To Build a Fire Flashcards
by Jack London — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: To Build a Fire
Where is the man traveling and what is the actual temperature?
Along Henderson Creek in the Yukon Territory. It is seventy-five degrees below zero -- one hundred and seven degrees of frost.
What is the man's destination?
The old claim on the left fork of Henderson Creek, where 'the boys' are waiting at camp with a fire and hot supper.
How does the man test whether it is colder than fifty below?
He spits and the spittle crackles in midair before hitting the snow, proving it is colder than fifty below.
Why does the man's second fire go out?
He built it under a spruce tree. The fire's rising heat and his pulling twigs from the brush agitated the snow-laden boughs, which cascaded down and smothered the flame.
What happens when the man tries to light a single match with frozen fingers?
He cannot grip it, so he lights all seventy sulphur matches at once between his palms, burning his own flesh in the process.
Why does the man's third fire-building attempt fail?
His uncontrollable shivering causes him to scatter the burning grasses and tiny twigs, extinguishing the fire completely.
What does the man try to do to the dog after all his fires fail?
He tries to kill it and bury his hands in its warm body, but his frozen hands cannot grip a knife or throttle the animal.
Why is the man described as being 'without imagination'?
He can process facts (it is cold) but not their significance (he could die), which prevents him from appreciating the danger he faces.
What is a 'chechaquo' and why is the man called one?
A newcomer to the Yukon. This is his first winter, so he lacks experience with extreme cold.
How does the dog know it is too dangerous to travel?
Pure instinct -- its ancestors passed down knowledge of extreme cold. It wants to burrow in the snow or stay by a fire, not walk.
What is the relationship between the man and the dog?
Purely utilitarian. The dog is a 'toil-slave' who has only known whip-lashes, not affection -- it obeys out of habit, not loyalty.
What does the dog do after the man dies?
It catches the scent of death, howls under the stars, then trots up the trail toward camp and the other food-providers and fire-providers.
How does the man's attitude toward the old-timer's warning change over the course of the story?
He initially dismisses it as womanish overcaution, but his dying words acknowledge the old-timer was right all along.
How does instinct prove superior to intellect in the story?
The dog survives by following instinct (seeking shelter, biting ice from its paws), while the man's rational decisions (traveling alone, building fire under a tree) lead to his death.
What does London suggest about humanity's place in nature?
Humans are fragile creatures who can survive only within narrow temperature limits. Nature is vast and completely indifferent to individual human life.
How does the story illustrate the theme of hubris?
The man's overconfidence in his own competence -- believing 'any man who was a man could travel alone' -- blinds him to mortal danger and leads directly to his death.
What is the narrative point of view, and why does London choose it?
Third-person limited omniscient. It reveals both the man's thoughts and the dog's instincts, letting the reader see what the man cannot.
How does the opening sentence foreshadow the man's fate?
'Day had broken cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey' -- the repetition and bleakness establish that this cold will be the story's antagonist.
What literary role does the old-timer on Sulphur Creek serve?
He is a voice of foreshadowing and wisdom. His warnings, dismissed early on, are vindicated as the man's final conscious thought.
How does London use the dog as a foil to the man?
The dog's instinctive knowledge of danger contrasts with the man's rational but fatal overconfidence, highlighting the limits of human intellect against nature.
What does 'conjectural' mean in the context of the story?
Relating to speculation or theory. The man cannot move from concrete facts to conjectural thinking about mortality and his place in the universe.
What does 'peremptorily' mean, and how is it used in the story?
In a commanding, insistent way. The man speaks peremptorily to the dog with 'the sound of whip-lashes in his voice.'
What are the hidden 'traps' on Henderson Creek?
Springs flowing under the snow and ice that create concealed pools of water -- potentially fatal if they soak a traveler's feet in extreme cold.
What is the significance of 'The trouble with him was that he was without imagination'?
It identifies the man's fatal flaw: he registers facts but cannot grasp their deeper meaning, leaving him unable to foresee the consequences of his choices.
What does the man mean when he mumbles 'You were right, old hoss; you were right'?
His dying acknowledgment to the old-timer on Sulphur Creek that traveling alone in extreme cold was a fatal mistake.