NOTICE & NOTE
BACKGROUND
J a c k Lo n d o n (1876-1916) not only wrote adventure stories, he lived them.
London traveled as o hobo across the United States, tried his luck in the
Klondike Gold Rush, escaped a typhoon on a seal-hunting ship, and soiled the
South Seas in his own boat, the Snark. London's formal education
was limited, but he read widely using public libraries. Many of
his works, including the story "To Build a Fire," hove themes
involving survival and humans versus nature. His novel The
Call of the Wild (1903) brought London fame and is still one
of his best-known works. London died in Californio at age 40.
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SETTING A PURPOSE
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As you read, pay attention to the details that depict the protagonist's
dealings with the natural setting as well as details that contrast the
actions o f the man with those o f the dog.
Notice & Note
Use the side margins to notice
and note signposts in the text.
I ay h ad broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold an d gray,
； hen the m an tu rn ed aside from the m ain Yukon trail and
w
clim bed th e high earth bank, w here a dim and little-traveled trail
led eastw ard through the fat spruce tim berland. It was a steep
bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to
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himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o’clock. There was no
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sun or h in t o f sun, though there was no t a cloud in the sky. It was
a clear day, and yet there seem ed an in ta n g ib le pall1 over th e face
o f things, a subtle gloom that m ade the day dark, an d th at was
due to the absence o f sun. This fact did no t w orry the m an. He
was used to the lack o f sun. It had been days since he h ad seen
the sun, an d he knew that a few m ore days m ust pass before th at
cheerful orb, due south, would just peep above the skyline and
dip im m ediately from view.
intangible
(m-tan ja-bal) adj. un ab le to be
defined or understood.
pall: overspreading atmosphere of gloom and depression.
To Build a Fire
461
NOTICE & NOTE
2
The m an flung a look back along the way he h ad come. The
Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of
this ice were as many feet of snow. It was all pure white, rolling in
gentle undulations where the ice jams of the freeze-up had formed.
North and south, as far as his eye could see, it was unbroken white,
save for a dark hairline that curved and twisted from around the
spruce-covered island to the south, and that curved and twisted away
into the north, where it disappeared behind another spruce-covered
island. This dark hairline was the trail—the m ain trail—that led south
five hundred miles to the Chilkoot Pass, Dyea, and salt water; and
that led north seventy miles to Dawson, and still on to the north a
thousand miles to Nulato, and finally to St. Michael on the Bering
Sea, a thousand miles and half a thousand more.
A N A LY Z E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: Mark words or
phrases in paragraph 3 that
describe the man.
3
strangeness an d weirdness of it all—m ade no im pression on the m an.
It was not because he was long used to it. He was a newcomer in the
land, a cheechako,2 and this was his first winter. The trouble with
him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in
the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances.
Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd degrees of frost. Such
fact impressed him as being cold and uncomfortable, and that was
all. It did not lead him to meditate upon his frailty as a creature
of temperature, and upon m ans frailty in general, able only to live
within certain narrow limits of heat and cold, and from there on it
did not lead him to the conjectural3 field of immortality and mans
place in the universe. Fifty degrees below zero stood for a bite of frost
that hurt and that must be guarded against by the use of mittens,
earflaps, warm moccasins, and thick socks. Fifty degrees below zero
was to him just precisely fifty degrees below zero. That there should
be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his
head.
Infer: What does this
description of the man suggest
about how he will fare during
his journey?
A N A LY Z E SETTIN G
Annotate: In paragraphs 4-5,
mark words that describe the
weather conditions.
Predict: How will the weather
affect the events of the story?
But all th is—the m ysterious, far-reaching hairline trail,
the absence of sun from the sky, the trem endous cold, and the
4
As he tu rn ed to go on, he spat speculatively. There was a sharp,
explosive crackle that startled him. He spat again. And again, in the
air, before it could fall to the snow, the spittle crackled. He knew
that at fifty below, spittle crackled on the snow, but this spittle had
crackled in the air. Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how
m uch colder he did not know. But the temperature did not matter.
He was b o u n d for the old claim 4 on the left fork o f H enderson Creek,
|
where the boys were already. They had come over across the divide
from the Indian Creek country, while he had come the roundabout
way to take a look at the possibilities of getting out logs in the spring
%
2 cheechako: Chinook jargon for “newcomer，
，
or “tenderfoot.”
3 conjectural: based on guesswork or uncertain evidence.
4 claim: piece of land staked out by a miner.
462
Unit 5
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from the islands in the Yukon. He would be into camp by six o’clock;
a bit after dark, it was true, but the boys would be there, a fire would
be going, and a hot supper would be ready. As for lunch, he pressed
his hand against the protruding bundle under his jacket. It was also
under his shirt, wrapped up in a handkerchief and lying against the
naked skin. It was the only way to keep the biscuits from freezing. He
smiled agreeably to himself as he thought of those biscuits, each cut
open and sopped in bacon grease, and each enclosing a generous slice
of fried bacon.
