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Quote 1

He was headed for the old camp at Henderson Creek, where the boys were already. They had come across the mountain from the Indian Creek country. He had taken the long trail to look at the possibility of floating logs from the islands in the Yukon down the river when the ice melted. He would be in camp by six o’clock that evening.

At the beginning of the story, the man sets off on his journey alone. He has been exploring a way to make a profit in the Yukon and then plans to rejoin his companions. The man sets off confidently. He expects his journey to go smoothly, and that he will join his companions successfully that night.

Quote 2

“And then it happened. At a place where there were no signs, the man broke through. It was not deep. He was wet to the knees before he got out of the water to the firm snow.”
 

The man’s journey has been going smoothly. However, when he is walking up a frozen creek, he comes across a spot where the ice has melted and ultimately falls through. He is not harmed, but his wet legs are in terrible danger of freezing in the extreme cold. He must now build a fire and dry out his shoes and socks. He expects this to be a delay of about an hour.

Quote 3

But before he could cut the [moccasin] strings, it happened. It was his own fault, or instead, his mistake. He should not have built the fire under the pine tree. He should have built it in an open space.

The first real difficulty the man encountered was an accident; this difficulty is a result of his own error. He has built a fire under a snow-covered tree, and the snow falls off the branches, putting out the fire. Now the man is half-frozen and must try to build another fire. When he is incapable of doing so, he freezes to death.

Quote 4

He sat and thought about meeting death with dignity. However, the idea did not come to him in exactly this manner. His idea was that he had been acting like a fool. He had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He was certain to freeze in his present circumstances, and he should accept it calmly.

At this point, the man decides to accept his death. He has tried to build a second fire, to kill the dog for its warmth, and to run all the way to the camp. But none of these attempts prove successful. He cannot escape his death, and so decides to accept it. He sinks into a calm and peaceful sleep as he freezes.

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