The Call of the wild
What if you were torn away from, you home, your family, and everything that was ever familiar? Would you adapt, or be utterly enveloped in chaos? In the superb novel Call of the Wild by Jack London teaches us, his readers, that anyone or thing can be taken from his surroundings and hurled into a world where one must learn to survive. Buck, a domesticated dog from the sunny Santa Clara valley is forced into the Yukon because man needs the strength and durability he has if man will be successful in unearthing the yellow metal, gold. Now, he has two choices: endure the savage and ruthless world he now is governed by, or become a name forgotten, unable to keep his head above water when the rapids come. His life begins to change as he must use what he has, and adapt to harness the thing he does not possess. Slowly, instincts replace rules, and the wild became more friendly than savage, for he is more ruthless than a tiger on the prowl. Finally, a terrible transformation comes over him, forever erasing the dog who lived with the Millers, and replacing it with the great Ghost dog. Buck's incredible life is merely an easel upon which London paints the theme of his masterpiece. After Buck's horrible trip to a place far differe
In the end, the terrible transformation takes place; the wild would not allow Buck even a breath out of its grasp. When he moves west with John Thornton, he begins to enjoy the wild. Soon, he runs into a timber wolf that's less than half Buck's size, and after much work and effort, becomes friendly with the savage from another world. Buck even follows the wolf through the woods, until his love for John Thornton turns him back for camp. Later, Buck spends a trip away from the camp looking for formidable prey, when he spots a monstrous bull moose. "He was in a savage temper, and, standing over six feet from the ground, was as formidable an antagonist as even buck could desire." After four unimaginably grueling days for dog and moose alike, the moose is finally triumphed over by the courageous Buck using nothing less than skill that animals have possessed for millions of years. In the end, Buck faces a wolf pack of uncountable numbers, and, after a fight in which his mouth dripped of wolven blood, the pack decides to befriend Buck, and recruit him. It is said to have happened like this. ". . . an old wolf . . . sat down pointed his nose at the moon, and broke out in the long wolf howl. The others sat down and howled. . . . (Buck) too, sat down and howled." Buck had truly answered the Call of the Wild. nt from home, he has to "learn the ropes" of this society, and modify to its rules. When he reaches Seattle, the Man in the Red Sweater is the man who teaches Buck the first rope, "The Law of Club." As soon as he is within reach of the man's throa
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Approximate Word count = 1057
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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