He plunged in among the big spruce trees. The trail was faint. A
foot of snow had fallen since the last sled had passed over, and he was
glad he was without a sled, traveling light. In fact, he carried nothing
but the lunch wrapped in the handkerchief. He was surprised,
however, at the cold. It certainly was cold, he concluded, as he rubbed
his num b nose and cheekbones with his m ittened hand. He was a
warm-whiskered man, but the hair on his face did not protect the
high cheekbones and the eager nose that thrust itself aggressively into
the frosty air.
At the m ans heels trotted a dog, a big native husky, the proper
wolf dog, gray coated and without any visible or tem peram ental
difference from its brother, the wild wolf. The animal was depressed
by the trem endous cold. It knew that it was no time for traveling.
Its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the m an by the m ans
judgment. In reality, it was not merely colder than fifty below zero; it
was colder than sixty below, than seventy below. It was seventy-five
below zero. Since the freezing point is thirty-two above zero, it m eant
that one hundred and seven degrees of frost obtained. The dog did
not know anything about thermometers. Possibly in its brain there
was no sharp consciousness of a condition of very cold such as was in
the m ans brain. But the brute had its instinct. It experienced a vague
but menacing ap p reh en sio n that subdued it and made it slink along
at the m ans heels, and that made it question eagerly every unwonted5
movement of the man, as if expecting him to go into camp or to seek
shelter somewhere and build a fire. The dog had learned fire, and it
wanted fire, or else to burrow under the snow and cuddle its w arm th
away from the air.
The frozen moisture of its breathing had settled on its fur in
a fine powder of frost, and especially were its jowls, muzzle, and
eyelashes whitened by its crystaled breath. The m ans red beard and
moustache were likewise frosted, but more solidly, the deposit taking
the form of ice and increasing with every warm, moist breath he
exhaled. Also, the m an was chewing tobacco, and the muzzle of ice
held his lips so rigidly that he was unable to clear his chin when he
expelled the juice. The result was that a crystal beard of the color and
A N A LY Z E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: Mark details in
paragraph 6 that describe the
dog's behavior.
Analyze: How does the dog's
behavior differ from the man's?
apprehension
(ap-ri-hen'shan) n. fear or
anxiety; dread.
unwonted: unusual.
To Build a Fire
463
NOTICE & NOTE
A N A LYZ E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: In paragraph 9, mark
the description of the man's
thought process.
Infer: What motivations do the
man's thoughts reveal? How
could these lead to a dilemma
that advances the plot?
6 appendage: something attached to another object.
7 spirit thermometer: alcohol thermometer. In places where the temperature often
drops below the freezing point of mercury, alcohol is used in thermometers.
8 reiterated: repeated.
464
Unit 5
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Predict: What do you think will
happen, based on the details
abo 니t the springs? How do
these details help develop the
theme?
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mark the clues that convey how
dangerous the trail is.
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A N A LY Z E SETTIN G
Annotate: In paragraph 11,
solidity of amber was increasing its length on his chin. If he fell down
it would shatter itself, like glass, into brittle fragments. But he did
not m ind the appendage.6 It was the penalty all tobacco chewers paid
in that country, and he had been out before in two cold snaps. They
had not been so cold as this, he knew, but by the spirit therm om eter7
at Sixty Mile he knew they had been registered at fifty below and at
fifty-five.
He held on through the level stretch of woods for several miles,
crossed a wide flat, and dropped down a bank to the frozen bed of
a small stream. This was Henderson Creek, and he knew he was
ten miles from the forks. He looked at his watch. It was ten o’clock.
He was making four miles an hour, and he calculated that he would
arrive at the forks at half past twelve. He decided to celebrate that
event by eating his lunch there.
The dog dropped in again at his heels, with a tail drooping
discouragement, as the man swung along the creek bed. The furrow
of the old sled trail was plainly visible, but a dozen inches of snow
covered the marks of the last runners. In a m onth no m an had come
up or down that silent creek. The m an held steadily on. He was not
much given to thinking, and just then particularly, he had nothing to
think about save that he would eat lunch at the forks and that at six
o’c lock he would be in camp with the boys. There was nobody to talk
to; and, had there been, speech would have been impossible because
of the ice muzzle on his mouth. So he continued monotonously to
chew tobacco and to increase the length of his amber beard.
Once in a while the thought reiterated8 itself that it was very cold
10
and that he had never experienced such cold. As he walked along he
rubbed his cheekbones and nose with the back of his mittened hand.
He did this automatically, now and again changing hands. But rub as
he would, the instant he stopped his cheekbones went numb, and the
following instant the end of his nose went numb. He was sure to frost
his cheeks; he knew that, and experienced a pang of regret that he had
not devised a nose strap of the sort Bud wore in the cold snaps. Such
a strap passed across the cheeks, as well, and saved them. But it didn’t
m atter much, after all. W hat were frosted cheeks? A bit painful, that
was all; they were never serious.
