To Build a Fire

The man little notices the dog. He has no relationship with him and does not attempt to have one. This is similar to the man's relationship with nature. Like his failure to understand the dog, the man fails to recognise the rhythms and signs that nature gives. He asserts his dominance over both nature and dog. In the end the man is humbled, alone and dying in the frozen tundra while the dog heads for camp and the security of fire.