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The setting plays a large part in the story and is the primary antagonist as the man struggles to survive in the hostile environment of the Yukon. The very beginning of the story describes how the day is light and clear, but there is no sun in the sky this far north. Instead, there is an “indescribable darkness over the face of things.” This ominous description foreshadows the deadly end of the man’s journey. As the story progresses, the setting is described both objectively by the narrator and through its effects on the man’s body. The narrator describes the Yukon as covered in miles of snow and ice and explains that it is 75 degrees below zero. Illustrating the brutal cold, the man spits water that freezes in the air, even before it hits the snow. The man’s beard becomes frosted, his mouth frozen over with ice from the tobacco juice dripping down his chin. These descriptive details reveal the danger of the setting and demonstrate the man’s unbothered demeanor in the face of such obvious warning signs. Unlike, the dog, who is “worried by the cold,” the man thinks he can defeat nature itself all on his own. Instead, little by little, he suffers the effects of the extreme cold and ultimately loses his battle against the environment.

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