Empty as the m ans m ind was of thought, he was keenly
11
observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves
and bends and tim ber jams, and always he sharply noted where he
placed his feet. Once, coming around a bend, he shied abruptly,
like a startled horse, curved away from the place where he had been
walking, and retreated several paces back along the trail. The creek,
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he knew, was frozen clear to the bottom —no creek could contain
water in that arctic winter—but he knew also that there were springs
that bubbled out from the hillsides and ran along under the snow and
on top of the ice of the creek. He knew that the coldest snaps never
froze these springs, and he knew likewise their danger. They were
traps. They hid pools of water under the snow that might be three
inches deep, or three feet. Sometimes a skin of ice half an inch thick
covered them, and in turn was covered by the snow. Sometimes there
were alternate layers of water and ice skin, so that when one broke
through he kept on breaking through for a while, sometimes wetting
himself to the waist.
12
That was why he had shied in such panic. He had felt the give
under his feet and heard the crackle of a snow-hidden ice skin. And
to get his feet wet in such a temperature m eant trouble and danger.
At the very least it m eant delay, for he would be forced to stop and
build a fire, and under its protection to bare his feet while he dried
his socks and moccasins. He stood and studied the creek bed and its
banks, and decided that the flow of water came from the right. He
reflected awhile, rubbing his nose and cheeks, then skirted to the left,
stepping gingerly and testing the footing for each step. Once clear of
the danger, he took a fresh chew of tobacco and swung along at his
four-mile gait.
panic
(paninc) n. sudden,
overpowering feeling of fear.
To Build a Fire 465
0
NOTICE & NOTE
13
In the course o f the next tw o hours he came upon several sim ilar
traps. Usually the snow above the hidden pools had a sunken,
candied appearance that advertised the danger. Once again, however,
he had a close call; and once, suspecting danger, he compelled the
dog to go on in front. The dog did not want to go. It hung back
until the man shoved it forward, and then it went quickly across the
white, unbroken surface. Suddenly it broke through, floundered to
one side, and got away to firmer footing. It had wet its forefeet and
legs, and almost immediately the water that clung to it turned to ice.
It made quick efforts to lick the ice off its legs, then dropped down
in the snow and began to bite out the ice that had formed between
the toes. This was a m atter of instinct. To perm it the ice to remain
would mean sore feet. It did not know this. It merely obeyed the
mysterious prompting that arose from the deep crypts9 of its being.
But the m an knew, having achieved a judgment on the subject, and
he removed the m itten from his right hand and helped tear out the
ice particles. He did not expose his fingers more than a minute, and
was astonished at the swift numbness that smote10 them. It certainly
crypts: hidden recesses.
0smote: powerfully struck.
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Unit 5
NOTICE & NOTE
was cold. He pulled on the m itten hastily, and beat the hand savagely
across his chest.
14
At twelve oclock the day was at its brightest. Yet the sun was too
far south on its w inter journey to clear the horizon. The bulge o f the
earth intervened betw een it and H enderson Creek, w here the m an
w alked u n d er a clear sky at n oon and cast no shadow. At h alf past
twelve, to the m inute, he arrived at the forks o f the creek. He was
pleased at the speed he h ad m ade. If he kept it up, he w ould certainly
be w ith the boys by six. He unbuttoned his jacket an d shirt an d drew
forth his lunch. The action consum ed no m ore th an a quarter of
a m inute, yet in th at b rief m om ent the num bness laid hold o f the
exposed fingers. He did not put the m itten on, bu t instead struck the
fingers a dozen sharp sm ashes against his leg. T hen he sat dow n on
a snow -covered log to eat. The sting th at followed upon the striking
o f his fingers against his leg ceased so quickly that he was startled.
He had had no chance to take a bite o f biscuit. He struck the fingers
repeatedly and retu rn ed them to the m itten, baring the o th er h an d for
the pu rp o se o f eating. He tried to take a m outhful, b u t the ice m uzzle
prevented. He h ad forgotten to build a fire and thaw out. He chuckled
at his foolishness, and as he chuckled he no ted the num bness
creeping into the exposed fingers. Also, he no ted th at the stinging
w hich had first com e to his toes w hen he sat dow n was already
passing away. He w ondered w hether the toes were w arm or num b. He
m oved them inside the m occasins and decided th at they were num b.
15
He pulled the m itten on hurriedly and stood up. He was a bit
frightened. He stam ped up and dow n until the stinging returned
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A N A LY Z E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: In paragraph 14,
mark what the man forgets to
do and how he feels.
Infer: What does this action tell
yᄋ니 about the man and how
nature might be affecting him?
What effect will these actions
have on him?
into the feet. It certainly was cold, was his thought. That man
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from Sulphur C reek had spoken the tru th w hen telling how cold
it som etim es got in the country. A nd he h ad laughed at him at the
time! T hat showed one m ust no t be too sure o f things. T here was no
m istake about it, it was cold. He strode up and dow n, stam ping his
feet and threshing his arm s, until reassured by the retu rn in g w arm th.
