Mackenzie Lee

Mrs. Hawkins
English 8
9 November 2015
Born to be a Wolf
Jean de La Fontaine, one of the most famous French fabulist and poet, said,A person
often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it. In Jack Londons classic book novel,
The Call of the Wild, a dog named Buck is kidnapped from his perfect life and learns to survive
as a sled dog in the harsh conditions of Yukon until he fills his full hereditary potential and learns
the ways of the wolves. Through the use of juxtaposition, London shows Bucks transformation
from a domesticated dog to a wild wolf. As Buck struggles to survive in the arctic North, he
hears his ancestors guide him and show him how to adapt to the wild lifestyle. And not only did
he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again (pg. 25). As Buck learns
from his and others mistakes, he also feels an awakening call from his ancestors who show him
the path to survival. Jack London blends the art of language and style to show how two opposites
when forced together in juxtaposition results in Bucks resurrection into the wolf he was born to
be.