Part 3 "To Build a Fire"

Poll

Which of the following answers this question BEST: The dog is able to use its instincts to assess the danger. How is this a contrast to the man?

• The dog is able to use its instincts…[while] the man lets his emotions and ego get in the way of his survival. While the dog realizes things through his instincts and then acts on them, the man tries to pretend like they aren't true to make himself feel better about himself.

• The man is incapable of surviving the harsh terrain because…[he] is not cautious of how to properly survive. The man is prideful, but the dog is not. The dog knows that it is life-threatening to be in this situation, but the man dived head first into it, thinking it would be smooth sailing.

• While the dog has good instincts, the man only has his brain, which is not trained for surviving in the cold. Dogs, on the other hand, are able to survive in the cold well because they have been doing this for way longer than humans.

Poll

Which of the following answers this question BEST:

What is unexpected or strange about the narrator's description of the stars? OR How does the setting at the end contrast with the description in the first paragraph of the story?

• It is unexpected because the story has always had a more "manly" view of the setting. Earlier in the story, the setting was dark and gloomy and now as the man is dying the setting is nicer…It has something to do with the man finally finding peace and being at rest…Now that he has died and has peace with it all, the setting reflects his peace with the world…The man's death could be the beginning of a new life for the dog, free from its master.

• Here the stars show a major contrast from the start of the book. At the start, the weather was gloomy, dull…The man was very confident in his ability to reach the camp, he was warm, and made good progress. The stars show the contrast between the start and end of this journey:  "the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky" shows that at the end of this journey, the night sky was bright, and the stars danced, the man was on the brink of death…he had given up all confidence and accepted his inevitable death.

Open Ended

Does our protagonist (the man) value imagination, intelligence, or companionship most? Explain.

Open Ended

Is this story a tragedy in the classical Greek sense of the word, in which a flaw undoes the tragic hero? In the classical tradition, that flaw was often hubris or excessive pride. Is this a simple case of too much arrogance? Is that his major flaw or is it some other trait?

Open Ended

If the protagonist had had a companion with him, would he be alive? If so, what does that suggest about a theme for this story? If not, what is responsible for his tragic end, and what theme is suggested by that answer?

Open Ended

The central conflict in this story is man vs. nature. How does London portray nature and what does he suggest is the appropriate way for us to relate to nature?