In “The Blue Hotel” the main character is the Swede. The Swede is governed by determinism as stated in the quotation. The Swede is a shyer individual, who is from the city. The trip out west cause the Swede to experience great anxiety because the stories of the time painted the social condition of the west as an outlaw filled, dangerous place. These factors caused the Swede to act very strange, which would lead to his death. To lighten the Swede up he was given alcohol. In the genes and traits of the Swede, when he became drunk he also became violent, aggressive and confident. After winning a fight be becomes even more confident, which will lead him to be killed after trying to pick a fight with another gentleman. All of the actions of the Swede were beyond his control. He was a victim of determinism. His fear of the west, his reaction to alcohol, and the popular social condition of the time that showed the west as a scary rough and tough place all eventually lead the Swede to his death.
In “To Build A Fire” the main character is also another victim of determinism. The man also has a distorted view of the world. Instead of involving himself with other people he, instead, ventures out into the wilderness in fifty degrees below freezing. He was not blessed with great foresight and intelligence to see that setting out in that type of weather was foolish. The only difference between the Swede and this man is that the man came to realize that he made a mistake in the end.
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