Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" takes place in the Yukon wilderness during a cold snap. The entire story takes place outside and is over the course of about a day. At the beginning of the story the main character is making his way along a "little-travelled trail" during a cold snap (254). He believes the temperature to be fifty-degrees below zero, although it is later revealed that it is much colder than this. The main character is new to the land and he is known as a chechaquo, although he does have knowledge about surviving outdoors. He is trying to reach some friends, but nature creates difficulties for the man which he must overcome to survive.
The setting in "To Build a Fire" is very important to the overall theme of the story. Jack London sets the tone of the story with the few words of the story which state that the "day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray" (254). Already the story has a depressed and almost frightening tone which gives the reader the inclination that not everything will go to plan for the main character. Throughout the story, the setting appears to be working against the main character. "The springs that bubble out from the hillside" cause the man to fall through ice and get his legs wet (258). The man must then stop and attempt to dry himself out if he hopes to survive the cold trek. As the man is trying to warm his wet limbs by a fire, the bough of the tree above him "capsize its load of snow" and snuff out the fire (265). The man is then left with no fire and limbs which are quickly freezing up. .
Through the difficulties the setting presents to the man, the theme of the story becomes clear. Nature is indifferent towards the lives of men and is a strong force which should not be underestimated. The man believes he can conquer the cold and does not respect the power nature holds over his life.