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.