How does London convey the theme of death?

Once his fire is blotted out by snow and his body is threatened by hypothermia, the man must come to terms with death. His first reaction is to acknowledge calmly that the advice given to him by the old-timer was accurate: "If he had only had a trail-mate he would have been in no danger now." This thought occurs to him again as he fails in his effort to rebuild the fire. From there he moves to "controlled despair"; next, to apathy; and then to panic as he makes a last, futile effort to save his life by frantically running on his frozen feet in hopes of making it to camp. The man's ultimate response to death is to try "meeting [it] with dignity." His final words— "You were right, old hoss; you were right"—are part of a conversation that he imagines having with the old-timer who had warned him not to travel alone. They are also an acknowledgment of nature's power over the individual.