Like a House on Fire

by

Cate Kennedy

A House on Fire Symbol Icon

The story’s title, “Like a House on Fire,” is not only the name for Cate Kennedy’s wider short story collection, but the image—of a house on fire—is also a central symbol throughout this particular story. It is first introduced when the narrator describes the strain that his injury has had on his marriage with Claire. He contrasts the current state of their relationship—filled with “frustration and fury,” “grimaces,” and “excruciating discussion[s]”—to how things were before the accident: “Listening to the two of us, you'd never believe that we used to get on like a house on fire.” Here, the narrator uses the simile to describe how close him and Claire were in the past, and how strong and happy their marriage was. The expression “like a house on fire” connotes friendship, passion, and love. Shortly after making this comparison, however, the narrator changes his mind. He decides that the expression actually better describes danger, disaster, and destruction, and acknowledges that this is a more accurate portrayal of his current relationship with Claire: “but now that I think of it, a house on fire is a perfect description for what seems to be happening now: these flickering small resentments […] this faint, acrid smell of smoke.” The symbol of a house on fire therefore comes to represent the strength—or fragility—of his marriage, and how worried the narrator is about losing control over yet another aspect of his life. At the story’s close, Kennedy portrays how a gentle exchange between the narrator and his wife allows them to rekindle their fraught relationship, creating a “controlled burn” in place of a roaring fire. Through this final allusion to the house on fire, Kennedy suggests that with patience, communication, and understanding, the couple will be able to save their marriage, even in the face of adversity.

A House on Fire Quotes in Like a House on Fire

The Like a House on Fire quotes below all refer to the symbol of A House on Fire. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Humiliation and Masculinity Theme Icon
).
Like A House on Fire Quotes

Listening to the two of us, you'd never believe that we used to get on like a house on fire, that even after we had the kids, occasionally we'd stay up late, just talking. But now that I think of it, a house on fire is a perfect description for what seems to be happening now: these flickering small resentments licking their way up into the wall cavities; this faint, acrid smell of smoke. And suddenly, before you know it, everything threatening to go roaring out of control […] And what am I? The guy who can't get the firetruck started? The one turning and turning the creaking tap, knowing the tank is draining empty, the one with the taste of ash in his mouth and all this black and brittle aftermath?

Related Characters: The narrator (speaker), Claire
Related Symbols: A House on Fire
Page Number: 87
Explanation and Analysis:

I look at her, feeling that small heat build between us. Our breaths fuelling it, close to the ground. This is how you do it, I think, stick by careful stick over the ashes, oxygen and fuel, a controlled burn.

Related Characters: The narrator (speaker), Claire
Related Symbols: A House on Fire
Page Number: 91
Explanation and Analysis:
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Like a House on Fire PDF

A House on Fire Symbol Timeline in Like a House on Fire

The timeline below shows where the symbol A House on Fire appears in Like a House on Fire. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Like A House on Fire
Humiliation and Masculinity Theme Icon
Chaos vs. Order Theme Icon
Intimacy, Communication, and Humor Theme Icon
...distance growing between him and Claire. He remembers how they used to “get on like a house on fire ,” meaning that they loved spending time together, but realizes now that this is actually... (full context)
Intimacy, Communication, and Humor Theme Icon
...[…] Happy Christmas,.” The narrator feels a “small heat build between” them, the start of “a controlled burn .” Here, in the early hours of the morning, they share a loving and intimate... (full context)