Survival Against NatureMany works of American literature contain similar themes and elements. This is because some 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". Both of these literary works share similar themes but approach them from different perspectives. Both stories share the theme of survival against nature and place their characters in life-threatening situations that test both their physical and mental strength. The man in "To Build a Fire" is forced to make his way through the frozen snow in search of wealth during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. He uses all his resources to try to survive and even goes so far as to attempt to kill his only companion, his dog, to try 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 form bonds with each other in such difficult conditions. The stories “Building a Fire” and “The Open Boat” differ in how they deal with the theme of survival against nature because “Building a Fire” shows the selfishness that the need to survive can instill in a person while “The Boat open” shows the need to survive by bringing characters together. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayWhile both “To Build a Fire” and “The Open Boat” " share the theme of survival against nature, they handle 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 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 third-person limited 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 the presentation of the theme of survival against nature is the way the characters interact with each other within the two stories. London presents the theme by using a main character and his inner thoughts to show how the need to survive can lead a person to become self-centered and only care about themselves and their survival. This is demonstrated by the man's greed for gold and his attempt to kill his dog to keep warm. This attitude is exemplified through the text quote “He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until the feeling was returned to them” (London, 76). This quote shows man's willingness to sacrifice any other life to save his own. Crane uses the interaction between its four main characters to show how they depend on each other and how the need to survive can drive people to work together to beat the odds. This is demonstrated through the interactions of the four men as they fight to survive after being shipwrecked and injured. This is exemplified by the quote “The oiler and the correspondent rowed the little boat. And they rowed. They sat together on the same seat and each rowed an oar. Then the oiler took both oars; then the correspondent took both oars; then the oiler; then the correspondent. They rowed and rowed” (Crane, 3). This quote shows men sharing the responsibility of keeping the boat moving until.