The Call of the Wild is a book that follows a dog named Buck throughout his journey from the soft and civilized world to the harsh Alaskan tundra. There are several events throughout the story which that illustrate Buck’s gradual decline from a civilized state of mind to a savage and primal mode of thinking (though Jack London seems to believe that the civilized state of mind is a decline from the primal state of mind ). Jack London makes the implication that Buck is a wild dog, but I would argue against that claim. I would argue that each step Buck takes towards a more wild state of existence, as described by London, is a product of men and that the wild creature known as Buck is but an artificial creation—a construction of men. You see, Buck was forged by the actions of men, be they cruel or kind. The fiery sting of the whip and the thunderous plow of the “club” coupled with the heavy chains of bondage are the true crafters of Buck’s personality traits (London Ch. 1 ). Nearly every aspect of Buck’s life is shaped by humans in one way or another. Eventually, Buck would learn to be as cruel as the humans that torment him, as cunning a thief as that the scoundrel Manuel, and as great a breaker of dogs as was the man with the red sweater who first introduced Buck to the “law of club and fang” (London Ch. 2). I would further argue that Buck is so lethal a creature—a destroyer of those that challenge him—and so capable of surviving in the Alaskan wasteland not because he has mastered the ways of the wild, but because he has mastered the ways of men.
In the beginning, London describes a looming danger to Buck, a reality that would eventually break down the noble Buck and reshape him into a more volatile, cunning, and respected creat...
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...itical Essays, and bibliography. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1980. Print.
Wilcox, Earl J. “Jack London’s Naturalism: The Example of The Call of the Wild.” The Call of the Wild by Jack London: A Casebook with Text, Background Sources, Reviews, Critical Essays, and bibliography. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1980. 178-192. Print.
Earl J. Wilcox seems to be defending Jack London's reputation as a naturalist writer from the "nature-faker" accusations of Theodore Roosevelt and others who accused London of being a non-naturalist writer. On page 190, Wilcox states "The naturalism that characterizes this novel is not consistently developed. But neither is the naturalism always of rigid pattern in, for example, Norris's romantic ending of McTeague.” By comparing London to other respected nature writers, Wilcox is implying that London is on equal standing with Norris, a notable naturalist.
John Burroughs accused Jack London for being a ‘’Nature Faker’’. Some Critics even said London animal hero’s are men in fur. There is an article about writers like him that was asked can any writer create a believable and compelling nonhuman character without being a nature faker? Why might Jack London have chosen to attempt this difficult technical feat and what is he trying to communicate to readers through his portrayal of Buck? Richard E. Miller called Jon Krakauer’s critique of London vehemence. Krakauer’s fury was for authors whose life and words don’t line up. Since Mc...
Walcutt, C.C. American Literary Naturalism, A Divided Stream. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1952, p.66-82 Rpt in Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962.
The novel, The Call of the Wild, follows a four-year-old mixed Saint Bernard and Scottish shepherd, named Buck. In the beginning of the story, Buck lives in the home of Judge Miller, located at Santa Clara Valley, California. In Santa Clara, Buck lives a luxurious life. At the time of the story, gold is discovered in the North. With this discovery, the value of large dogs like Buck escalated dramatically. The dog’s value was due most to their ability to haul heavy sleds through the abundant snow. Unfortunately, Judge Miller’s servant, Manuel steals Buck to sell him to a band of dog-nappers to pay for his accumulating gambling debts. The ring of thieves that bought Buck is gaining a secure banking by trading the dog to northern executives. Buck, who has had an easy life so far, does not adapt well to the terrain as the other canines do. Buck does not easily tolerate the confinement and mistreatment of his new authority. Buck’s gains the misconception, which then is an aide that any man with a club is a dominator and must be obeyed.
The main theme of Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee is taking a
Finch, Robert, and John Elder. The Norton Book of Nature Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 1990. Print.
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”~Christopher Reeve (actor). In a 1912 review that angered writer Jack London, the author of The Call of the Wild, the critic Philo M. Blake, Jr. complained of the apparent barbarism that characterizes many of London’s heroes. Barbarism means an absence of culture or civilization which often includes extreme cruelty or brutality. The statement made by Philo M. Blake, Jr. is truly false about the protagonist Buck in The Call of the Wild. To make clear, Buck is the main character who is stolen and sold north for the Klondike gold rush. Buck has to adapt to the North, and he has to learn how to survive in the gruesome Canadian wild.
