The novels Call of the Wild by Jack London and Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen both reveal aspects of character, personality through the thoughts and actions of the character. The authors, both create the main character’s personality by showing the reader how the character adapts to the surroundings, about the levels of intelligence of the character's in their settings, and the aggressive instincts of the character's. These aspects provide the reader with a complete understanding of the development of the character. London writes , “The day had been long and arduous, and he slept soundly and comfortably, though he growled and barked and wrestled with bad dreams.” (London, pg. 4). This helps the reader understand struggles about the character. This helps the reader also understand that Buck even though after all the work , He slept soundly even through the bad dreams that came away . When the author describes Brian, he says, “With no hesitation, not even the smallest part of a second’s delay, the bear turned and …show more content…
“ Everything in nature means something and he had missed the warnings that summer was ending , had in many ways already ended, and what was coming would be the most dangerous thing he had faced since the plane crash.” (Paulsen, pg 3) and “That night Buck faced the great problems of sleeping”. These two quotes tell us that Buck and Brian had situations and had to find ways to deal with them in their stories. Brian and Buck both realize that life isn’t always going to be easy. But even through those times they have to be ready and be strong. The novels Call of the Wild by Jack London and Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen both reveal aspects of character, personality through the thoughts and actions of the character, and also show, how the characters have to deal with situations throughout their
The protagonist of Brian's Winter is Brian. He is a thirteen year old boy of divorced parents. He is desperately trying to survive by himself in the wild. Brain is resourceful. For example “He used moose hide and made a pair of crude mittens.” (p. 88) This shows he is resourceful because he is using all the materials from the moose he killed instead of wasting it. Another character trait is Brian is smart. One quote to explain this is “Initially he had cooked meat over a fire on a stick, something he had seen in movies, but it was wrong.” (p 11) He is smart because he knows the proper way to cook food which is to boil it, when most people would just cook it like they saw on television.
Into the Wild, written by John Krakauer tells of a young man named Chris McCandless who 1deserted his college degree and all his worldly possessions in favor of a primitive transient life in the wilderness. Krakauer first told the story of Chris in an article in Outside Magazine, but went on to write a thorough book, which encompasses his life in the hopes to explain what caused him to venture off alone into the wild. McCandless’ story soon became a national phenomenon, and had many people questioning why a “young man from a well-to-do East Coast family [would] hitchhike to Alaska” (Krakauer i). Chris comes from an affluent household and has parents that strived to create a desirable life for him and his sister. As Chris grows up, he becomes more and more disturbed by society’s ideals and the control they have on everyday life. He made a point of spiting his parents and the lifestyle they lived. This sense of unhappiness continues to build until after Chris has graduated college and decided to leave everything behind for the Alaskan wilderness. Knowing very little about how to survive in the wild, Chris ventures off on his adventure in a state of naïveté. It is obvious that he possessed monumental potential that was wasted on romanticized ideals and a lack of wisdom. Christopher McCandless is a unique and talented young man, but his selfish and ultimately complacent attitude towards life and his successes led to his demise.
Since the emergence of literature, thousands upon thousands of characters have graced our imaginations. From trouble maker Bart Simpson of the celebrated cartoon television series The Simpsons to Mr. Darcy of Jane Austen’s renowned novel Pride and Prejudice, the world has witnessed a plethora of characters in literature. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, and Billy Collins, distinguished American poet, as well as countless other authors, share the utilization of characters in their literary works. The manner in which these authors use the literary element of characters varies immensely.
“Into The Wild” by John Krakauer is a non-fiction biographical novel which is based on the life of a young man, Christopher McCandless. Many readers view Christopher’s journey as an escape from his family and his old life. The setting of a book often has a significant impact on the story itself. The various settings in the book contribute to the main characters’ actions and to the theme as a whole. This can be proven by examining the impact the setting has on the theme of young manhood, the theme of survival and the theme of independent happiness.
After an expedition into the North Buck discovers his new location and temporary home. Once arrived buck rapidly accommodates to his new environment. Buck masters many skills that are mandatory to survive in his new habitat. Buck discovers that he can rely on his animal instinct and basic intellect to acquire the essentials to exist in the tundra. One of the most significant concepts learned by Buck is that while being attacked his must take an offense to survive. Another essential concept Buck grasps is that he must be at constant alert and that his size makes him inferior to others. Buck’s quick adaptations assist in his survival.
