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Challenges In Jack London's The Call Of The Wild

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A domesticated dog that gets stolen and sold to the wild, a mongoose that gets separated from his family, and a fourteen-year-old boy that gets shot at by a group of strange men are all protagonists that face difficult challenges revealing their characteristics. Buck in The Call of the Wild by Jack London is a domesticated dog that gets stolen and sold to a sled dog team as he faces the challenge of surviving in the wilderness. Rikki in “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling, is a daring mongoose who gets washed away from his family by a monsoon and is taken in by humans where he faces the challenge of surviving against Nag, the evil snake who is targeting him. Walt Masters in “The King of Mazy May” by Jack London is a fearless fourteen-year-old boy who faces the challenge of having to be brave as he saves an old man’s claim from black-bearded stampeders. Buck, Rikki-Tikki, and Walt encounter desperate circumstances where they learn about life.
Buck faces many challenges where he learns about life. For example, “...He had learned to trust in men he knew...But when the ends of the rope were placed in the stranger's hands, he growled menacingly” (4). In this situation, Buck gets betrayed by Manuel. He learns that not everyone he meets is going to be loyal. Another example is when Jack London states, “ ..Buck’s shoulder was slashed down each time as Spitz leaped lightly away...Spitz was untouched, while Buck was streaming with blood and panting hard...Buck stood and looked on,

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