Survival Against NatureMany works of American literature contain similar themes and elements. Indeed, certain ideas are common to human nature and many authors strive to express them in different ways. An example of this is Jack London's story "To Build a Fire" and Stephen Crane's story "The Open Boat". These two literary works share similar themes but approach them from different angles. Both stories share the theme of survival against nature and place their characters in life-threatening situations that test their physical and mental strength. The man from "To Build a Fire" is forced to make his way through the freezing snow in his search for wealth during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. He uses every recourse he has to try to survive and even goes so far as to try to kill his only companion, his dog, in an attempt to protect himself. The four men in "The Open Boat" learn to rely on each other as they battle the ocean waves after being shipwrecked. They bond with each other under such difficult conditions. The stories "Building a Fire" and "The Open Boat" differ in their treatment of the theme of survival against nature, as "Building a Fire" shows the selfishness that the need to survive can instill in a person, while " The open boat shows the need to survive by bringing the characters together. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay While “To Build a Fire” and “The Open Boat” share the theme of survival against nature, they approach the presentation of this theme in very different ways. The two most obvious differences are London and Crane's contrasting uses of point of view and character interaction. For example, London uses the third-person omniscient point of view to give the audience full access to the thoughts and actions of the characters and their surroundings. Crane uses the limited third-person point of view, giving the audience a third-person perspective of the narrative through the eyes of one of the characters. The second major difference in presenting the theme of survival against nature is how the characters interact with each other within the two stories. London introduces the theme by using a main character and their inner thoughts to show how the need to survive can cause a person to become self-centered and only care about themselves and their own survival. This is seen through the man's greed for gold and his attempt to kill his dog for warmth. This attitude is illustrated by the quote from the text “He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until he felt himself inside him again” (London, 76). This quote shows man's willingness to sacrifice every other life to save his own. Crane uses the interaction between his four main characters to show how they depend on each other and that the need to survive can lead people to work together to beat the odds. This is seen through the interactions of the four men as they fight to survive after being shipwrecked and injured. This is illustrated by the quote “The tanker and his correspondent were rowing the small boat. And they rowed. They sat together on the same seat and each rowed an oar. Then the tanker took the two oars; then the correspondent took the two oars; then the greaser; then the correspondent. They rowed and they rowed”.