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Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
"To Build a Fire" is set in the Yukon, a rugged and mountainous territory in Northwest Canada. Although not explicitly stated, it is heavily implied that the story takes place during the Klondike Gold Rush, which began in 1896 when local miners discovered gold along the Klondike River. Over the next four years, an estimated 100,000 prospectors, including a young Jack London, journeyed to The Yukon in search of gold. While a handful of these prospectors became wealthy, the vast majority failed to make any kind of fortune in the region, and many were forced to contend with unsanitary living conditions and food shortages. London himself contracted scurvy while staying in Dawson City, which was plagued by outbreaks of typhoid, dysentery, malaria, and diphtheria.
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