"Call of the Wild" by Jack London pulls the reader into the thick of the Klondike region of Canada with a dog named Buck. Buck, a saint bernard, sheep dog mix, lived a privileged life being a wealthy estate owners greatest companion. He would spend his days parading around his master's acreage playing with the children and going on the occasional trip with one of his master's employees. Buck's entire world was flipped upside down when he was secretly sold off into the violent grueling dog sledding business. Men had struck gold in the Klondike region. After being shipped north by train and boat, after being beaten by a man with a club, and after being witness to the innocent death of a weaker dog, Buck knew that death by such cruel violence would not be his fate. Throughout his journey Buck encountered various experiences and soon knew that he wanted to be alpha male. Buck worked hard to earn his spot as top dog and after a fight to the death Buck was victorious. Over the course of time Buck was sold to various owners, his second to last being the worst. They ran out of food mid-trip and if their dogs survived you could count their ribs they were so thin. Buck hit his breaking point and was miraculously saved by his final owner, John Thornton. Love was something Buck had never known until meeting John Thornton. Together Buck and Thornton made many discoveries about the world and about Buck's miraculous strength. Regardless of Buck's love for Thornton, there was always something pulling Buck away. It was the call of the wild. The call of the wild got the best of Thornton when one day Native Americans burned his home and murdered him while Buck was out in the wild. Buck returned to the camp minutes to late and out of furry killed every Native American still alive on the property. It was then that Buck knew that the only thing left for him to do in life was run free and run free he did. Buck joined the wold pack and the rest went down in Native American history.
For me, "Call of the Wild" was one of those books that grabs your attention at the start but then mellows out for the majority of the story. Then, BAM! The story suddenly bursts with excitement and before you know it the book is over. While at times it was hard to stay focused on the story when it lacked action, London's writing style kept me interested. He used lots of imagery and was able to paint a beautiful nature scene in my mind. London also did an excellent job of using complex words surrounded by simpler ones so that the reader could infer what the complex word meant using context clues.
One could argue that the theme of this book was the American Dream. Last year in American Novels I studied the American Dream and it's deep rooted connection to American literature. While I did not read "Call of the Wild" in that class, I should have! Each of Buck's various owners held their own American Dreams whether they be to strike gold, or to become wealthy in another way. Buck too carried a dream with him; Buck wanted to be "top dog". Nothing other than death itself could stop Buck, nor his owners, from reaching their American Dreams and I think that is powerful. For someone to want something so bad that only death could prevent them from not achieving their goal is truly amazing to me.
In addition to a unique and interesting theme, I also enjoyed the Native American influences on "Call of the Wild". Native Americans have always struck me as fascinating and I was happy to read how London was able to intertwine Native Americans into his story. In the last chapter of the story, London tells the tale of the Ghost Dog. The Ghost Dog whos body toward over the other wolves and whos fur coat shone with colors unique to the other wolves, stole from the Native American camps and mystified them with his stealth. Their were many stories about the Ghost Dog, and the Ghost Dog was Buck.
For me, "Call of the Wild" was one of those books that grabs your attention at the start but then mellows out for the majority of the story. Then, BAM! The story suddenly bursts with excitement and before you know it the book is over. While at times it was hard to stay focused on the story when it lacked action, London's writing style kept me interested. He used lots of imagery and was able to paint a beautiful nature scene in my mind. London also did an excellent job of using complex words surrounded by simpler ones so that the reader could infer what the complex word meant using context clues.
One could argue that the theme of this book was the American Dream. Last year in American Novels I studied the American Dream and it's deep rooted connection to American literature. While I did not read "Call of the Wild" in that class, I should have! Each of Buck's various owners held their own American Dreams whether they be to strike gold, or to become wealthy in another way. Buck too carried a dream with him; Buck wanted to be "top dog". Nothing other than death itself could stop Buck, nor his owners, from reaching their American Dreams and I think that is powerful. For someone to want something so bad that only death could prevent them from not achieving their goal is truly amazing to me.
In addition to a unique and interesting theme, I also enjoyed the Native American influences on "Call of the Wild". Native Americans have always struck me as fascinating and I was happy to read how London was able to intertwine Native Americans into his story. In the last chapter of the story, London tells the tale of the Ghost Dog. The Ghost Dog whos body toward over the other wolves and whos fur coat shone with colors unique to the other wolves, stole from the Native American camps and mystified them with his stealth. Their were many stories about the Ghost Dog, and the Ghost Dog was Buck.
Nice summary of London's novel, Cora, and I like how you connect to the concept of the American Dream. We'll touch on this theme second semester when we read "The Great Gatsby." Nice work, and I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.
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