The Call of the Wild

By: John London

Submitted to:

Gliza Mae E. Monisit

Subject teacher

Submitted by:

John Josef R. Pizarro

I. Author’s Background

John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known
as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of
commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American
authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing.
He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science
fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco
and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism London
wrote several works dealing with such topics. London wrote more than two-hundred
short stories, twenty novels, four-hundred nonfiction works, and three plays in less
than twenty years. Despite his worldwide travels and diverse interests, he
maintained a disciplined, rigorous writing schedule: one thousand words (by hand)
every morning. Between 1900 and 1916 he completed more than 50 fiction and non-
fiction books, hundreds of short stories and numerous articles. Several of the books
and many of the short stories are classics and still popular; some have been
translated into as many as 70 languages. London uses a very descriptive and
straight forward Naturalist writing style which means that he provides vivid yet simple
descriptions of the natural settings. Just like the book that I read which is The Call of
the Wild. This style also allows London to really immerse the reader in these well-
known settings in nature. London’s writing brings the reader back to a simpler time,
much different to the complex and social society we live in today.

II. Chapter Summaries

Buck a half–St. Bernard, half Scotch Shepherd dog who lives happily in Judge
Miller’s house. His immense freedom defines his position as the king. Unlike those
residing in kennels, he roams freely within and beyond the compound. But just like
any other dog, he has a natural tendency to be trusting and selectively identifies with
the people he knows. For this reason, he ends up blindly trusting Manuel who leads
him to misery and untold experiences. Being a strong, masculine dog with a hairy
body makes him ideal for the intended toils in the North; he has the required strength
and can thrive well under the freezing weather. However, it is such advantages that
leads him to trouble. The interaction with the strangers he meets throughout the
journey confirms his aggressive nature and distrust in strangers. However, the man
in the red sweater appears to have adequate skills in breaking dogs, for he manages
to calm Buck amid the wrath and anger. In turn, Buck gives in to the domination after
realizing that he cannot outdo the man with the club an indication of self-preservation
and the acknowledgment of defeat. The journey on the Narwhal seems exciting for
he is in the company and the protection of other dogs. The reaction he portrays, after
stepping on snow for the very first time, indicates his innocence as a domesticated
dog.

Life in the north is tough, especially for a civilized town dog like Buck. The
new experiences portray the uncivilized world of men and sled dogs, living by
completely different rules from those of the civilized world. The events that befall
Curly and her death are a means of establishing the downsides of assuming that
every dog is friendly an occurrence that teaches Buck a lot about survival. It also
gives him a chance to learn different things that help him survive under extreme
conditions and circumstances. The knowledge he achieves becomes part of his
power, as he understands the irrelevance of fair play in the Northland and the
importance of strength and violence as essential survival skills. Furthermore, the
chaotic situations empower him to the extent that he develops a sense of belonging,
an attribute portrayed when he starts to steal food and fight other dogs in a wolf-like
manner a behaviour that would have attracted consequences back in Judge Miller’s
house.

The successful existence of Buck in the uncivilized world is remarkable.

Undeniably, he is an exemplary dog considering that others like him have not
managed to thrive under such extremities. Considering his past, and the many
situations faced since having joined the team, Buck is clearly a born leader and the
insecurity shown by Spitz is understandable. It is not easy letting an inexperienced
dog become the leader, which explains the constant fighting, an act meant to
intimidate and scare. Buck, on the other hand, is wise and patient and manages to
avoid the constant conflicts. But at some point, he grows tired of Spitz’s bullying and
retaliates — an indication that he is capable of fending off mistreatment from his
mates, no matter the hierarchy. The encounter with the wild huskies, which attacked
the camp and devoured the team’s food, affirms the lack of civilization in the
Northland and the extent of its insecurity. Furthermore, Dolly’s display of insanity
portray the hardships being experienced by the team. The rabbit chase
demonstrates how Buck has already taken the position of leader, specifically when
he leads the other dogs during the chase. Spitz’s attack on the dead rabbit, an
attribute portraying his weakness and inability to lead, was a clear signal for Buck to
finally defeat his rival. He fights skilfully and wisely, while keeping in mind that Spitz
is experienced in such fights, and is well aware of the expected outcomes of the fight
and the roles played by the circle of dogs. For this reason, he manages to hold his
ground until he defeats his opponent.

As previously observed, François has always praised and trusted Buck over
Spitz. The author affirms this double standard after François realizes that Spitz is
missing; instead of getting mad for losing a hardworking dog, he proceeds to
acknowledge Buck who believes that he deserves to be the leader after his victory.
This explains his unwillingness to continue working in his old position or letting Sol-
leks work as the lead dog. He never flees, but remains in the camp portraying his
willingness to work but only as the leader. François’ faith in Buck is seemingly
lacking for he did not view him as the ideal leader. Nonetheless, Buck proves him
wrong when he successfully takes up the role and performs beyond expectations.
The new work, under the new masters, shows how the dogs are able to operate
under any domination. Although the work is difficult, they perform well for they take
pride in the work they do while also having become comfortable with the toiling life.
As Buck ponders about his life, it becomes apparent that he is aware of his past and
acknowledges it as being important. The thought of ancient times and ancient man
signifies his connection with his ancestry. Dave’s condition and his efforts to continue
working portray his dedication in working as a sled dog as it is the only life he knows.
The Scotch Half-Breed later kills him, as he cannot let him continue suffering; he is
useless if he is not part of the team.

The journey from Dawson was long, and it had taken away most of the team’s
strength. For this reason, they all needed sufficient rest to rejuvenate and restore
their health. However, they are sold away after just three days. As maintaining the
team requires proper planning, such as finding an appropriate balance between
food, work, and rest, Hal and Charles demonstrates their lack of inexperience given
their decision to purchase weary dogs, and subsequently loading the sled with a lot
of unnecessary items, such as the tent. Their failure to heed the honest advice of
other experienced individuals further demonstrates their ignorance. Undoubtedly,
experienced individuals such as Perrault, François, and the Scotch Half-Breed would
have planned adequately for the journey and ensured that everything went well.
However, Hal, Charles, and Mercedes constantly made poor decisions, which made
their journey slow, tiring, and difficult. The introduction of John Thornton is the
author’s way of saving Buck, as well as portraying the impacts of ignoring good
advice.

III. Evaluation

The negative point of the story is that the story shows animal abuse because
through the story Buck is beaten and sometimes starve for not doing what he
supposed to do. While the positive point of the story is that despite the ups and
downs that Buck experienced, he just trusted his instincts, believes in his self and
tries his best in the end and achieve his goals and live the life he would want to live.
Just like the story of Bucks life I can really relate to it. Since I step to become a
STEM student I experienced many ups and downs but despite of those ups and
downs I just trusted, believed and tried my best so that in the future I will achieve my
goal to be free just like Buck. If I could change something in the story, I would
changes John Thornton’s death. If Thornton didn’t died he could become a billionaire
because of the gold he found out. Thornton can maybe see Bucks offspring’s and
make it a pet. The call of the wild teaches many valuable lessons in terms of valuing
pet ownership, adaptability, strengthening the inner strength, and above all
respecting our beloved nature. This is the first book that I’ve read in my entire life
and it was fun, that’s why I really recommend it.