Short Questions
Part – 1
(a) What are the challenges and difficulties faced by the man on his way to the base camp?
Answer : The unnamed protagonist of the story set out on a difficult and risky journey to be reunited with his friends at the base camp. He hoped to reach the camp by 6 o’clock in the evening. He was well prepared for the journey on a snowy evening. He was aware of the dangers on his path but he thought he would overcome them.
When the man resumed his walk after lunch, he suddenly fell through the ice into water and wet himself to his shins. His feet and fingers became numb. But he continued his walk. At one place he tried to make fire. He gathered wood and built a fire among some pine trees. This was a mistake . He took twigs from the tree, and dropped them under the fire. As he shook the tree, the snow on the boughs fell down and blotted the fire. He tried to build the fire but in vain. With numb hands, he tried to protect the fire, but in doing so he actually put out the fire. Thus he faced many problems. Finally, he met his death as a hero. The difficulties took his life.
(b) What do you know about the setting of the story ‘To Build A Fire’?
Answer : Although Jack London has not given the time and place where the story is set, yet from the names of places we can easily infer these details. First of all there are references to the Klondike, to such rivers on the Yukon and to such cities as Dawson. We can infer that the story takes place in Klondike region of Canada near Alaska. There is also the mention of an ‘Old claim’ on Henderson Creek. This also confirms it. The exact time is not mentioned but from the ‘gold rush’ which began in 1897 we can guess the time.
During the Kondik ‘Gold Rush’ many people flocked to Canada’s Yukon territory in search of fortune.
Moreover we learn that the story is set in wilderness of the frozen Yukon during harsh winter months. There was no sun nor hint of sun in the sky. In this region the man walks and due to inexperience and lack of imagination he loses his life in the cold.
(c) One of the themes of the story ‘To Build A Fire’ is man’s struggle against the forces of nature. Discuss it with reference to the story.
Answer : ‘To Build A Fire’ is an interesting story focussing on man’s struggle against nature. Man often underestimates the forces of nature and in an attempt to overpower nature he fails miserably. One such man is the protagonist in the story. He is a newcome in this land. He goes alone in Yukon wilderness in extremely low temperature. He does not think of his frailty as a human being. He is overconfident of his stamina. He is indifferent to the fact that man can live with certain narrow limits of heat and cold.
During this journey, he is again and again reminded of his weakness as a lone individual. Each time removes his gloves his fingers become numb. His nose and cheeks begin to freeze. He is amazed to see his spittle freeze in mid-air before hitting the snow. When he stops for lunch his feet go numb. He realises his weakness yet he takes pride in his abilities. When he builds the fire the second time, he feels so proud that he makes fun of the old timer’s advice.
The story shows that nature is more powerful than man. The brutal, intense cold kills the man. The man was warned by experienced expeditioners not to travel after ‘below fifty’ without a partner. He did not pay heed to their advice. He succeeded in building a dire second time but the treacherous tree blotted out the fire. The flame of fire withered away in him. Finally he resigned to the power of nature.
Part – 2
(a) Describe briefly how the man burnt his hands while building a fire.
Answer : The man and his dog depart from the main Yukon trail to reach the Henderson camp. It is very cold. The temperature is about seventy five degree below zero. After covering a good distance the man stops for lunch, builds a fire and warms himself. The dog also sits beside the fire and feels good. Then he resumes the journey. After a while he falls into a concealed spring and wets himself up to his shirts. His fingers become numb. It becomes imperative to build the fire again. He unties the moccasins. He gathers wood and builds the fire. But with his shaking the tree for twigs, the snow on the bough falls down and blots the fire.
He decides to build the fire again. He gathers dry grasses and twigs then he reaches in his pocket for a piece of birch bark. He fails to catch hold of it as his fingers are numb. He fails to catch hold of it as his fingers are numb. His hands have stopped working. He catches the match in his teeth and scratches it on his leg. As it flames he holds it with his teeth to the birch bark. But the smoke causes him to cough. When he coughs the match falls into the snow and goes out. Then he catches the whole bunch of matches between the heels of his hands and lights them simultaneously. His hands get burnt. With numb hands he tries to protect the fire but in so doing he puts out the fire.
(b) Comment on the title of the story ‘To Build A Fire.’
Answer : The title of the story ‘To Build A Fire’ is quite apt and suggestive. Fire is the source of life especially in the conditions in which the protagonist of the story finds himself. First the fire is for convenience and the last is for survival.
The whole story revolves around building of fire. The man has ventured out on a short journey on a very cold day. The temperature is about seventy degrees below zero. Due to extreme cold he suffers from frost bite. His face becomes numb and his cheeks are frostbitten. His hands and feet also become numb. But he is confident that he can survive. He pauses for lunch. He builds a fire to warm himself. The dog also feels at ease by the fire. Then he resumes his journey. Soon there is need to build the fire again. He builds the fire but a pile of snow from the boughs puts it out. He does his best but fails to build the fire. His failure proves costly . Fear of death makes him panicky. He runs to warm himself but to no avail.
Thus ‘fire’ remains at the centre of the story. The title of the story is therefore very appropriate and suggestive.
(c) Adventure is one of the prominent themes in the story. Discuss and illustrate.
Answer : Adventure fiction refers to fiction which usually presents danger or gives the reader a sense of excitement. ‘To Build A Fire’ is an adventure story because the hero in this story remains constantly under threat of being overtaken by the wilderness.
The man, the unnamed protagonist of the story, is filled with adventure. He represents all those who are daring and adventurous. In spite of the warning given by the old timers from Sulphur Creek, he embarks on a nine hour exciting journey through Yukon wilderness without a trail mate.
From the beginning it is clear that the man is not given to much thinking. He does not think of the consequences of his actions. Nature is against him. The temperature is 75 ° below zero. But the man is full of confidence rather over confidence. He does not meditate upon his physical frailty. It is so cold that his nose and cheek bones become numb. He was startled when his spittle crackled in the air. The juice that was being expelled from his mouth on chewing tobacco was instantly freezing. His fingers went numb yet he did not stop. It was in such deadly cold that his adventurous spirit was at its peak.
The man had several thrilling experiences. He walked over a trail of snow. He plunged in among the big spruce trees. He noticed the changes in creek, the curves and bends. He watched the creek-beds and its banks. He felt pain in his hands. He found it very difficult to build fire the second time. He saw it die. All these thrilling experiences make the journey adventurous. But these experiences forced him to accept defeat. He could not reach the camp. He died with dignity.
Part – 3
(a) What do you think is the message that the writer wants to convey in ‘To Build a Fire’?
Answer : ‘To Build A Fire’ is an adventure story built on the theme of heroic will to fight. The real hero is one who is firmly determined to achieve his goal despite formidable challenges and insurmountable obstacles. But the man must develop the ability to think of the future consequences of his present actions. The message which Jack London wants to convey through this story is that before undertaking anything in life one must think of its results. The man in ‘To Build A Fire’ has many good human traits – doggedness, persistence, daring etc. – but he lacks the capacity to think of the consequences of his actions. He has ignored all the pieces of good advice given to him by the old-timer from Sulphur Creek. He recalls them at every turn of bad luck but it is too late to men. Consequently, he had to decide to accept the inevitable (death) with dignity, and that is truly his moral victory in defeat.
(b) How does the ending of the story appeal to you?
Answer : When the man realizes that he cannot escape death he becomes panicky. Frostbite is now little worrisome. He starts running along he creek, with the dog at his heels. He feels good at first but then he loses his stamina. He falls and finds it difficult to rise. He gets up with difficulty and again starts running. Again he falls. Then he sits quietly. He feels that his end is near. He sits quietly and decides to meet his death with dignity. Apparently he has accepted his defeat in front of the cruel forces of nature. He feels that he was wrong. He had been running recklessly rather than accepting the inevitable. He imagines his friends finding his body the next day, with this thought he falls off into a peaceful sleep. When the dog detects death in the man’s scent it runs away in the direction of the camp where it hopes to get fire and food.
