“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.
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
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).
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
At the beginning of the book, Buck learns how to act in the north. First, he learns the “Law of Club”. For example, the man in the red sweater bashes Buck into submission with a club. Since, seeing
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...
Buck had been raised in California, on the ranch of Judge Miller. There he had the run of the place and was loved and pampered by all. Unfortunately, one of the judge's workers had a gambling problem and stole Buck to sell him for fifty dollars. Buck fights being tied, caged, and beaten, but his efforts only frustrate him. He is put on a train and a boat, being shipped to Alaska to be used as a sled dog. Although he is miserable on the journey, Buck learns an important lesson - the law of the club. If he does not obey, he will be beaten.
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...
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 doing so, he creates a character that acts like an animal, but thinks like a man. His humanity is what allows him to survive under the rule of man. He understands his role as being inferior to man, but superior to the other dogs. Buck learns that the men and dogs around him “knew no law but the law of club and fang” (London 15). Therefore, Buck adapts and abides by this law, creating a place for himself in the social hierarchy of the Northland. “The ability to keep his mental strength, even when his physical energy was sapped, is one thing that separates Buck from the other dogs” (Kumin 103). Although all dogs are the heroes in The Call of the Wild, Buck connects the most with the reader. As the story is told through his perspective, the reader empathizes with Buck more than the other dogs. The mental strength that Kumin references in the above quote stems from Buck’s human characteristics. Buck is a character that exemplifies the traits of all men, including Jack London himself. His human spirit makes this connection possible, and creates a bond between Buck and the
These men were not nice and would beat Buck and the other dogs very badly to let them