T hen he got out m atches and proceeded to m ake a fire. From the
undergrow th, w here high w ater o f the previous spring had lodged
a supply o f seasoned twigs, he got his firewood. W orking carefully
from a small beginning, he soon had a roaring fire, over w hich he
thaw ed the ice from his face and in the protection o f w hich he ate his
biscuits. For the m om ent the cold of space was outw itted. T he dog
took satisfaction in the fire, stretching out close enough for w arm th
and far enough away to escape being singed.
16
W hen the m an had finished, he filled his pipe and took his
com fortable tim e over a smoke. T hen he pulled on his m ittens, settled
the earflaps o f his cap firm ly about his ears, and to o k the creek trail
up the left fork. T he dog was disappointed and yearned back tow ard
the fire. This m an did no t know cold. Possibly all the generations
To Build a Fire 467
NOTICE & NOTE
of his ancestry had been ignorant of cold, of real cold, of cold one
hundred and seven degrees below freezing point. But the dog knew;
all its ancestry knew, and it had inherited the knowledge. And it knew
that it was not good to walk abroad in such fearful cold. It was the
time to lie snug in a hole in the snow and wait for a curtain of cloud
to be drawn across the face of outer space whence this cold came. On
the other hand, there was no keen intimacy between the dog and the
man. The one was the toil slave of the other, and the only caresses it
had ever received were the caresses of the whiplash and of harsh and
menacing throat sounds that threatened the whiplash. So the dog
made no effort to communicate its apprehension to the man. It was
not concerned in the welfare of the man; it was for its own sake that
it yearned back toward the fire. But the man whistled, and spoke to it
with the sound of whiplashes, and the dog swung in at the m ans heels
and followed after.
A N A LYZ E SET T IN G
Annotate: In paragraph 16,
mark the words that contrast
what the dog and the man
understand about the cold.
Summarize: How does this
paragraph support the
influence of Charles Darwin's
theories in naturalist writings?
17
The m an took a chew o f tobacco and proceeded to start a new
amber beard. Also, his moist breath quickly powdered with white
his mustache, eyebrows, and lashes. There did not seem to be so
many springs on the left fork of the Henderson, and for half an
hour the man saw no signs of any. And then it happened. At a place
where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to
advertise solidity beneath, the m an broke through. It was not deep.
He wet himself halfway to the knees before he floundered out to the
firm crust.
18
He was angry, and cursed his luck aloud. He h ad hoped to get
into camp with the boys at six o’clock, and this would delay him an
hour, for he would have to build a fire and dry out his footgear. This
was im p era tiv e at th at low tem perature—he knew th at m uch; and
imperative
(im-per"9-tiv) adj. of great
importance; essential.
he turned aside to the bank, which he climbed. On top, tangled in
the underbrush about the trunks of several small spruce trees, was
a high-w ater deposit o f dry firew ood—sticks and twigs, principally,
Analyze: How does this tone
reflect the author's attitude
about man's ability to control
nature?
468
Unit 5
H e w orked slowly and carefully, keenly aware o f his danger.
Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the
twigs with which he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the twigs
out from their entanglement in the brush and feeding directly to
the flame. He knew there must be no failure. W hen it is seventy-five
below zero, a m an m ust not fail in his first attem pt to build a fireᅳ
that is, if his feet are wet. If his feet are dry, and he fails, he can run
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Annotate: Mark details in
paragraph 19 that reveal the
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but also larger portions of seasoned branches and fine, dry, last years
grasses. He threw down several large pieces on top of the snow.
This served for a foundation and prevented the young flame from
drowning itself in the snow it otherwise would melt. The flame he got
by touching a match to a small shred of birch bark that he took from
his pocket. This burned even more readily than paper. Placing it on
the foundation, he fed the young flame with wisps of dry grass and
with the tiniest dry twigs.
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NOTICE & NOTE
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along the trail for a h alf a mile and restore his circulation. But the
circulation o f wet and freezing feet cannot be restored by ru n n in g
w hen it is seventy-five below. No m atter how fast he runs, the wet feet
will freeze the harder.
20
All this th e m an knew. The old-tim er on Sulphur C reek had
told him about it the previous fall, and now he was appreciating the
advice. A lready all sensation had gone out o f his feet. To build the
fire, he h ad been forced to remove his m ittens, an d the fingers had
quickly gone num b. His pace o f four m iles an h o u r h ad k ep t his heart
pum ping blood to the surface o f his body an d to all the extrem ities.
But the in stant he stopped, the action o f the pu m p eased dow n. The
cold o f space sm ote the unprotected tip o f the planet, and he, being
on th at unprotected tip, received the full force o f the blow. T he blood
o f his body recoiled before it. The blood was alive, like the dog,
and like the dog it w anted to hide away and cover itself up from the
fearful cold. So long as he walked four m iles an hour, he pu m p ed that
blood, willy-nilly,11 to the surface; b u t now it ebbed away a n d sank
dow n into the recesses o f his body. T he extrem ities were the first to
feel its absence. His wet feet froze the faster, and his exposed fingers
nu m b ed the faster, though they h ad n o t yet begun to freeze. Nose and
cheeks w ere already freezing, while the skin o f all his body chilled as
it lost its blood.