The ending of the story is quite appropriate. In the struggle between man and nature, the forces of nature, which are certainly more powerful win. It reminds us of man’s frailty in facing nature unaided by technology.
(c) Whereas the man’s rationality proved to be useless against the forces of nature, the dog’s instinct helped him survive? Discuss with reference to the story ‘To Build A Fire’.
Answer : ‘To Build A Fire’ is an interesting and meaningful story. It concentrates on man’s struggle against nature. The man, the protagonist in the story is without imagination. In spite of the warnings of the old timer he ventures to undertake the journey. He carries with him thermometers, woolen clothes, maps, matches and some birch-bark. Above all he has physical and mental strength. He is proud of his rationality. He has confidence in himself. In a way he is smarter than his dog yet he is afflicted with ‘hubris’ and thus he fails to overcome nature. The man and his dog start walking to another camp. The temperature is seventy five degrees below zero. They are required to battle nature to succeed. Nature in the form of extreme cold defeats the man.
The man being without imagination works only on reason. He does not consider nature as something that would overpower him. He has lost his instincts that sustain the dog. At one stage the man feels a great surge of envy’ on seeing the dog warm and secure in its natural covering. When the man dies the dog considers its own survival. When it senses death it moves towards the camp where it would get food and shelter. Its instincts are more powerful than the man’s intelligence. The dog is more fit to survive . It lives when the man has died.
Part – 4
(a) ‘A man may be destroyed but not defeated.’ In the light of this discuss the theme of ‘The heroic will to fight.’
Answer : One of the major themes of the story ‘To Build A Fire’ is the heroic will to fight. One who is determined to achieve the goal despite formidable challenges and seemingly insurmountable obstacles is the real hero. A man may be destroyed but he should not accept defeat. One who is bold enough to face even death with calm resignation is nothing short of a hero. This kind of iron will the man reveals in the story.
He has realized his folly to travel alone and that too on a snowy day when the temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero. But he does not give up. Along with his dog he moves on and on. His body parts begin to be numb. He builds a fire, warms himself and moves on. He falls into a hidden spring and wets himself. His hands and feet are numb. He fails to build the fire. At last, he starts running to reach his destination. The thought of death does not deter him from abandoning his journey. But a point of total exhaustion soon comes. He decides to confront death with dignity. He sits down calmly and sleeps to a calm death.
(b) Do you agree with the view that the hiker in ‘To Build A Fire’ dies due to over confidence?
Answer : ‘To Build A Fire’ is a meaningful story. The writer wants to convey that confidence is undoubtedly a desirable quality but over confidence is a fault which often leads one to his doom. It is only in overconfidence that one makes blunders. The hiker in the story has been clearly warned by the old timer Sulphur Creek not to venture out alone when the temperature dips fifty degree below zero. Even then he starts his journey on a very cold snowy morning without a trailing companion. He has with him his husky wolf-dog.
Despite his weakness, the man is really courageous. He does not give up easily. He remains determined and persistent . He continues to pursue his goal to the last. He remains undeterred by many handicaps both physical and mental. It is his over confidence that leads him to death. His fingers grow numb, he cannot handle matches. He holds the pack of matches and strikes that whole pack at once. His hands burn out. He smells his hands burning. Still he does not give in.
We can say that the man is dogged, overconfident fellow. He meets his doom because he is too individualistic and careless.
(c) When does the man decide to accept death with dignity?
Answer : Hoping to be reunited with his friend by 6 o’clock in the evening the man starts his journey. He is accompanied by a dog. He is well prepared for all the obstacles. But the reality has a bitter lesson for him. In fact he should not have ventured out on a day when the temperature was about seventy five degree below zero. His hands go numb. When he fails to rebuild the fire, he suddenly realizes that time is up for him. Fear of death makes him panicky. He starts running up the creekbed. As he runs he feels better. He stops shivering. He thinks that if he runs for enough, he will reach the camp. But he fails to guess that he has no stamina left to run and run endlessly. In running several times he stumbles and falls. He tries to rise but falls.
