What Are The Similarities Between A Long Walk To Water And The Call Of The Wild

A Long Walk to Water and Call of the Wild are two different books with the same concept. They are both about how to survive in the wild. They teach the reader to never give up. The main characters, Salva and Buck are both determined and show great leadership. Although written more than 100 years apart, the novels Call of the Wild by Jack London and a Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park contain many similarities in characterization, plot, and theme.

Buck and Salva are alike in many different ways. In the beginning of the books they both show determination. Buck never gives up and always does what he has to do to survive. “He pulled when he could; when he could no longer pull, he fell down and remained down till lows from whip or club drove

him to his feet again ” (London 52). This is an example of one of the low points in Buck’s life, but he gets back up and pushes through to survive. Salva is a very brave and hardworking character just like Buck. Without any family to rely on for help, Salva learns ways to survive and make it through the terrible war. Salva is a young boy who shows that you can get through anything if he sets his mind to it and stays positive. “ He felt his heart sink a little, but he clinched his hands to his fist and made himself a promise if they are here I will find them” (Park 67).
Several events in the plot of Call of The Wild and A Long Walk to Water are similar.

Both main characters are forced to leave their families. Buck is sold by his owner’s gardener that has a gambling problem and “needs” the money. Salva is just a young boy enjoying his day at school when a terrible war breaks out in his village. They are both abandoned out in the wild with no familiar faces and they have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Buck learns to trust in men, but when he is sold he knows that something is wrong with these strange men, and that he can not trust them. Buck turns into a primordial beast for the first time in the novel. Buck learns more and more through his journey about who he is and where he

belongs.
One of the themes of Jack London's Call of the Wild is survival of the fittest.

Buck is sold as a sled dog to several brutal owners who are trying to find gold in the Alaskan wilderness. To survive, Buck must adapt to this harsh environment. Through Buck’s success, Jack London shows that only the fittest can survive.“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 survived ” (london 74-75). In A Long Walk to Water Salva has to learn to step up and be a leader for his family and friends. Salva goes through many hard courses and realizes he must be brave and strong to survive. During his journey he helps many people by stepping up and being the boss, he saves many lives and shows great leadership throughout the novel. “Do you see those bushes? You need only to walk as far as those bushes”... “ Each time, he spoke to salva using his full name. Each time, Salva would think of his family and his village, and he was somehow able to keep his wounded feet moving forward, one painful step at a time” (Park

53-54)
Call of the Wild and A Long Walk to Water are two books that are very different but very similar, they teach the readers leadership, bravery, and determination. They show many similarities about the low points in there life and how to strive to complete there goals. In the end they both make it out alive and where they belong. During the novels, the reader grows closer and closer to the two character and realizes that if you set your mind to something and stay positive you can get through anything.