21
But he was safe. Toes and nose and cheeks w ould be only touched
by th e frost, for the fire was beginning to b u rn w ith strength. He was
feeding it twigs the size o f his finger. In an o th er m inute he w ould be
able to feed it w ith branches the size o f his wrist, and then he could
rem ove his wet footgear, and, while it dried, he could keep his naked
feet w arm by the fire, rubbing them at first, o f course, w ith snow. The
fire was a success. He was safe. He rem em bered the advice o f the oldtim er on Sulphur Creek, and smiled. The old-tim er h ad been very
serious in laying dow n th e law th at no m an m ust travel alone in the
K londike after fifty below. Well, here he was; he h ad h ad the accident;
he was alone; an d he h ad saved himself. Those old-tim ers w ere rather
w om anish, som e o f them , he thought. All a m an h ad to do was to
keep his head and he was all right. Any m an w ho was a m an could
travel alone. But it was surprising, the rapidity w ith w hich his cheeks
and nose w ere freezing. A nd he h ad no t tho u g h t his fingers could
go lifeless in so short a tim e. Lifeless they were, for he could scarcely
m ake th em m ove together to grip a twig, and they seem ed rem ote
from his body and from him . W hen he touched a twig, he h ad to look
and see w h ether or n o t he had hold o f it. The wires w ere pretty well
dow n betw een him and his finger ends.
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extremity
(lk-strem l-te) n. the outermost
or farthest point or portion; the
hand or foot.
A N A LY Z E C H A R A C T E R
Annotate: In paragraph 21,
mark what the old-timer said
and how the man reacts to it.
Evaluate: How does the man's
attitude toward the old-timer's
advice continue to evolve?
1willy-nilly: without choice.
To Build a Fire
469
All o f w hich counted for little. There was the fire, snapping
and crackling and prom ising life w ith every dancing flame. He
started to untie his m occasins. They were coated w ith ice; the thick
G erm an socks were like sheaths o f iron halfway to the knees; and the
m occasin strings were like rods o f steel all tw isted and knotted as by
som e conflagration.12 For a m om ent he tugged w ith his num b fingers,
then, realizing the folly o f it, he drew his sheath knife.
23
But before he could cut the strings it happened. It was his own
fault, or, rather, his mistake. He should no t have built the fire under
the spruce tree. He should have built it in the open. But it had
been easier to pull the twigs from the bush an d drop them directly
on the fire. Now the tree under w hich he h ad done this carried a
weight o f snow on its boughs. No w ind h ad blow n for weeks, and
each bough was fully freighted. Each tim e he had pulled a twig he
had com m unicated a slight agitation to the tree—an im perceptible
agitation, so far as he was concerned, but an agitation sufficient to
bring about the disaster. H igh up in the tree one bough capsized its
load o f snow. This fell on the boughs beneath, capsizing them . This
process continued, spreading out and involving the whole tree. It
grew like an avalanche, and it descended w ithout w arning upon the
m an and the fire, and the fire was blotted out! W here it had burned
was a m antle o f fresh and disordered snow.
24
The m an was shocked. It was as though he had just heard his own
sentence o f death. For a m om ent he sat and stared at the spot where
the fire had been. T hen he grew very calm. Perhaps the old-tim er on
Sulphur C reek was right. If he h ad only had a trail mate, he w ould
have been in no danger now. The trail m ate could have built the fire.
Well, it was up to him to build the fire over again, and this second
tim e there m ust be no failure. Even if he succeeded, he w ould m ost
likely lose som e toes. His feet m ust be badly frozen by now, and there
w ould be som e tim e before the second fire was ready.
25
Such were his thoughts, but he did n o t sit and th in k them . He
was busy all the tim e they were passing th ro u g h his m ind. H e m ade a
new foundation for a fire, this tim e in the open, w here no treacherous
tree could blot it out. Next he gathered d ry grasses and tiny twigs
from the high-w ater flotsam .13 He could no t bring his fingers together
to pull them out, but he was able to gather them by the handful. In
this way he got m any rotten twigs and bits o f green m oss th at were
undesirable, but it was the best he could do. He w orked methodically,
even collecting an arm ful o f the larger branches to be used later w hen
the fire gathered strength. A nd all the w hile the dog sat and w atched
22
LA N G U A G E C O N VEN TIO N S
Annotate: Mark the sentences
in paragraph 24 that indicate
the story's tone.
Analyze: Is the tone still
consistent or has it changed? If
it has changed, how so?
12conflagration: large fire.
13high-water flotsam: branches and debris washed ashore by a stream or river
during the warm months, when the water is high.
470
Unit 5
NOTICE & NOTE
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him, a certain yearning wistfulness in its eyes, for it looked upon him
as the fire provider, and the fire was slow in coming.
26
W hen all was ready, the m an reached in his pocket for a second
piece of birch bark. He knew the bark was there, and, though he
could not feel it with his fingers, he could hear its crisp rustling as he
fumbled for it. Try as he would, he could not clutch hold of it. And all
the time, in his consciousness, was the knowledge that each instant
his feet were freezing. This thought tended to put him in a panic, but
he fought against it and kept calm. He pulled on his mittens with his
teeth, and threshed his arms back and forth, beating his hands with
all his might against his sides. He did this sitting down, and he stood
up to do it; and all the while the dog sat in the snow, its wolf brush
of a tail curled around warmly over its forefeet, its sharp wolf ears
pricked forward intently as it watched the man. And the man, as he
beat and threshed with his arms and hands, felt a great surge of envy
as he regarded the creature that was warm and secure in its natural
covering.
27
After a time he was aware of the first faraway signals of sensation
in his beaten fingers. The faint tingling grew stronger till it evolved
into a stinging ache that was excruciating, but which the m an hailed
with satisfaction. He stripped the m itten from his right hand and
fetched forth the birch bark. The exposed fingers were quickly going
num b again. Next he brought out his bunch of sulphur matches. But
the trem endous cold had already driven the life out of his fingers. In
his effort to separate one match from the others, the whole bunch
fell in the snow. He tried to pick it out of the snow, but failed. The
dead fingers could neither touch nor clutch. He was very careful. He
drove the thought of his freezing feet, and nose, and cheeks, out of
his mind, devoting his whole soul to the matches. He watched, using
the sense of vision in place of that of touch, and when he saw his
fingers on each side of the bunch, he closed them —that is, he willed
to close them, for the wires were down, and the fingers did not obey.
He pulled the m itten on the right hand, and beat it fiercely against
his knee. Then, with both mittened hands, he scooped the bunch of
matches, along with much snow, into his lap. Yet he was no better off.
28
After some manipulation he managed to get the bunch between
the heels of his m ittened hands. In this fashion he carried it to his
mouth. The ice crackled and snapped when by a violent effort he
opened his mouth. He drew the lower jaw in, curled the upper lip out
of the way, and scraped the bunch with his upper teeth in order to
separate a match. He succeeded in getting one, which he dropped on
his lap. He was no better off. He could not pick it up. Then he devised
a way. He picked it up in his teeth and scratched it on his leg. Twenty
times he scratched before he succeeded in lighting it. As it flamed he
held it with his teeth to the birch bark. But the burning brim stone
A N A LY Z E S E T T IN G
Annotate: Mark the sentences
in paragraph 27 that depict the
man's struggle with nature.
Draw Conclusions: How
do these details represent
naturalist ideas?
To Build a Fire 471
NOTICE & NOTE
W ORDS OF THE W ISER
Notice & Note: Mark the advice
the "old-timer on Sulphur
Creek" had offered to the man.
Contrast: What did the main
character think of the warning
initially, and what does he
think now?
14spasmodically: in a sudden, violent manner; fitfully.
15apathetically: with little interest or concern; indifferently.
472
Unit 5
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went up his nostrils and into his lungs, causing him to cough
spasmodically.14 The match fell into the snow and went out.
29
The old-tim er on Sulphur Creek was right, he thought in the
m om ent of controlled despair that ensued: After fifty below, a man
should travel with a partner. He beat his hands, but failed in exciting
any sensation. Suddenly he bared both hands, removing the mittens
with his teeth. He caught the whole bunch between the heels of his
hands. His arm muscles, not being frozen, enabled him to press the
hand heels tightly against the matches. Then he scratched the bunch
along his leg. It flared into flame, seventy sulphur matches at once!
There was no wind to blow them out. He kept his head to one side to
escape the strangling fumes, and held the blazing bunch to the birch
bark. As he so held it, he became aware of sensation in his hand. His
flesh was burning. He could smell it. Deep down below the surface he
could feel it. The sensation developed into pain that grew acute. And
still he endured it, holding the flame of matches clumsily to the bark
that would not light readily because his own burning hands were in
the way, absorbing most of the flame.
30
At last, w hen he could endure no m ore, he jerked his hands apart.
The blazing matches fell sizzling into the snow, but the birch bark was
alight. He began laying dry grass and the tiniest twigs on the flame.
He could not pick and choose, for he had to lift the fuel between the
heels of his hands. Small pieces of rotten wood and green moss clung
to the twigs, and he bit them off as well as he could with his teeth.
He cherished the flame carefully and awkwardly. It meant life, and
it must not perish. The withdrawal of blood from the surface of his
body now made him begin to shiver, and he grew more awkward. A
large piece of green moss fell squarely on the little fire. He tried to
poke it out with his fingers, but his shivering frame made him poke
too far, and he disrupted the nucleus of the little fire, the burning
grasses and tiny twigs separating and scattering. He tried to poke
them together again, but in spite of the tenseness of the effort, his
shivering got away with him, and the twigs were hopelessly scattered.
Each twig gushed a puff of smoke and went out. The fire provider
had failed. As he looked apathetically15 about him, his eyes chanced
on the dog, sitting across the ruins of the fire from him, in the snow,
making restless, hunching movements, slightly lifting one forefoot
and then the other, shifting its weight back and forth on them with
wistful eagerness.
