How does contextual information about the klondike gold rush readers understand jack london’s story and his purpose in the excerpt from “to build a fire”?

To Build a Fire  - the story of the famous American writer Jack London; popular version was published in 1908.This story is a prime example of the conflict between man and nature. Jack London reflected in the story of his own life in the Yukon Territory.

The protagonist travels through one of the trails of the Yukon in a very cold day (-75 ° F / -59 ° C), accompanied by a dog. He goes on the trail along the creek, conscious of the danger of natural traps that are generated by mining underground streams, because in such a wet cold would have meant certain death. Continuing the way, the traveler sinks knee-deep in water. He recalls an old man who had warned him that no man should not travel alone on the Klondike, if the temperature is below -50 ° F (-46 ° C).Traveler gets scared and he is preparing a fire to dry their clothes and do not die from the cold.

showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence