Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” (1908)
EQ: What is the relationship of man and nature in London's short story "To Build a Fire"?
In London's story, what is the difference between knowledge and instinct ?
This story is fairly long, but it’s good. Promise. Please continue to work on annotating the text as you read. (Or, if you prefer, read once without annotating, look through this list, then read again to mark the appropriate elements.)
Opening Paragraph

Note the adjectives used to describe the opening scene.


How would you describe the
What is the mood setting in this opening paragraph?
of this opening paragraph? How does this opening make you feel as a reader?

What is the man's reaction to the landscape?
The Man

How would you describe the man in London's story?

How experienced is the man? Is he a novice? Prepared?

What does the man seem to think of his own abilities?

How does the man behave in relation to his environment?
The Narrator
 What’s the point of view? (first person, third person. . .)

Mark each time the narrator. . .
 has knowledge unknown to the characters themselves OR
 provides his own commentary
(You might use two different colored highlighters for this.)

How would you describe the tone of the narrator? (Mark a few passages to support yourself here.)

Does the narration foreshadow subsequent events? How?

How does the narrator feel about the characters? How do you know?
The Man and the Dog

How is the relationship between the man and the dog discussed at first?

What did the dog instinctively understand that the man did not?
 Hmmmm…what does the dog symbolize?
Okay, that’s enough to get started. Be ready to discuss these topics (and anything else about the story that you find particularly interesting or perplexing) tomorrow.