Man's Best Friend The character in “A Blizzard under Blue Sky” by author Pam Houston is clinically depressed and wants to go on a winter camping trip in hopes of getting relief from the daily stress. The character sees nature as something that is good for a person and is somehow rejuvenating. “One of the things I love most about the natural world is the way it gives you what is good for you even if you don't know it at the time” (284). The character in author Jack London's “To Build a Fire” is a bit callous when it comes to emotions. “Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd frosts. This struck him as cold and uncomfortable, and that was all” (295). His only hope and desire is to return to camp, where the "boys" are. The character from "A Blizzard under Blue Sky" decides to go camping and brings Jackson and Hailey, his two best friends, with him. Jackson is a large male dog and Hailey is a female. The character proudly goes into detail about each of his dog's personalities. He talks about his dogs as companions and converses with them. “It's fabulous here,” I told the dogs. “But so far it doesn't work” (285). “Come on, Mom,” Jackson said. “Ski harder, go faster, climb higher” (285). The character also shares his sleeping bag with his dog Haley, so she can stay warm too. On the other hand, the character in “To Build a Fire” also has a dog; he is a large native husky. The character in this story doesn't pay much attention to his dog. “The dog fell at his heels again, tail drooping in discouragement, as the man swayed along the stream bed” (296). The character also sends his dog ahead of him when he senses danger. "The dog Nevitt 2did not want to go" (297). Also, he tries to kill the dog towards the end in hopes of keeping himself warm. “He killed the dog and buried his hands in the warm body until the numbness disappeared from them” (302). Both characters have some similarities however, because both characters are warned of extremely cold weather conditions. The character in "To Build a Fire" is warned by a man in Sulfur Creek. “That man from Sulfur Creek had told the truth when he talked about how cold it sometimes was in the country.