Question

Jack London, "To Build a Fire" – Which of the following best describes the dog's way of knowing and responding to its surroundings?

1) The dog has lost touch with the natural world because of the time it has spent indoors with men.
2) The dog responds instinctively to its surroundings based on intuition inherited from its ancestors.
3) The dog rationally calculates its position in the natural world based on its life experience.
4) The dog is oblivious to its surroundings because it is an unthinking beast without intelligence.

Answer 1

Option 2, which states that the dog responds to its surroundings instinctively based on intuition inherited from its ancestors, is the best descriptor of the dog’s behavior in Jack London's "To Build a Fire".

Step-by-step explanation:

Among the provided options, 2) The dog responds instinctively to its surroundings based on intuition inherited from its ancestors best describes the dog's way of knowing and responding to its surroundings in Jack London's "To Build a Fire". Throughout the story, the dog is shown to be highly intuitive and aware of the extreme dangers posed by the cold environment due to its natural instincts, which it has inherited from its wild ancestors. In stark contrast to the man, who often ignores the signs of danger due to his lack of experience and understanding, the dog is in tune with its natural survival instincts, recognizing the need for fire and the danger of the frigid conditions.

Through this portrayal, London juxtaposes human's limited perception against the dog's instinctual knowledge, emphasizing the theme of naturalism where entities are at the mercy of their environment and biological makeup. The dog's actions are not a result of rational calculation or unawareness, but rather an embodiment of ancestral wisdom that favors survival in the harsh Yukon setting.