Stories do more than just tell us a great story. They feature real-life struggles and situations time and time again. They can take the reader back in time and reveal the difficulties of a more self-reliant age. In “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, the man suffers from physical, psychological, and emotional problems throughout the story. Even though this character doesn't have a name, the reader can almost feel all the difficulties he goes through throughout the story. At the beginning of "To Build a Fire", the man is on his way back to a cabin. As he walks, he talks about how he knew how cold it was, but it meant nothing to him other than just a temperature, nothing more. He doesn't think about the consequences this might have on his body in the long run and is somewhat ignorant of the consequences of such madness. An example from history, the man spits in the air to see if his hypothesis is true. When hearing an explosive crack, there is nothing wrong with working diligently to achieve a goal. In the case of this story, the objective is to reach the man at the camp he is heading to. But he continues despite all the indicators that he should stop. These are real indicators of danger to life that man systematically ignores, as if he were an all-powerful god. He shows a lack of concern for his health and well-being. The last of these trials is emotional. From the beginning of the story, it is clear that the man does not care about his bodily sensations. He refuses to express any emotion whatsoever. He laughs at the cold and the pain it causes in his body. He is heartless towards his dog companion and yells at him harshly and threatens violence. Even near the end of the story, when his life is clearly about to end, he simply acts as if it would be a welcome sleep. No concern for death or for his life and that of the dog. Man is cold-hearted and cares neither for himself nor for others.