The Backwoodsmen

"The Backwoodsmen" by Charles G. D. Roberts is a compilation of early 20th-century fictional stories that highlight the battle of humans versus nature. The collection mainly centers on the lives of resilient woodsmen as they attempt to coexist with a cruel natural world. The first chapter introduces Pete Noël, a woodsman who suddenly finds himself struggling to survive when his cabin goes up in flames in the freezing wilderness. The book dives into Pete's will to live as he confronts the repercussions of this event while showing human ingenuity against extreme odds. Pete escapes the blaze but is caught having to traverse in the snow alone without supplies. He then relies on his will to live, finding simple ways to thrive. He builds a fire to melt snow and find water, and relentlessly looks for food. His immediate struggles establish him as a symbol for the resilience against nature’s unforgiving power, setting the tone for other backwoodsmen to come.