This year’s summer reading options were marvelous. It was a hard choice to choose what book to read, but in the end, I chose The Call of the Wild by Jack London. The Call of the Wild was an adventurous tale about a dog named Buck and his adventures as he was sold into a harsh life of relentless labor in the cold and brutal North. The author of this classic novel, Jack London, was a short-story writer and a prolific American novelist. He was born in San Francisco, California. He was known for his other novels, The Sea Wolf and White Fang. I chose this particular novel because I love reading classic novels and it seemed to be an interesting and exciting story. Finally, this was the novel of my choice because it was recommended to me by my grandma.
In The Call of the Wild Buck, a half
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Buck is the main character of this novel. The other animals in the novel are Buck, Curly, Spitz, Dave, Billee, Joe, Sol-leks, Dolly, Pike, Dub, Skeet, and Nig. Buck’s mother was a Scotch Sheppard, and his father was a huge Saint Bernard. Buck was a civilized dog, but answers the call of the wild and becomes one with the wild. Curly was Buck’s companion on the boat trip to the North. Curly is described in the novel as a “good-natured Newfoundland.” Curly does not survive long; however, Buck learns a gruesome lesson when he sees how easily Curly was murdered while trying to be friendly with Spitz. Spitz was the dog that assassinated Curly and becomes Buck’s most bitter enemy. He was terminated later in the novel by Buck in a dog brawl. Buck’s victory entitled him to take over the lead of the dogs that belonged to Spitz. The dog fight illustrated to me Buck’s ability to survive even among the most primitive elements. Dave, Billee, Joe, Sol-leks, Dolly, Pike, and Dub are the other dogs that serve on the dogsled team with Buck. Finally, Skeet and Nig were two of John Thornton’s dogs that he owned before he rescued and adopts
He began again to daze off staring at the fire and imagining the hairy man crouched down in the summer sun. The Call of the Wild written by Jack London is an adventure book that follows the life of a once tamed dog known as Buck to a dog that has retrogressed to a more primitive state during the Yukon Gold Rush. Buck who eventually answered the call of the wild had to go through many difficulties to get there.The theme power of the primitive is reinforced by the retrogression of a dog despite the love of mankind.
As we read Jack London’s The Call of The Wild and To Build A Fire, we interpreted that the books have a few comparisons, but differ at the same time. Both of the books are based on the Yukon during the gold rush, and they both persevere with the situations they are given. The second similarity between the two is that in both novels, they involve the sled dogs. In To Build A Fire, we saw that the man was on an adventure and he needed to build fires to survive, but he did not succeed. In The Call of The Wild, we got to see the growth in Buck as he eventually became a strong sled dog. The differences in these examples is that in The Call of The Wild, Buck has a good ending to life, but the man does not.
I thought the book The Call of the Wild was a very good book, although there were some slow, dull parts in the story. Chapter one starts off slow and a little dull to me. It just told about Buck with no action. When Buck got abducted though things got more exciting though. There was lots of action, Buck was trying to attack humans. All the while there were fights and even some death due to the man with the red sweater.
There are a few reasons why I recommend reading the classic, “The Call Of The Wild” by Jack London. There are very exhilarating action scenes throughout the book. The suspense is well placed and makes you wanting more and more. The story is told through the eyes of a dog, which gives an intriguing perspective to the storyline. These reasons and a few others give this book a lively feel.
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
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.
In schools and counties all over, the book The Call of the Wild is being banned from 8th grade curriculum. For reasons such as that the book is based on true events, that the book describes actions of animal abuse that still occur today, and that banning books causes illiteracy and it caused by illiteracy, I do not believe that The Call of the Wild should be taken out of 8th grade curriculum.
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, is a classic piece of American literature. The novel follows the life of a dog named Buck as his world changes and in turn forces him to become an entirely new dog. Cruel circumstances require Buck to lose his carefree attitude and somewhat peaceful outlook on life. Love then enters his life and causes him to see life through new eyes. In the end, however, he must choose between the master he loves or the wildness he belongs in.
A major theme in Jack London’s classic, The Call of the Wild, is that adaptability is essential for survival.
* Buck –a proud and powerful dog, half St Bernard and half shepherd dog, who begins life on a comfortable Californian estate as a family pet, yet soon changes when he is stolen and sold to work as a sled dog in the frozen North.
It’s about the only thing I can remember, also it’s about a dog who starts a hard life/journey as a mail carrier.
“ With the aurora borealis flaming coldly overhead, or the stars leaping in the frost dance, and the land numb and frozen under its pall of snow, this song of the huskies might have been the defiance of life, only it was pitched in minor key, with long-drawn wailings and half-sobs, and was more the pleading of life, the articulate travail of existence” (London 37). The novel, Call of The Wild, by Jack London is based in the Yukon during the gold rush. The main character Buck, a Scottish Shepherd St. Bernard, goes through a series of events and masters which begins his retrogression to the primitive. He was once kingly until he was stole and taken to become a sled dog. Experiencing this life pulls him towards the more primitive.
Then the dog team is attacked for food by the starving dogs. Curley is killed. Ripped apart is how Buck describes it. “But she lay there limp and lifeless in the bloody, trampled snow, almost literally torn to pieces…” Curley is yet another example of Darwinism. As the books plot unfolds the injection of Darwinism makes it interesting, and gives a unique feeling as the reader is always afraid that Buck could give up. The book shows how Buck grows from the home dog into a free dog traveling with wolfs. Showing the change I believe is key to plot; as the story unfolds Buck grows which give much bigger significance to the plot of the
The author of The Call of the Wild, Jack London, heavily influenced the literary world with his inspirational works, specifically surrounding the theme of Naturalism. London followed the same theme, among others, in many of his works, focusing on how the environment affects its inhabitants and the details of the environment itself. The descriptions of nature London took the time to include in his books and the way they affect the story is what makes his works truly remarkable. He strongly committed himself to his works and put a great deal of effort into researching them to ensure accuracy. In The Call of the Wild, there are three main themes that are made evident: naturalism, coming of age, and loss of innocence. Naturalism is what London is most known for, and is shown through his attention to the surroundings of his characters. Coming of age was displayed through specific life changing events that altered Buck’s perspective. And finally, loss of innocence can be seen in the gradual, but sure decline of Buck’s morals.
Call of the Wild is a novella written by Jack London that is ironic about life and the way we look at it. We look at life as humans and other things are just living in our world, that nothing else has a say in the world because we do not speak the same languages. Example of this is how we “own” dogs, cats, horses, etc; we do not “own” them, they are their own being with goals of their own. We may not be able to understand what they are saying or what they are thinking, but as London explains throughout his novella, one dog in particular has such high aspirations for himself that he will not quit for anything and his name is Buck. Never giving up on what you want in your life is the real message in this story that is being portrayed through the life of Buck.