Abrams, MH, et al. Eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
Lee, never fooled anyone. He may have seemed strong in the beginning but he no substance under the shell. Such a false front can be compared to water behind an earthen dam. It may hold some water for a time but once the water finds a weak point, the whole structure comes crashing down along with the fury of all the water behind it. Within brady, the water represents the gooey inner core of his personality. Once he loses his composure in front of his once adoring audience the entire fluid of his persona comes crashing out. The only strength of Matthew Harrison Brady is his power in deliveringh his ideas. As in the earthen dam example, the townspeople represent the city protected from the water by the dam. Once the dam breaks, all the townspeople below get wet and are shaken to their foundations. Matthew Harrison Brady, without a doubt, deserves no sympathy. One example of Brady’s overly self-confidence would be "No…I believe we should welcome Henry Drummond." (Pg. 25). Ha! What a shock he is in for. His own "high and mighty" thinking is going to lead to his downfall. Even Brady is taken a tad aback by the news that Drummond will be joining the trial "Brady: (pale) Drummond?" (Pg. 25) While he basks in his loving audience of townspeople, he will yet be pulled down from his high throne to be questioned and scorned. While the town feels much stri...
William Henry Drummond is a renowned, successful, and acclaimed lawyer. A reaction to his name could be extremely varied, depending on whom you’d ask in the 1925 world. To the majority of the people in Hillsboro, for example, Drummond is perceived as a “vicious, godless man,” who will undoubtedly lose the trial to the beloved Matthew Harrison Brady. The results however, showed otherwise. Countless impressions of him are changed by the end of the trial. Drummond has many positive character traits which influenced his comportment in the “Monkey Trial”. He is a respectful, resourceful, and dignified man, and these traits prove to be accurate through the length of the trial.
Even if you think he is not, Jack London is a nature faker, still, due to former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. When a famous political leader came in to hand, it becomes obvious and out of control. It is true that Jack London was just trying to construct a majestic fictional novel, but he still took it too far on the personification and anthropomorphism for 1903. For example, when The Call of the Wild was first released, many people read the book and had mixed thoughts of it. The readers who think it is unrealistic call London the nature faker, while the people who think it was 100% realistic do not call him the nature fakers. After reading, tons of people joined the nature faker’s controversy and said Jack London is a nature faker. Some of those people include public figures and even Theodore Roosevelt. Admittedly, Jack London is a nature faker at
Jack London writing technique influence his readers to consider Social Darwinist has an outlook on life. Merriam Webster’s explain Social Darwinist “to study of the human society, specifically a theory I human sociology that individuals or groups achieve advantages over others as the result of genetic or biological superiority. In class my classmates interpret it as “the survival of the fittest.” I agree with them, but I feel that you have to learn and gain from your mistakes. For example how could the strong survive without concurring adversity? London expresses it as, “And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead becomes alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed (page 40).
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, is a classic piece of American literature. The novel follows the life of a dog named Buck as his world changes and in turn forces him to become an entirely new dog. Cruel circumstances require Buck to lose his carefree attitude and somewhat peaceful outlook on life. Love then enters his life and causes him to see life through new eyes. In the end, however, he must choose between the master he loves or the wildness he belongs in.
Jack London wrote the novel The Call of the Wild; it was also his first success (Feast). The Call of the Wild is an exciting beast fable which dramatizes the unforgiving harshness of existence but shows that suffering can lead to heroic self-awareness (Buckner). London was big on the philosophical idea of Naturalism. As well as having links with literary naturalism, "The Call of the Wild is also a mythical book informed throughout with such traditional myths as the Myth of the Hero." Although Buck is always a dog throughout the story, his predicament is highly relevant to the human condition in a novel beginning with concise patterns of description and moving toward an increasingly lyrical style (Williams). The protagonist of The Call of the Wild is a dog named Buck. He's part German Sheppard and half Saint Bernard, he's labeled the "hero" of the story. The story takes place primarily in the Klondike region of Alaska except for in the first chapter it takes place in the Santa Clara Valley of California. The story is centrally focused around Buck; if it wasn't for him not having any speaking parts the reader would think he was a human because of the personality traits he possesses. In this paper we will discuss traits such as Buck's ability to adapt, Buck's bravery, his mental and physical strength, his loyalty and love and his instinct of the wild.
Jack London was an American man of many talents, which included being an author, journalist and a social activist, despite being minimally educated. Nonetheless, he was undoubtedly most recognized for his short stories and novels that fixated on the harsh, cold climates that Mother Nature crafted. London focused on a deeper level of the wild and the literary devices in his work are littered throughout every one of his novels and short stories, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, as well as “To Build a Fire.”
Jack London brings man versus nature discussion into his story. The environment, however doesn't play against him for say, but does warn him from the very beginning. The audience can conclude that just like “the man” everyone is alone in the world - fighting for ourselves and the things we wish to acquire. The character created by London is isolated from the universe and fooli...