Quotes From The Call Of The Wild

The strongest are those that are able to get back up after every downfall. It is Buck, the most brave dog from the story, "The Call of the Wild", by Jack London, that portrays an invincible dog through his courage. A character transition occurs within Buck throughout the story. Buck starts off as a wimpy, spoiled dog and evolves into a fearless skillful dog. After all, it is the determined spirit that allows Buck to survive in the hectic North.

Buck starts his life as a peaceful Bernard living a wealthy life and eventually transitions into the opposite characteristic. It is clearly evident that Buck was an innocent house dog in his early days, "During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation." (Chapter 1). Living life at the top his whole life, has caused Buck to live the easy way. Everything was served to him, and he would to take everything for granted. Only later would he realize that he underestimated the value of his

luxurious life.
The development of Buck occurred when he was enslaved into a dog team that helped carry goods.

As Buck becomes part of the pack, he accompanies some enemies. Bucks biggest enemy is Spitz, a sly dog that claims to be the leader of the pack. Spitz is always trying to provoke Buck in some way, for example, "But when Buck finished his ration and returned, he found his nest occupied. A warning snarl told him that the trespasser was Spitz. Till now Buck had avoided trouble with his enemy, but this was too much. The beast in him roared. He sprang upon Spitz with a fury which surprised them both" (Chapter 3). Spitz has been antagonizing Buck the whole way, until this time Buck had enough of the absurd bullying. Buck's wild side of him kicks in and he ends up killing Spitz, which in return develops his character. From this point on, Buck's transforms into a courageous

dog.
Later in his transitions of character, Buck succumbs to being a slave dog. He is constantly used and passed on from owner to owner, for instance, "Buck heard the chaffering, saw the money pass between the man and the Government agent, and knew that the Scotch half-breed and the mail-train drivers were passing out of his life on the heels of Perrault and Francois and the others who had gone before" (Chapter 5). Buck has once again been dispersed by his previous owner to the new owners. Being passed around makes him feel like he doesn't even have a home anymore. Making it worse, the new owners abuse him and the rest of the crew. The only thing on Buck's mind is going back to the normal life he once lived.
In the end, Buck is evidently a totally different dog; He is identical to that of a wolf living in the wild. He becomes capable of defending himself, and even more, he learns how to survive the vicious North. Once all of Buck's owners die, he is free from all of his attachments to civilization. At the end of it all, he ends up living his last days in the wild only to reminisce on the past. Buck suffered all kinds of hardships, but he was able to get up and keep fighting.