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
In Call of the Wild Buck is forced to mature and persevere through great loss. When Buck is initially sold he gets his first look at the primitive world around him. At the same time he loses Judge Miller, his caretaker. This is how Buck loses family. Buck also loses his best friend after he's taken from his family. Bucks dog friend, Curly gets killed in the early phases of the book. this really gives Buck a look at how savage the real world is. Bucks losses don't end there,Buck also
Chris McCandless and Buck serve as examples of the archetype of the wild through their experiences of leaving where they feel most comfortable and answering the call of the wild. They show that each experience is inimitable because the wild is unique to every individual. For Buck, the wild is a place outside of civilization and his dependence on man, where the external threats of nature exist and he must prove himself as a true animal with instincts for survival. In McCandless' case, the place outside of civilization is actually an escape from his fears because the wild for him is in relationships, where the threat of intimacy exists and he must learn to trust others for happiness. This is because for each of us, the wild is what we fear, a place outside of our comfort zone and, as McCandless' experience shows, not necessarily a physical place. To render to the call of the wild we must leave everything that makes us feel protected, and we must make ourselves completely vulnerable to the wild. McCandless and Buck show that in order to successfully respond to the call of the wild we must relinquish control and drop our guards, until ultimately the fear subsides and we find peace with ourselves as well as with our environments.
“In Buck’s bad dreams, Jack recorded his own childish fears of cold, deprivation, and solitude, as well as compulsion always to be free and roving…” (Sinclair 49). While in John Thornton’s company, Buck dreams of a primal man with whom he walks through the forest, on the edge of the wilderness. The dreams beckon to him and encourage him to give in to his instincts. They fill him with “a great unrest and strange desires” and cause him to feel a “vague, sweet gladness” (London 71). His visions both frighten and intrigue him, until eventually he pursues the call and ventures into the wild. London feared being alone, but knew he could not thrive in a confined, suburban life. This fear, London believed, is rooted in all men. They are subdued by their fear, yet it also lures them to return to their beginnings. “…Jack believed that people respond to the literature of fear and nightmare, because fear is deep in the roots of the race. However civilized men think they are, fear remains their deepest emotion” (Sinclair 49). Buck is a civilized dog who turns into a savage beast. When Buck understands his deep-rooted fears, he is able to ‘turn back the clock’ and complete his transformation into a primordial animal. London explains that this transformation can be undergone by all men if they conquer their fears as Buck
Wood, Tahir. Author's Characters and the Character of the Author: The Typical in Fiction." Journal of Literary Semantics 40.2 (2011): 159-176. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Mar. 2012." Print.
(28) First, Buck begins by hunting wild game. (29) For example, Buck kills a black bear and a bull moose and eats from their corpses. (30) Since Buck can kill his own meat and consume it, he is nearly wild. (31) Second, Yeehat Indians attack John Thornton’s camp unleashing Buck's wildness. (32) For instance, Buck, who no longer recognizes Man’s laws, slaughters the Yeehats despite their weapons, “…they heard a fearful roar and saw rushing upon them an animal the like of which they had never seen before. (33) Buck, a hurricane of fury, hurled himself on them in a frenzy to destroy.” (35) Since Buck can attack and kill Man, he is now wild. (36) Last, Buck joins a wolf pack. (37) For example, Buck is confronted by a wolf pack and must battle his way into the pack. (38) Since Buck will eventually lead and pack and pass on his superior natural traits to his offspring, Buck, a descendant of the wild, has answered the call of the wild. (39) In conclusion, Buck has found his true identity as a wild animal.
Every story has characters and their roles reveal much about the meaning and values of the story; additionally, the role that they play can serve as a representation of different ...
“There was just no talking the guy out of it,” Gallien recalls. “He was determined. He couldn’t wait to head out there and get started.” This precisely characterizes Christopher McCandless determination in Into the Wild because he says there was nothing he could not handle by himself. McCandless was not forced to live his life the way he did. He chose to abandon his nice life with all of his money as well as everyone and everything he had. He faced challenges every day that were much more difficult than the ones an average person would face on a daily basis. However, he still chose to stay fully committed to the way he was living his life.
In Call of the Wild Buck is faced with challenges however he has to persevere in order to
Character descriptions are important to readers. A reader must understand what characters like and disli...