31
The sight of the dog put a wild idea into his head. He
remembered the tale of the man, caught in a blizzard, who killed a
steer and crawled inside the carcass, and so was saved. He would kill
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the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until the numbness
went out of them. Then he could build another fire. He spoke to
the dog, calling it to him; but in his voice was a strange note of fear
that frightened the animal, who had never known the m an to speak
in such a way before. Something was the matter, and its suspicious
nature sensed danger_ it knew not what danger, but somewhere,
somehow, in its brain arose an apprehension of the man. It flattened
its ears down at the sound of the m ans voice, and its restless,
hunching movements and the liftings and shiftings of its forefeet
became more pronounced; but it would not come to the man. He got
on his hands and knees and crawled toward the dog. This unusual
posture again excited suspicion, and the animal sidled mincingly16
away.
32
The m an sat up in the snow for a m om ent and struggled for
calmness. Then he pulled on his mittens, by means of his teeth, and
got up on his feet. He glanced down at first in order to assure himself
that he was really standing up, for the absence of sensation in his feet
left him unrelated to the earth. His erect position in itself started to
drive the webs of suspicion from the dogs mind; and when he spoke
peremptorily,17 with the sound of whiplashes in his voice, the dog
rendered its customary allegiance and came to him. As it came within
reaching distance, the m an lost his control. His arms flashed out to
the dog, and he experienced genuine surprise when he discovered
that his hands could not clutch, that there was neither bend nor
feeling in the fingers. He had forgotten for the m om ent that they were
frozen and that they were freezing more and more. All this happened
quickly, and before the animal could get away, he encircled its body
with his arms. He sat down in the snow, and in this fashion held the
dog, while it snarled and whined and struggled.
33
But it was all he could do, hold its body encircled in his arms and
sit there. He realized that he could not kill the dog. There was no way
to do it. W ith his helpless hands he could neither draw nor hold his
sheath knife nor throttle the animal. He released it, and it plunged
wildly away, its tail between its legs and still snarling. It halted forty
feet away and surveyed him curiously, with ears sharply pricked
forward. The m an looked down at his hands in order to locate them,
and found them hanging on the ends of his arms. It struck him as
curious that one should have to use his eyes in order to find out
where his hands were. He began threshing his arms back and forth,
beating the m ittened hands against his sides. He did this for five
minutes, violently, and his heart pum ped enough blood up to the
surface to put a stop to his shivering. But no sensation was aroused in
his hands. He had an impression that they hung like weights on the
A N A LY Z E SET T IN G
Annotate: Mark the point
in paragraph 31 where the
narrative shifts from the
man's perspective to the dog's
perspective.
Compare: One naturalist idea is
that humans are simply animals.
How do the thoughts of the
man and the instincts of the
dog suggest that London views
them both as animals trying to
survive?
16sidled mincingly: moved sideways with small steps.
17peremptorily: in a commanding way.
To Build a Fire
473
NOTICE & NOTE
A N A LY Z E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: Mark the words in
paragraph 34 that show a shift
in the man's attitude.
Evaluate: How do the man's
actions reflect a change in
his attitude? What underlying
motivations drive his choices
and actions now?
ends of his arms, but when he tried to run the impression down, he
could not find it.
34
A certain fear o f death, dull and oppressive, cam e to him . This
fear quickly became poignant18 as he realized that it was no longer
a mere m atter of freezing his fingers and toes, or of losing his hands
and feet, but that it was a matter of life and death, with the chances
against him. This threw him into a panic, and he turned and ran up
the creek bed along the old, dim trail. The dog joined in behind and
kept up with him. He ran blindly, without intention, in fear such as
he had never known in his life. Slowly, as he plowed and floundered
through the snow, he began to see things again—the banks of the
creek, the old tim ber jams, the leafless aspens, and the sky. The
running made him feel better. He did not shiver. Maybe, if he ran on,
his feet would thaw out; and, anyway, if he ran far enough, he would
reach the camp and the boys. W ithout doubt he would lose some
fingers and toes and some of his face; but the boys would take care
of him, and save the rest of him when he got there. And, at the same
time, there was another thought in his m ind that said he would never
get to the camp and the boys; that it was too many miles away, that
the freezing had too great a start on him, and that he would soon be
stiff and dead. This thought he kept in the background and refused
18poignant: painfully affecting feelings; touching.
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Unit 5
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NOTICE & NOTE
to consider. Sometimes it pushed itself forward and dem anded to be
heard, but he thrust it back and strove to think of other things.
35
It stru ck him as curious th at he could ru n at all on feet so frozen
that he could not feel them when they struck the earth and took the
weight of his body. He seemed to him self to skim along above the
surface, and to have no connection with the earth. Somewhere he had
once seen a winged Mercury,19 and he wondered if M ercury felt as he
felt when skimming over the earth.
