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Exposition: setting
The story is set in Klondike, Yukon, in Canada. The time period of the story is set a short time after the Gold Rush of 1897, during the winter. The weather is horrendously cold and at least sixty degrees Fahrenheit below zero. -
Exposition: characterization
The man is a hunter who is stubborn enough to venture out into the cold alone, even though custom forbids it due to danger. Physically, the man is well built. -
Rising Action 1
The protagonist feels his fingers beginning to freeze when he tries to eat, so he puts his mittens back on. -
Rising Action 2
The man continues walking, comforting himself with the idea that he is stronger than nature. -
Rising Action 3
The man arrives at a frozen creek and falls through the ice. -
Rising Action 4
After falling in the creek, his feet are soaked, so he realizes that he must build a fire to survive. -
Climax
The man attempts to build a fire, but fails. -
Falling Action 1
The man realizes that because he failed to build a fire the first time, he only had a slim chance for success on the second attempt. -
Falling Action 2
The man manages to light a few twigs, but then accidentally knocks down the snow and smothers the fire. -
Falling Action 3
The man risks the loss of his hands to start a fire. -
Falling Action 4
The man thaws himself out. -
Resolution
The man makes it home and vows never to travel alone in the North again.