The man in the story shows very little interest in applying his awareness of setting to determine his actions. He fails to take any of the precautions he was told to take. He makes several drastic mistakes--mistakes he was aware he shouldn't make--which causes his death. As a newcomer to the harsh Yukon winter, the main character makes a devastating mistake when he ignores an essential rule of Arctic survival by deciding to voyage alone …showed first 75 words of 528 total…

…showed last 75 words of 528 total…keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone." It "was his first winter." He gained insight as to what steps to take to be prepared for the journey. He didn't follow the insights. He took a few risks to attempt a simple journey in a daring manner. He has shown that sometimes taking the risk to "be a man" isn't worth it. It can be deadly.