The Call of the Wild
By: Fatih • Essay • 849 Words • January 11, 2010 • 851 Views
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The Call Of The Wild: Summary
Author: Jack London
Throughout the novel The Call of the Wild, we follow a dog named
Buck through his journey through the Klondike. We experience a
transformation in him, as he adapts to the cold, harsh land where
he is forced to toil in the snow, just to help men find a shiny
metal. Buck seems to almost transform into a different dog by the
end of the book. In this essay, I will go over what Buck was like,
how and why he was forced to adapt to his new environment, and
what he changed into.
When we first met up with Buck, he lived in the Santa Clara
Valley, on Judge Miller's property. He was the ruler of his
domain, uncontested by any other local dogs. he was a mix between
a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd dog. He weighed one hundred
and forty pounds, and he carried every one with utmost pride.
Buck had everything he could want. Little did he know, he would
soon have it all taken away from him. One night, while the judge
was away at a raisin grower's committee meeting, the gardener,
Manuel, took Buck away from his home. Buck was then sold, and
thrown in a baggage car. This would be the beginning of a new,
cruel life for Buck. On his ride to wherever he was going, Buck's
pride was severely damaged, if not completely wiped out by men who
used tools to restrain him. No matter how many times Buck tried to
lunge, he would just be choked into submission at the end. When
Buck arrived at his destination, there was snow everywhere, not to
mention the masses of Husky and wolf dogs. Buck was thrown into a
pen with a man who had a club. This is where Buck would learn one
of the two most important laws that a dog could know in the
Klondike. The law of club is quite simple, if there is a man with
a club, a dog would be better off not to challenge that man. Buck
learned this law after he was beaten half to death by the man who
had the club. no matter what he tried, he just couldn't win.
Buck was sold off to a man who put him in a harness connected to
many other dogs. Buck was bad at first, but eventually, he learned
the way of trace and trail. Buck had to learn many things if he
was to survive in this frigid land. He had to learn to sleep
under the snow, and to eat his food as fast as possible so as not
to have it stolen. At about this point in the book, we see Buck
start to go through a metamorphosis of sorts. He transforms from a
house dog to a more primitive, savage version of his former self.
It was as if hundreds of years of knowledge, learned by his
ancestors, were dug up and brought out. Buck proceeded to lose all
the fat in his body and replace it with muscle. Buck was no longer
Judge Miller's pet. He was a machine of survival and triumph. Most
Southland dogs like him ended up dead because of their inability
to conform. Buck was born to lead the team, but one dog would do