Part 3 "To Build a Fire"

It is unexpected because the story has always had a more "manly" view of the setting. Earlier in the story, the setting was dark and gloomy and now as the man is dying the setting is nicer…It has something to do with the man finally finding peace and being at rest…Now that he has died and has peace with it all, the setting reflects his peace with the world…The man's death could be the beginning of a new life for the dog, free from its master.

Here the stars show a major contrast from the start of the book. At the start, the weather was gloomy, dull…The man was very confident in his ability to reach the camp, he was warm, and made good progress. The stars show the contrast between the start and end of this journey:  "the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky" shows that at the end of this journey, the night sky was bright, and the stars danced, the man was on the brink of death…he had given up all confidence and accepted his inevitable death.