare that we found anything describing what the unnamed man looked like. One of the only times we were told anything about what the man looked like was when London wrote, “The man’s red beard and mustache were likewise frosted” (562). This left us with very little detail and forced us to form an imaginative image in our heads about the man.

Updike’s story, on the other hand, had many characters and gave us very descriptive images about what they looked like. He told us in detail about all of the important physical aspects of the three girl’s appearances. He said things like, “She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs” (612). With these sort of descriptive sentences found throughout the story, we have to use very little imagination to decide what the three girls look like. Updike has drawn a clear image with his words. However, he fails to mention what the main character, Sammy, looks like. Perhaps this is because Sammy is the narrator of the story and most people are not always actively thinking about what they look like. The only thing we know about Sammy is that he is a young male. We are left to draw up our own mental image about what he looks like. We are, however, given a little more knowledge on what Sammy’s character is thinking and feeling because he