Examples Of Naturalism In The Call Of The Wild

Buck was determined to kill Spitz. While pursuing that mission, though, he not only risked his life, but the teamwork of the other dogs. “It was to the death,” (London 31). This text shows how Buck risked his life because the fight between him and Spitz was “to the death”. “With the covert mutiny of Buck, a general insubordination sprang up and increased,” (London 28). This text shows how Buck risked his teamwork with the other dogs because Spitz and him were always fighting.

Before entering the wild, Buck lived a comfortable life as a domestic family dog. He ruled over his land and carried a great amount of pride. It

In his novel, The Call of the Wild, Jack London wants us to see the step beyond the survival of the fittest to the complete adaptation to and domination of a once unfamiliar and unforgiving environment. Using a third-person, limited omniscient narrator, the cold, icy Yukon wilderness, and a journey from lazy farm life to the deadly work of a sled dog, we see Buck, a Saint Bernard/Scotch Shepherd mix slowly return to his ancestral roots. As Jacqueline Tavernier-Courbin states in her book The Call of the Wild: A Naturalistic Romance, “The book deals less with the concept of evolution than with that of devolution” (Courbin pg 57). London asks us to believe that happily domesticated farm dog, Buck, can not only survive life as a sled dog in the Yukon, but can become completely in tune with his primitive inner self, and ultimately thrive as a leader of a wolf pack.

Before the gold rush, Buck, a St. Bernard used to live in a plush, big house, going swimming, and going hunting with the Judge’s sons, but when he was stolen from his “family” and from his happiness he must adapt fast to the harsh environment. In this story, Buck changes from a domesticated animal into a fierce, primitive wolf, killing with no thought or regret but for blood. In the book The Call Of The Wild by Jack London, the theme is decivilization, three examples which proves this is, Buck stealing food from other dogs, Buck finding out that John Thornton is dead, and Buck killing the Yeehats.

After basically being rescued by Thornton Buck developed a deep connection with him that was beyond just a dog and owner. While Thornton found himself ‘v a in a sticky situation bragging about how buck could pull a 1000 pound sled in 100 meters Thror!(tan . immediately regretted it. Sure enough Thornton did not back down from his word. “His whole body was gathered compactly together in tremendous effort, the muscles where knotting like live things under the silken fur”.

After John Thornton dies and Buck’s only tie to humanity and civilization is severed, Buck proceeds to live out his days in a local wolf pack where he becomes the alpha. Here he becomes a legend to the locals and is forevermore known as the Ghost Dog because of ferocious actions presiding Thornton’s death. Throughout the novel, “The Call of the Wild” it is proven that adaptability is key to one’s survival in any harsh environment. Over the many years in Buck’s time after being kidnapped by Manuel, Buck demonstrated time and time again that being able to adapt to one’s surroundings is and essential to life. In the novel, it is conveyed through many different events and lessons that being able to become accustomed to a setting is key to

Jack London’s novel, The Call of the Wild, is about the transformation of Buck. As a dog who was raised as a domestic animal, he must learn to adapt to his new wild surroundings after he is snatched away from civilization. The author's message of this novel is “survival of the fittest.” Buck’s only chance of staying alive is to display his strength and fight. This quote displays Buck’s thoughts on the rules of the wild; the only way to survive. It is clearly shown that having superior power is the only route to not being killed. Each dog, no matter which breed or age, learns these rules almost instantly and gets put into their place; their journey to proving themselves and rising to the top begins. This citation is significant to the theme, because it depicts the valuable law of the wilderness, which is “survival of the fittest.” This quote describes the “eat or be eaten” world that Buck is now adapting to in order to live. The theme, “survival of the of the fittest,” is shown in this quote, and seems quite gruesome. However, “...master or be mastered...Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten…” is exactly how the animals in the wild sustain their places in their “communities.”

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.

For example, a theme of survival of the fittest is presented when Buck first joins the sledding team, as there is a constant power struggle between characters, particularly Buck and Spitz. On the other hand, incidents such as Buck’s initial beating at the hand of his master symbolize Buck’s departure from his pampered life at the estate to his survival-based situation as a sled dog. These literary devices add a crucial element to the book and enhance the story for the reader.

Buck is a dog who is the main character, he is stolen from his California home and sold as a sled dog in the Yukon. Throughout the book, Buck meets a lot of people. His relationship with them changes as he meets new people. In the novel, The Call of The Wild, presented a greater relationship between Buck and John Thornton

     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.

Jack London brings a natural instinct into the spotlight by defining that everyone has that primal call to the wild, and often one feels this when in a difficult situation. Giving into this ‘call of the wild’ leads to a different kind of adaptation, it makes you become primal to survive in a primal situation. Further into the book it states, “The others sat down and howled. And now the call came to Buck in unmistakable accents. He, too, sad down and howled.” (London, 1990, p.62). This is the defining moment of Jack’s book when Buck lets go of all ties to humans and decides to carve his own path, adapting the way he needs to, not the way that humans encouraged him. Soon, Buck changes himself completely to fit snugly into the environment and to prevent further torturous struggles with humans. These quotes combine to paint a picture of total and complete change when it comes to a new and unfavorable environment.

“And strange Buck was to him, for of the many Southland dogs he had known, not one had shown up worthily in camp and on trail. They were all too soft, dying under the toil, the frost, and starvation. Buck was the exception. He alone endured and prospered, matching the husky in strength, savagery, and cunning. Then he was a masterful dog, and what made him dangerous was the fact that the club of the man in the red sweater had knocked all blind pluck and rashness out of his desire for mastery. He was preeminently cunning, and could bide his time with a patience that was nothing less than primitive” (London 28). This quote from Call of the Wild by Jack London shows the theme of primitivity. Buck has endured what nature has thrown at him. He will fight for survival until he has no more fight left in him. His transition from being domesticated to fending for himself, had brought out the dormant instincts in him. There he'd been, denying The Wave could hurt anyone, and at the same time he'd hurt Laurie, his own girlfriend, in the name of The Wave” (Strasser). This quote from The Wave shows the theme of power. David hit Laurie, his girlfriend. He felt it was within his power to push Laurie out of danger. There was no one else but David’s friend that was there. He wouldn't have pushed her in school. Not being in school allowed him to push her without any consequences. “The man said, ‘Where's home, Bud?’ The another

* 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.

The Open Boat by Stephen Crane is a perfect example of naturalism. The Open Boat is a short story that is written on the instances the crew along with a captain had to go through because of a shipwreck. In this short story, Crane develops the characters from the physical to the mental aspects. He brings the characters to life so vividly when he describes what each individual has to face both mentally and physically. The characters have now yet to encounter the larger force in the story, which in this case is nature. Naturalism is most eminent when Crane writes about their determination to keep going, mental struggles, and their constant fight with fate.