The Call of the Wild is a short adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. At first, he lived in Santa Clara, California and had a pampered life with all his needs provided for by Judge Miller. However, he was eventually kidnapped by the gardener who sold him to a trio of prospectors named Hal, Mercedes, and Charles hoping to get to Yukon as soon as possible in order to not miss the gold rush. Because of this urgency they disregard the quality of life for their sled dogs and turn out to be terrible masters. Buck eventually befriends a wolf and slowly embraces the wild and hears the call of his ancestral instincts to break free from civilization and to hunt and survive. Once his only human friend, John Thornton, dies, his last connection to people is severed and he begins living like a wolf.
Civilization and wilderness are two forms of living that have unique facets. In civilization, one must follow the order and receive comfort. In the wild, beings have to follow the doctrine of “survival of the fittest” and have to survive on their own or in groups. Judge Miller provided Buck with all of his needs and wants. You could say that he lived a pampered lifestyle. However, he had to follow certain rules. He also had no say in how he was governed. When he was kidnapped by the gardener and abused by the prospectors he had no choice but to obey. Meanwhile, in the wild he had to fight to become a leader, but he was free to do whatever he wanted and survive on his own. In a civilization or community, people have to follow the order and contribute to society. Meanwhile in nature, animals have to follow the rules of the wild. Their strength determines whether they are predators or prey, just like survival of the fittest. Nature and civilization both have their own rules and benefits.
We all face difficulties in new environments, but we must be willing to stand up to them in order to succeed. For example, trees are mighty and tall but are inflexible, while saplings are adaptive and can change according to the environment. Buck started out in Judge Miller’s home with a comfortable and pampered lifestyle but was kidnapped by a gardener. Unfortunately, he ended up in the hands of a trio of prospectors, Hal, his sister Mercedes, and his brother-in-law Charles. Buck suddenly went from being spoiled to being abused and overworked. On one occasion, when Buck and the other dogs refused to cross a river, Hal beat Buck relentlessly. Buck eventually got his freedom and quickly adapted to the wild. Buck’s living conditions changed twice throughout the story. First, he was forced to become a sled dog under terrible masters after being pampered by Judge Miller. Second, he was eventually set free by Thornton and was exposed to the wild where he followed the path of a wolf. Adaptability is the most important quality to success.
Human nature is multifaceted, with many good sides and bad sides like kindness and loyalty or greed and selfishness. We may encounter many people with different sides of human nature. Buck met several people that exhibited the dark side of human nature. For instance, the gardener that kidnapped him did so out of greed as sled dogs were in high demand because of the gold rush, and people wanted to get up north. Meanwhile, Hal, Mercedes, and Charles, Buck’s owners while he was a sled dog, treated him poorly and overworked and underfed the dogs so that they could bring as many supplies to Yukon and get there as quickly as possible. John Thornton was an exception. While the trio were beating Buck for not crossing a river, he cut his harness allowing him to escape. Buck mainly encountered the bad side of human nature which resulted in him wanting to leave civilization and live more like a wolf than a dog. There are many sides of human nature, but the bad side can be dominant most of the time.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London is an adventure novel that takes place during the Klondike gold rush. Buck, the story’s protagonist, originally lived with Judge Miller until he was kidnapped by his gardener and sold to the owners of a team of sled dogs. The trio often abused the dogs and sometimes underfed them. Once, when Buck and the others didn’t want to cross a river, they beat him severely until John Thornton set him free. Because of the treatment he faced under most humans and due to his newfound freedom, Buck decided he wanted to instead live as a wolf and follow his ancestral instincts. This story can teach us several themes. First, in civilization, we have to follow the order of society, and in the wild, we have to follow the doctrine of “survival of the fittest”. Second, adaptability is key to our success, as we often face new and difficult situations. Third and finally, there are many sides to human nature, and there are both good and bad traits that make up who we are. Overall, this story can teach us many life lessons and can be interesting at the same time
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