He sits and regains his breath. The thought of death in ice continues to frighten him. He tries to evade it by running again wildly along the trail, with the dog chasing him. He slows down to a walk but again the thought of death makes him run. He falls down again. When he recovers his breath, he sits up and entertains in his mind the idea of meeting death with dignity. He has only been running around “like a chicken with its head cut-off.” So he dozes off to sleep – a long sleep from which he is never to wake up.
This scene shows that the man is morally and mentally quite strong. He continues to fight heavy odds on his way to reach his destination. When he is physically defeated he decides to face death with dignity. He snatches a moral victory even in his defeat. He does not give in easily. This freedom from fear of death in the last stage makes him a sort of hero in the Greek mould.
Long Questions
Question 1 : Describe the various challenges and difficulties faced by the man on his way to the base camp to meet his friends.
Answer : The solitary-hiker set out on an arduous , risky journey in Yukon to be reunited with his friends at the base camp. He hoped to reach the camp by six o’clock in the evening. He was well-prepared for the journey on a very cold, snowy evening. He was aware of the various dangers and obstacles on his path, but he thought the would overcome them. He was accompanied by a dog whom he used selfishly as a slave.
The man knew that his unprotected cheekbones would freeze. He also knew of the danger of concealed springs below the ice. Getting one’s feet wet on a day when the temperature was about seventy-five degrees below zero was dangerous. After sometime he stopped for lunch, built a fire and warmed himself. He resumed his walk. Then all of a sudden he fell through the ice into water and wet himself to his shins. He cursed his luck. His feet and fingers were numb.
The man continued his walk for some time. Then he tried to make fire. He united his moccasins. He gathered wood and was able to build a fire among some pine trees. It was , however, a mistake. He should have made the fire in the open. He took twigs from the tree and dropped them directly under the fire. As he shook the tree, the snow on the boughs fell down and blotted out the fire. The man got scared as it was very necessary now to warm himself. He tried to build the fire but in vain. With numb hands he tried to protect the fire from pieces of moss and in so doing actually put out the fire.
After some time, the man was suddenly struck with the idea of death. He thought he might not be able to reach the base-camp. He started running along the creek. The dog also ran behind him. He fell once, got up and started running. He lost his breath soon. Then he sat quietly and decided to meet death with dignity. He thought that so far he had been “running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” When he was bound to freeze, he should take it decently. So he dowsed off to the most comfortable and satisfying and sleep he had ever known. Thus he met death as a hero, not as a corward.
Question 2 : Describe the scene when the man burned his hands while building a fire unsuccessfully. What impression do you form of him from the scene?
Answer : The man, a solitary hiker, and his dog depart from the main Yukon trail to reach the Henderson Camp on a very cold, snowy day. The temperature was about seventy-five degree below zero, which was not good to venture out. The man, however, thought he would overcome all difficulties on the way. As he moves on his unprotected cheekbones start freezing. He knows about the dangers of frostbite, but he does not bother.
After covering a good distance the man stops for lunch, builds a fire and warms himself. The dog also sits beside the fire and feels good. The man resumes the journey. After a while, he falls into a concealed spring and wets himself up to his shins. His feet and fingers are numb. Then it becomes imperative to build the fire again. The man unties his moccasions. He gathers wood and is able to build a fire among some pine trees. But with his shaking the tree for twigs, the snow on the boughs falls down and blots out the fire. This is something for which he is not ready:
It was as though he had just heard his own sentence of death.
He decides to build the fire again. He gathers dry grasses and tiny twigs from the high water flotsam. He fails to bring his fingers together to pull them out, but he is able to gather them by the handful. Then he reaches in his pocket for a second piece of birch-bark, but he fails to catch hold of it as his fingers are numb. His feet have frozen. As his hands have stopped working he struggles hard to catch a match in his teeth and scratches it on his leg. Twenty times he scratches before it succeeds in lighting it. As it flames he holds it with his teeth to the birch-bark. But the smoke causes him to cough, making the match fall into the snow and goes out. Then he catches the whole bunch of matches between the heels of his hands and succeeds in lighting them simultaneously. His hands get burnt. With numb hands he tries to protect the fire from pieces of moss and in so doing he actually puts out the fire again.
