“He was a killer, a thing that preyed, living on the things that lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of his own strength and prowess, surviving triumphantly in a hostile environment where only the strong survive” (Jack London). In Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild” Buck was an average domesticated dog from a loving family, until he was kidnapped and forced to become a sled dog during the Alaska Gold Rush. There he was obligated to adapt to the harsh conditions of the wild if he wished to survive. Buck was a very intelligent dog and was able to learn by watching the native dogs, if he hadn’t then he would not have been able to survive.
After his kidnapping, Buck was forced to learn many new survival techniques; otherwise he would not have been
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Buck meets the man in the red sweater in chapter one and is instantly shown his place. The author shows us into the mind of Buck after he is severely beaten by the man with a club, “The club was his revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law…the lesson was driven home to Buck: a man with a club was a lawgiver, a master to be obeyed…” (London, Pg. 6). Subsequently Buck is let out to roam with the other dogs. He sees that these dogs, or more specifically Spritz, are not to be provoked. One wrong move and he would wind up like Curly; an amicable dog that was ripped apart because she didn’t know the rules. These events are referenced throughout the book as the law of club and fang, and it is this that begins an awakening into his wild nature. After a while Buck adds another lesson to the law. Coming home after hunting he finds Indians had shot and murdered the humans he was staying with. Buck converts into a raging monster, full of hatred for these strange men who executed his mast, and kills every one of them, although they had arrows. He was so proud; he had killed the noblest game of all however, he learned an important lesson, “he would be unafraid of them [humans] except when they bore in their hands their arrows, spears, and clubs.” (London, Pg.
One of Buck's Internal Conflict is choosing between a master or a wolf pack(love of John Thornton and the Call of the wild).
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.
Buck undertook the mission of learning how to survive in the wild. Buck, a domesticated dog, was stolen and forced into the Klondike. He had to learn how to survive so he adapted by following the law of Club and Fang. He respected
Then over the course of the novel Buck transforms into a wild dog as a result of being thrown into the Klondike regions of Canada. While in the wild Buck abandons morals in order to survive because in the wild the strongest dogs rules and there is no right or wrong. Through Buck’s transformation the differences between the wilderness and civilization are highlighted. In civilization people abide by the rules and act based on their moral opinions. However in the wild the strongest man will survive while the weak will not thrive. Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest has a strong relevance in the book because Buck a young strong dog conquers and rules over the older dogs and the weaker
First, Buck goes to the woods despite his love John Thornton. For example, Buck sneaks off into the woods to hunt and eat, but then returns to John Thornton’s camp by night. Since Buck is going to the wilderness to hunt, he is beginning to accept his feral dog side. Second, Buck interacts with wildlife. For instance, he encountered a wolf and ran through the forest with him and Buck looks for him the next day. Since Buck looks for the wolf and has ran with him, Buck starts to interact with wildlife. Last, Buck joins a wolf pack. For example, Buck defends himself from the attacking wolf members and is accepted into the group. Since Buck joins a pack and eventually leads it, he embraces his inner wild dog side and instincts. In conclusion, sneaking off into the forest, interacting with wildlife and joining a pack are ways that Buck embraces his dormant wild dog.
A quick learner, he adapts well to the sled dog life. His heritage also helped him become accustomed to the harsh Klondike climate. Some difficulties such as sore feet and a voracious appetite set him back at the beginning, but he speedily overcomes them. Buck goes through several masters and many thousands of miles. Along the way, he learns “The Law of Club and Fang”: never challenge a human that has a weapon, and once a fighting dog falls to the ground, roaming huskies quickly destroy it.
The Call of the Wild, on the surface, is a story about Buck, a four- year old dog that is part Shepherd and part St. Bernard. More importantly, it is a naturalistic tale about the survival of the fittest in nature. Throughout the novel, Buck proves that he is fit and can endure the law of the club, the law of the fang, and the laws of nature.
Throughout the novella London uses various figurative language techniques to portray Buck’s gain of knowledge of the wild. From the beginning of the novella Buck’s life is easy and calm, then when he is forced to become a sled dog he is disorientated and is confused to what is happening. He progressively learns more things about the real world and starts to understand it. At the start of the novella London shows that at Judge Miller’s house he is the king and he is the one in charge. This is show when London writes “And over this great demesne Buck ruled.”. Lat...
