STORY BASICS (Literal Comprehension)
This is the year William and Susan Travis travel back in time to.
1938
This emotion best describes how William feels about returning to 2155.
fear/terror
This animal in the title represents the couple's situation in the story. (say animal and situation)
a fox (being hunted/trapped)
This is where the story takes place geographically.
Mexico
This is the narrative point of view used in the story.
third person omniscient
This is the reason William and Susan decided to escape to the past.
to avoid the war in 2155
This is why Susan wants to stay in 1938 instead of going back.
because life is peaceful/there's no war
The "forest" in the title symbolizes this for the characters.
the past/a place to hide
This happens when William sees the newspaper headline about the war.
He realizes they cannot escape history
This literary device does Bradbury use when describing William's emotional state.
imagery/metaphor
This is where the money the couple paid for their time-travel trip came from.
their life savings
This explains why William is more worried than Susan about their decision
he understands the consequences better/he's more realistic
This theme is represented by the couple's inability to completely change their identities.
"you cannot escape yourself/your nature"
How does the author build tension throughout the story?
through William's increasing anxiety/paranoia
This is the mood Bradbury creates throughout most of the story.
tense/anxious/foreboding
This is what happens to William's face when he gets emotional about their situation.
it turns pale/he becomes white
This is what William means when he says they are "not supposed to be here.
they're breaking time travel rules/they're changing history
This is what Bradbury suggests about the relationship between past and future through this story.
The past cannot solve future problems/escape is impossible
This event serves as the climax of the story.
William's realization that they must return to face their time
This is how Bradbury uses dialogue to reveal character differences.
through contrasting attitudes toward their situation
These are the specific items Susan mentions they left behind in 2155
their clothes, house, and friends
This is the deeper reason why the couple's relationship becomes tense during the story.
they have different attitudes toward responsibility/consequences
This is the irony in the couple's attempt to find peace in the past.
They bring their future anxieties with them/they can't truly escape
This is the significance of the story's circular structure.
It shows the inevitability of facing one's responsibilities
This is the effect of Bradbury's use of present-tense moments within the past-tense narrative.
It creates immediacy and highlights the characters' psychological state