This scene clearly shows that the man is a determined fellow. His heroic efforts to build the fire evoke in us sense of admiration for him. He is the one who does not give in easily. He continues to wage a hard fight against nature out to defeat him at all costs.
Question 3 : How does the man undertake an absurd journey out of his overconfidence and rashness? What happens to him in the end?
Answer : The man in the story ‘To Build a Fire’ is a new comer to the area, and is rash and overconfident to travel across ten miles of Yukon wilderness to reach a camp to join his companions. He dares to start his venture on a day when the temperature dips even seventy-five degrees below zero. He is accompanied by a husky wolf-dog. He is well-equipped with warm clothes, matches, maps, thermometers, etc. Only he is deficient in thinking about the future consequences of his present action.
He starts his walk with a hope to reach the camp to be reunited with his friends in the evening. He is aware of the dangers of concealed springs below the icy surface. So he remains cautious. He stops to eat his lunch. He is able to build a fire. In the few minutes he removes his mittens, his hands grow numb. He fails to feel his toes and feet. When the man moves on, the dog unwillingly leaves the fire. After half an hour, the man falls through the ice and wets himself. He rebuilds the fire to warm himself under a tree. Snow from a bough falls down, blotting out the fire. The man again tries to build the fire. He gathers twigs and grasses. As he is unable to hold a match with his numb fingers, he grabs all the seventy matches and lights them all at once, burning his hands. He is able to start the fire but it soon goes out as he protects the fire from pieces of moss.
Then the man has a crazy idea to kill the dog and put his hands inside its warm body to restore his circulation. As he fails to grab the knife with his numb hands, he lets the dog go.
The man now realizes that he is sure to die. The fear of death makes him panicky. In panic he begins to run down the trail. He falls down, rises up and runs again. When he has no more stamina he sits down to reflect over the hopelessness of the situation. He decides to meet death with dignity. He lies down, thinking, ‘Well, he was bound to freeze anyway, and he might as well take it decently. With this new-found peace of mind came the first glimmerings of drowsiness. A good idea, he thought, to sleep off to death’. The dog, having smelt death in the body of the man, runs in the direction of the camp in the hope of getting food and shelter from other human beings.
Thus, the story describes the man’s struggle for survival. He snatches a moral victory even in defeat by accepting the inevitable with peace and resignation.
Question 4 : When and how does the man decide to accept death with dignity? What reflection does this decision cast upon his character?
Answer : The man, accompanied by a dog, starts his journey from the main Yukon trail to reach the base camp. He hopes to be reunited with his friends by six o’clock in the evening. He is well-prepared for all the obstacles on the way. But the reality has a bitter lesson for him : that he should have not ventured out on an extremely cold day when the temperature is about seventy-five degree below zero. His hands and feet go numb. When he fails to rebuild the fire, he suddenly realizes that the time is up for him. The fear of death makes him suddenly panicky:
This threw him into a panic, and he turned and ran up the creek-bed along the old, dim trail, without intention, in fear such as he had never known in his life.
As he runs he feels better. He stops shivering. He starts thinking that if he runs far enough he will reach the camp and the ‘boys’. he knows that he is sure to lose some fingers and tones and some of his face, but his friends will take care of him and save him. What he fails to guess is that he has no stamina left to run and run endlessly. In running several times he stumbles and falls. When he tries to rise, he fails. He sits and regains his breath. The thought of death in ice continues to frighten him. He tries to evade it by again running wildly along the trail, with the dog chasing him. He slows down to a walk but again the thought of death makes him run. He falls down again. When he recovers his breath, he sits up and entertains in his mind the idea of meeting death with dignity. He has only been running around “like a chicken with its head cut-off”. So he dozes off to sleep – a long sleep from which he is never to wake up.
This scene shows that the man is morally and mentally quite strong. He continues to fight heavy odds on his way to reach his destination. When he is physically defeated he decides to face death with dignity. He snatches a moral victory even in his defeat. He does not give in easily. This freedom from fear of death in the last stage makes him a sort of hero in the Greek mould.