Gold in the Yukon and Naturalism: Jack London’s Novella "The Call of the Wild"

Also, being a newcomer to the land, believing he could travel alone through the harsh winter results in nature not caring about how it will affect the man. For example, “But the man remained silent. Later, the dog whined loudly. And still later it crept close to the man and caught the scent of death. This made the animal bristle and back away. A little longer it delayed, howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky. Then it turned and trotted up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food providers and fire providers.(London 346)” This implies that the dog leaves the man once it finds out that the man perished due to the extreme conditions. This also demonstrates that the dog moved on once man had given up on himself, and the dog did not even care about the man, like how the dog represents nature being careless towards man. The dog is the fundametal of the story because it represents nature.It shows how life can be cruel and unfair because it is an obstacle that not everyone can overcome. Nature is an obstacle in life, and sometimes, people can not go against it and will have to find a way to overcome it,

Some people and animals just weren’t fit for the Klondike. In the adventure story “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London, there is a dog named Buck that goes from domesticated in Santa Clara Valley, California to the Klondike during the Yukon gold rush. Buck quickly learns the ways of the North land like the Law of Club and Fang. Not all the dogs and people that Buck traveled with were fit for the Klondike. In the “The Call of the Wild” the theme of survival of the fittest shines through from the dogs to the people.

As Charles Darwin once said. “It is not the strongest of species that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change”. Darwin’s quote strongly relates to “The Call of the Wild” in many circumstances where the stronger species was not able to thrive, but the one that was most able to adapt to change. In Jack London’s novel, “The Call of the Wild” it is conveyed that in order to survive in any environment one must be able to become accustomed to their surroundings. To survive by adaption one must drop old habits, be able to thrive in poor treatment environments, and love when given the chance. The main character in “The Call of the Wild” Buck, proves this idea on a multitude of occasions throughout his journey in the hostile Canadian Yukon Territory. The first adaptation that is made in “The Call of the Wild” is conveyed when one must drop their old habits to survive.

Well the main character is buck. He was born on a judge’s ranch in Mexico. He was the king of the ranch, everyone loved him. Them one day a gardener took him for a walk, and he was sold. He fought the man that bought him; he was stuffed in a cage. Buck is a huge half breed saint Bernard, and Scottish shepherd. He Is sent to Alaska and sold for a sled dog. He goes through several different owners.

Buck was kidnapped from Judge Miller’s place and brought into an environment where he had to rely on his instincts. Soon enough he learned to live by the law of club and fang where he must be constantly alert and no one was to be trusted. When Buck was given to Francois and Perrault they allowed for his primitive instincts to be shown. While Buck was under their care his development or retrogression was rapid. “They quickened the old life within him, and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks. They came to him without effort or discovery as though they had been his always” (25). Buck became enact with his primitive life and his transformation was apparent. Once Buck discovered this nature it did not leave him even when he met John Thornton. “As closely akin to the visions of the hairy man was the call still sounding in the depths of the forest. It filled him with great unrest and strange desires” (69). The call sometimes appeared in Buck’s dreams of a hairy man sleeping by the fire. The man represented him and just like Buck, the man was restless and aware of any sounds or awakenings. The call remained in the back of his mind while he struggled to stay civilized.

London’s novella Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck’s transformation from a domesticated pet on a vast Santa Clara Valley estate to the primal beast he becomes in the bitter regions of the Klondike wilderness. London delivers Buck’s journey in several key plot events and uses various settings and narration styles to tell the story in a way that allows a reader to easily become invested in Buck’s character and well-being from the viewpoint of a loyal and lovable pet, as well as, that of a creature returning to its primal roots and ancestry. Settings in Call of the Wild consist of generally harsh and vicious locations, situations previously unknown to Buck, and various hostile persons and dogs. As well as a variety of settings, London

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.

In the beginning of the book, Buck must adapt to the cold and cruelness of his new life in order to survive with very little food and recognition. First, Buck has to adapt to being transported to the North and learn to be a sled dog. For example, when he lived with the judge he slept wherever and whenever he wanted, but now that he is in the North he can only sleep under the snow and for few hours. Since, Buck learns that to live and carry on through his journey he has to make some changes from his old lifestyle. Second, Buck finds food for himself in order to survive and pull the sled longer. For instance, Buck steals food off of the man‘s plate because he is starving. Since, Buck can put his instincts into action, adapt and can be a good sled dog and stay alive. Last, Buck gets little recognition and learns to use his instincts and care for himself. For example, Buck gains confidence in himself to

“Till now Buck had avoided trouble with his enemy but this was too much. The beast in him roared.” (London, 28)The adventure novel The Call of The Wild written by Jack London shows a normal house dog named Buck. Buck turns into a sled dog and retrogressed into a wild dog as his journey in the Yukon continues. He goes through several masters which of some his doesn’t/does like them.

A 4 year old half saint bernard half scottish shepherd dog named Buck is living a lavish life under the care of Judge Miller and his servants in Santa Clara Valley, CA. The favorite of Judge Miller, Buck is a token to be cared for. Unfortunately though, around this time gold was found in the vast north, which require large dogs like Buck to haul sleds around in the cold snowy weather.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the novel was the progressive shift back to instinctive qualities of Buck. When the story begins, Buck is living as a pampered housedog at a large estate,

In the novel “Call of the Wild” by Jack London, Buck is the main character. Buck is a strong half St. Bernard and half sheepdog. He was living a comfortable life with his owner Judge Miller in Santa Clara Valley, California but sadly this all came to an end when one of the Judge's servants steals Buck and sells him.  Because gold was discovered in the north large dogs like Buck have become suddenly very valuable and are useful to pull heavy sleds. After traveling on boat and train for many days, Buck discovers that he is in the North.  Buck does not adapt easily to the situation but eventually conforms and learns how to pull a dog sled, how to burrow into a hole in the snow, how to survive hunger pains, and how to rely on his native intelligence

Buck, a dog that went from a fast wagging tail to a savage, prodromal, wild beast. He was a dog that ran freely on his land, ruling everyone and everything. Then he was taken. He was brought to the Yukon Valley and kept there. For a while, he fought the primal instincts bubbling up inside of him, trying to hold onto his last memories of home. Then he just let go and grasped the strong pull of the wild. The poem relates to Buck’s journey most when it shows how the wild is pulling and chafing at Buck’s domestication. “Chafing at custom's chain” (London 1) in this book is explaining the part where Buck is fighting to keep the domestic urge inside him alive. This poem also shows relation to Buck travels before his change. It infers that when he is living with the Judge’s his real self, his primal self, is sleeping. This poem reflects on Buck's journey to the Yukon showing when his sleeping primal self, it also shows fighting his instincts, and his transformation into the wilderness.

The main themes of “The Call of the Wild” is adaptations and survival for the fittest (natural selection). Thorne uses this book to express his support for these two biological theories. In the book, the protagonist Buck, a domestic dog (pet), is taken away from the comforts of the wealthy human home, a judge's home, to the harsh outdoor conditions of the cold north. There, Buck life changes completely. Firstly, Buck suffers starvation during his transportation to the north. Buck, had never experienced this before. At the judge’s home, he used to have sufficient regular prepared

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.