36
His th eo ry o f ru n n in g until he reached cam p and the boys had
one flaw in it: He lacked the endurance. Several times he stumbled,
and finally he tottered, crum pled up, and fell. W hen he tried to rise,
he failed. He must sit and rest, he decided, and next time he would
merely walk and keep on going. As he sat and regained his breath, he
noted that he was feeling quite warm and comfortable. He was not
shivering, and it even seemed that a warm glow had come to his chest
and trunk. And yet, when he touched his nose or cheeks, there was
no sensation. Running would not thaw them out. Nor would it thaw
out his hands and feet. Then the thought came to him that the frozen
portions of his body must be extending. He tried to keep this thought
19Mercury: in Roman mythology, messenger of the gods, who is depicted wearing
winged sandals and a winged hat.
To Build a Fire
475
NOTICE & NOTE
A N A LYZ E S ETTIN G
Annotate: Mark details in
paragraph 37 that indicate the
man's fate is sealed.
Analyze: In what ways has the
setting driven the plot and led
to this moment?
A N A LYZ E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: Mark details in
paragraph 38 that show the
man is dying.
Draw Conclusions: How do his
thoughts signal the resolution
of the story? What is the man's
final realization?
Unit 5
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20anesthetic: medication that causes loss of the sensation of pain.
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down, to forget it, to think of something else; he was aware of the
panicky feeling that it caused, and he was afraid of the panic. But the
thought asserted itself, and persisted, until it produced a vision of his
body totally frozen. This was too much, and he made another wild
run along the trail. Once he slowed down to a walk, but the thought
of the freezing extending itself made him run again.
37
And all the time the dog ran with him, at his heels. W hen he
fell down a second time, it curled its tail over its forefeet and sat in
front of him, facing him, curiously eager and intent. The warmth and
security of the animal angered him, and he cursed it till it flattened
down its ears appeasingly. This time the shivering came more
quickly upon the man. He was losing in this battle with the frost. It
was creeping into his body from all sides. The thought of it drove
him on, but he ran no more than a hundred feet when he staggered
and pitched headlong. It was his last panic. W hen he had recovered
his breath and control, he sat up and entertained in his m ind the
conception of meeting death with dignity. However, the conception
did not come to him in such terms. His idea of it was that he had
been making a fool of himself, running around like a chicken with
its head cut off—such was the simile that occurred to him. Well, he
was bound to freeze anyway, and he might as well take it decently.
W ith this newfound peace of m ind came the first glimmerings of
drowsiness. A good idea, he thought, to sleep off to death. It was like
taking an anesthetic.20 Freezing was not so bad as people thought.
There were lots worse ways to die.
He pictured the boys finding his body next day. Suddenly he
38
found him self with them, coming along the trail and looking for
himself. And, still with them, he came around a turn in the trail and
found himself lying in the snow. He did not belong with himself
anymore, for even then he was out of himself, standing with the
boys and looking at himself in the snow. It certainly was cold, was
his thought. W hen he got back to the States, he could tell the folks
what real cold was. He drifted on from this to a vision of the oldtim er on Sulphur Creek. He could see him quite clearly, warm and
comfortable, and smoking a pipe.
“You were right, old hoss; you were right,” the m an mumbled to
39
the old-tim er of Sulphur Creek.
Then the m an drowsed off into what seemed to him the most
40
comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known. The dog sat
facing him and waiting. The brief day drew to a close in a long, slow
twilight. There were no signs of a fire to be made, and, besides, never
in the dogs experience had it known a m an to sit like that in the snow
and make no fire. As the twilight drew on, its eager yearning for the
fire mastered it, and with a great lifting and shifting of forefeet, it
NOTICE & NOTE
whined softly, then flattened its ears down in anticipation of being
chidden21 by the man. But the m an remained silent. Later, the dog
w hined loudly. And still later it crept close to the m an and caught the
scent of death. This made the animal bristle and back away. A little
longer it delayed, howling under the stars that leaped and danced and
shone brightly in the cold sky. Then it turned and trotted up the trail
in the direction of the camp it knew, where there were the other food
providers and fire providers.
21chidden: scolded.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Answer these questions before moving on to the A n a ly z e th e Text section on
the following page.
1 How does the man's attitude change toward the old-tim er on Sulphur
Creek?
A He begins to distrust him.
B He begins to respect him.
C He intends to ignore him.
D He hopes not to meet him.
2 Why did the man w atch the terrain so carefully as he w alked?
F He was looking for rabbit holes under the snow.
G He thought he would lose the trail if he didn't watch.
H He feared breaking through to w ater under the snow.
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He was looking for the m atches he had dropped.
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3 Why did the man think he would make it to his cam p?
A
He thought he knew and understood the cold.
B
The cam p was close and the path was well traveled.
1
5
C The boys he would be m eeting had m arked the route.
D The old-tim er on Sulphur Creek told him he would.
A N A LY Z E C H A R A C TER
Annotate: In paragraph 40,
mark the actions the dog
associates with humans.
Interpret: What are the dog's
motives for staying with the
man? How does this behavior
relate to naturalism?