The following passage is from Jack London's "To Build a Fire": "It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of the sun. This fact did not worry the man. He was used to the lack of the sun. What is conveyed by the author's word choice?

a) The phrase "It was a clear day" foreshadows that the story will have a bright and positive tone.

b) The phrase "He was used to the lack of the sun" indicates the man had never been outside.

c) Words like "pall" and "gloom" suggest that something bad may happen in the story.