The average twentieth century man’s goal was, in a way, to live alone. The era was an age of growing wealth and exploration for the nation. For the first time, it was common for young men to leave their families and the places they grew up and were familiar with. They traded these locations in for ones further north, west, or in woodlands where land could be purchased cheaply and settled with a homestead. Of course this type of development took plenty of hard work, determination, and resourcefulness. Most men willing to sojourn to the frontier lands expected as much; however, many were not prepared for the amount of isolation and loneliness they would endure upon leaving their homes.
Many of these men went out alone and traveled far away from home with little communication to those they loved. If any company was present, it may have been in the form of a dog or a newly wedded wife. These women struggled just as much with the change of scenery and social circles, and were often getting to know their very new husbands at the same time as they learned to fulfill their fresh wifely duties (Loyola University New Orleans par. 1). These men faced physical struggles, like a lack of experience and resources in the woods where they settled. They also faced mental struggles, as they fought through the major lack of human connection compared to what they once had.
Looking upon a story such as Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”, it is evidently clear to see both of these types of struggles. Still, it leads to thoughts of the far-from-average man and his personal struggle through a century of social metamorphosis. This is the picture we are able to come upon when reading “Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Left with a resounding message by these two classic short stories, it is clear that the men of the twentieth century needed to face loneliness and struggle in order to eventually become self-reliant and successful. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” focuses on the average twentieth century male character.
He is rugged, assumedly young, and highly aspirational. He does exactly what was expected of many men his age; he went out on his own to take a piece of the earth and make it his own. He found many struggles while in the Arctic wilderness. Many of these involved the physical struggles which are to be expected of the type of journey he took. For instance, the lack of shelter, food, and warmth. The character has no shelter during the entire time he travels through the wilderness, a portion of nine hours in extreme cold, about “one hundred and seven degrees below [the] freezing point” (London par. 16). He carries with him a pack of rolls, but not nearly enough food for long-term survival. This is because he is planning to receive food upon arriving to his friends. Here is an example of the lack of self-reliance the man developed and part of the reason why he does not survive.
Due to the close-knit society of the past century, the man shows the reader the transition men had to face and how difficult it could be (Lone Star College par. 1). The primary physical issue the man faces in the wilderness is his lack of ability to build a fire. This key piece of experience could have kept the man alive in the frigid temperatures of the Yukon. He became physically unable to build a fire to warm himself and ward off frostbite and death by hypothermia. The man lacked survival experience. This was a major problem for many of the men who attempted to settle new lands. They often had ambition but lacked actual technical skill.
The man’s lack of ability could have been supplemented by a friend if he would have brought one along. In fact, an elder in the story tells the man not to travel alone in such frigid temperatures. The ignorance which the man perpetuated was a signature character trait of the young men who went out on their own in the twentieth century style of adventure (Lone Star College par. 1). Still, it was not only physical struggle which affected the man. There are underlying social issues with men like him and the trips they took to unknown places. For our character, his goal is to get to his friends waiting for him at a mining camp hours away. In reality, the friends are a symbolic representation of familiarity. This familiarity is provided through society and helps youth be nurtured and fostered by a network of friends and families. In the twentieth century, this was left behind.
What the character is truly expressing is the loneliness he feels in the wilderness. The recluse he has willed upon himself is not conducive to his mental well-being. Despite being fully able, he can not overcome the lack of human contact he has in the wild. This eventually leads to his demise (Shmoop University par. 9). The unnamed male lead character in “To Build a Fire” is alone by choice. He goes into the Arctic wilderness on his own accord despite having friends and probably family as support. In contrast, Benjamin Button, the title character of Fitzgerald’s short, is unwillingly alone in society.
Likewise, whereas London’s character is physically separated by other people, Button is surrounded by people who do not accept him. In this way, he is isolated and lonely. Button is socially alone because of his unique condition. He was born with the body of an elderly man and aged backward. Unlike London’s character, Button lacks the option of obtaining support from friends. Not a friend nor caretaker lasted from one period of his life to the next. For instance, Button needed to be taught to do things as a child was but could already walk and talk and appeared elderly at birth. This brought about the question of which age group he should even make friends with. Because Button was different from the people who surrounded him, he had to live a lonely life and struggled due to it. He was forced to be self-reliant because he had no peers to show him affection, or be there for him.
Those who did only ever lasted a short period of time so eventually Button stopped becoming close to others. His attitude was one of acceptance and determination. He lived his life as normally as possible. Still, his lonely life style left him unfulfilled, lacking true friends or a family of his own (Fitzgerald par. 1). In studying the twentieth century through literature, it becomes clear that the time period was one of a major lifestyle transition. Prior to the twentieth century, the average man aimed to be married and start a family. He may live in his family’s home or build one nearby.
He often worked for the town, many times within the family business. Travel was short and rare. Family members and communities were closely aligned and provided a support system for one another. The twentieth century arrived and brought wealth and exploration to America. A new opportunity became financially and physically feasible to young men.
They could now venture away from home and start a life completely on their own. Many young men were willing to take on these opportunities to build bigger properties and climb the social ladder. These men were interested in wealth and independence; however, with independence comes a degree of loneliness and isolation from one’s loved ones and peers. It is a difficult transition to move to a new place, let alone many of the places north and west where these young frontiersman settled. Often times there were no other people or towns for miles. The journeys the men took involved acts of sacrifice for overall gain.
They were willing to work hard and be resourceful to attain their goals. Unfortunately, many were not prepared for the amount of isolation and loneliness they would endure upon leaving familiarity. There was little opportunity to communicate to families back home and a level of depression overcame many adventurers when they realized the struggles associated with their selfness. There was no one to call for help in the wild. This is exactly what happened when the main character of Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” needed aid to survive. Twenty years into the decade and new technology helped bring about more human connections.
Still, for some men like Benjamin Button of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Curious Case of Benjamin yet Button”, isolation was inevitable, even within a bustling society. These non-average men were plagued by loneliness due to society being unaccepting of them. This contrasting picture of another type of lonely twentieth century man is clear to see through Fitzgerald’s piece. These works both compare and contrast the attitude of men of the early twentieth century. In conjunction, they are able to leave the reader with an idea of the prominent themes which are indicative of twentieth century literature as a whole: loneliness, isolation, and ultimately self- reliance.
