«È il suo fuoco»
Butcher's Crossing«È il suo fuoco» is Charley Hoge’s decisive description of the blaze Miller set while burning the hides. The phrase both identifies the fire’s source and helps stop William Andrews from intervening: it turns Andrews’s alarm into recognition that Miller is acting on his own authority, with consequences the onlookers can only witness.
The Phrase in Its Scene
Miller rides his horse among the smoking bales, pushing them toward the burning shack and forcing isolated bales into the edge of the flames. Seeing this, William Andrews cries out that Miller is mad and moves forward, fearing he will kill himself. Charley Hoge stops him with an emphatic instruction to let Miller continue, then identifies the blaze as Miller’s own fire.
Confirmation and Recognition
William Andrews turns to ask whether Miller started it. Charley Hoge nods and repeats the identification. The exchange makes explicit what Andrews had not understood: Miller is not merely taking a reckless risk near an accidental fire; he lit it. The phrase is therefore a revelation about the act’s authorship, delivered at the moment Andrews is deciding whether to intervene.
Meaning and Dramatic Function
The possessive in «È il suo fuoco» gives Miller a claim over the blaze without suggesting ordinary ownership. In context, it marks the fire as his undertaking and supports Hoge’s demand that the others leave him to it. After Andrews’s first impulse to act, Hoge’s words halt him; the villagers remain still and watch as Miller continues moving hides into the flames. The phrase compresses the scene’s tension into a distinction between witnessing Miller’s dangerous act and trying to stop it.