In The Call of the Wild, Buck has a theoretical relationship with a man like no other relationship. The man, John Thornton, is a real outdoorsy, diligent man that knows how to treat fierceful canines right. John Thornton is Buck’s ideal master, and they never let each other out of their site (117). For example, when Buck hears his ancestors and other keen, primordial, primitive wolves howling for him to join the pack, at first, the dog simply denies it and stays at John Thornton’s camp near the mouth of the White River. Why would Buck not want to join his wolf friends? It is because Buck has the most unrealistic relationship and such love for just a man, meaning he would stay inside of his comfort zone with John Thornton, rather than joining the call of wildness (115). Having the evidence of Buck not joining his wolf friends and staying with a man proves Jack London is a nature faker due to his bogus writings of a
When Buck comes back to camp he finds the Yeehats have attacked and killed everyone and all the dogs. Buck then rages and kills the Yeehats with the realization afterwards that, “He had killed man the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang”(London 102). Buck has mentally adapted to the way of life and to the laws he learned. Such as the law of club and fang, once a dog is down that is the end of him and that dogs and men are savages. Buck transforms from a pampered house dog with a lavish life to a wolf with a mind of a leader and a mind of a hunter. His physical adaptations help him survive in this life he has been given and help satisfy his new self.Buck becomes a leader and a true wolf through his adaptations. In the end of the novel Buck finds a wolf pack and shows dominance he then sits down and joins the pack howling. And Buck “ran with them, side by side with the wild brother, yelping as he ran”(London ).Buck becomes one with the wild and changes from a pampered house pet in the beginning of the story to this wolf leader in the end. Buck becomes a legend. When he first met the wolf pack some tried to fight him but Buck won and they ended up accepting them as one of their own, as a wolf. Without all of the mental and physical adaptations Buck had he would not have gained their respect and been accepted as wolf, as a great leader and become this great
First off, Buck shows an act of heroism when he backs up and defends John Thornton at a bar. A very evil-tempered and malicious man named Burton was trying to pick a fight with the tenderfoot at the bar, and John Thornton came in between the two men. Without warning, Burton struck Thornton across the face. Instantly Buck hurled himself into Burton. “Those who were looking on heard what was neither bark nor yelp, but a something which is best described as a roar, and they saw Buck’s body rise up in the air as he left the floor for Burton’s throat” (87). Buck had to be pried off of Burton, so he didn’t kill him. Buck almost killed a man who only punched Thornton. If Buck had no civilization in him like critics said, he wouldn’t have defended his master. It even said in the book, “But his reputation was made, and from that day his name spread through every camp in Alaska” (87). This reputation he made was, “If you set a finger on John Thornton and Buck was around, be ready to get your head ripped off”. The only reason he had this reputation was because of the intense love he had for his owner, and a
First, we're going to talk about Buck's strength through the things that he faces and how he adapts to the circumstances. Being that Buck's character doesn't have any speaking parts one get a true sense of how Buck feels through the imagery throughout the story As the story begins we meet Buck, who is a spoiled, carefree and loved pet to Judge Miller in the "sun-kissed" Santa Clara val...
In The Call of the Wild, Buck finds comfort in his relationships with man. When he is initially removed from Judge Miller's house in Santa Clara Valley, he is given his first exposure to the wild where, "every moment life and limb were in peril" (London 31). But soon he finds himself not entirely ready to leave civilization and answer the call of the wild, because he must first experience love. Buck establishes a relationship with John Thornton, and "love, genuine passionate love, was his for the fir...
The law of club and fang applies to all creatures. Both man and animal are lured by the attractive forces of their ancestry. It is up to them to decide if they are willing to submit to the call and embrace their primitive nature. The Call of the Wild enlightens readers with a story about a dog who yields to said call and renounces his domesticated ways. Jack London juxtaposes the events in The Call of the Wild with those in his life by creating characters that are indicative of mankind, and incorporating the themes of heredity and the influence of the environment on both man and animal and double meanings of places and characters in the novel.
These men were not nice and would beat Buck and the other dogs very badly to let them