Internal Conflict In Jack London's The Call Of The Wild

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.

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

As Buck continues to be torn between the love for John and the call of the wild showing the theme of the power of the primitive. Here is another supporting quote of this claim that states how Bucks instincts are retrogressing even more than ever. “ He saw another and different man from the half-breed cook before him this other man was shorter of leg and longer of arm, with muscles that were stringy and knotty rather than rounded and swelling (London

Human traits and characteristics like imagination, love, anger and revenge are projected by London into Buck’s character, a trait called anthropomorphosis, by using these human feelings and thoughts allowing the reader to better relate to Buck’s understanding and handling of certain situations. “At various points in the narrative, Buck is said to “imagine”, “decide”, “realize”, “know”, “divine”, “wonder”, and so on” (Auerbach 53). Further analysis of London’s narration by Auerbach of Buck is critical, claiming that while London is writing an animal tale, he is doing so more from a human perspective, rather than that of an animal. Unlike other animal tales written during the same time-period, London’s narration helps the story work as an animal story partly due to the way “Buck is put into a situation not in his control, then invested with a human mentality and morality to evaluate the situation, and then represented as reacting to that situation by way of “instinct”,”

Beaten, neglected, and loved Buck dealt with all those things. In the story ‘’ The Call of the Wild ‘’, the central theme is how one treats animals can reflect on what kind of person they are.

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.

Buck in the book “The Call of the Wild”, goes through many obstacles where he faced getting killed. He was just an ordinary house dog, but was kidnapped by his family’s gambling-addicted gardener. He later is beaten with a bat until he obeys and

“Your circle of influence dictates your path.” -John Bielecki. Influence others have can guide your life. In the book “Call of the Wild”, Jack London uses the influence of masters. Buck is a pampered prince in Santa Clara Valley, in Judge Miller’s house. One day, he is kidnapped and sold to be a sled dog. Buck met several masters, the man in the red sweater, Francois and Perrault, and John Thornton. All of them played a great role for Buck’s rapid growth. Under the harsh environment of toiling, Buck gradually grew into an undefeatable, wild beast. Among his masters, Buck felt passionate love for him and Thornton. After Thornton’s death Buck returns to the wild, but the trace of civilization left him brings him to the place where Thornton

Buck was forced to persevere often in Call Of The Wild. In the book Call Of The Wild, Buck is torn from society and his everyday life, but he still finds a way to overcome the adversity and

A major theme in Jack London’s classic book The Call of the Wild is that adaptability is essential for survival, which is what buck has to do to during most of the book. At the beginning of the book, Buck’s appearance changes, In the middle, his mental thinking changes, and At the end, his senses change so he can adapt to his new life in Alaska.

In the novel The Call of the Wild Jack London describes living through the Yukon Gold Rush through the eyes of a dog, Buck. Throughout the novel Buck went from being the “king of his domain” to being “beaten but not broken”, back to being a real leader and proving he can make it through everything that was thrown into his path. Buck experiences much change in the story, which changes the character that he is and the way he is trekking through life in the Yukon Gold Rush.

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

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,

Jack London’s attitude in the text made it very apparent how he felt about life. In retrospect, he said that you do what you have to do to survive. One of the very first examples of why he believed this is in the novella, when Buck was taken from his castle in the Santa Clara Valley. Buck had no idea where he was, where he was going to, or why. He soon found out that he was going to be a sled dog and was auctioned off; Buck did not like that. He fought with the man in the red sweater and he finally surrendered so that he did not get beaten to death. London expresses that Buck just did what he had to do by saying, “He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken” (Call of the Wild, London) Another example of when Buck

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.