The Call of the Wild by Jack London is a classic novel about a group of dogs and their owner, Francois as they journey across the Yukon to places nobody has ever been. Buck is a special dog in the group. He is rebellious, strong, fierce, and protective of his kin, always causing trouble for Francois yet being too smart to actually reveal himself as the culprit of all the trouble. With the help of the other dogs that share the same target that he has, Buck is able to cause a revolution that questions order and rules. He brings an uprising, a new time. Buck’s trick really adds depth to the story, especially in chapter iii.
Some people are just built for freedom without any limits. Some enjoy freedom, while others enjoy rules and following a set of protocols. Buck definitely falls in the former category. He doesn’t like being bossed around, and wishes for himself to be the top dog, or at least be able to be on even footing with every other dog. Buck doesn’t like how he is always under the lead dog, Spitz. He doesn’t like how he always has to do whatever Francois tells him to do. He wants to be able to govern the world in his own way, where he is king. And because of all these upsetting things that are in his life, he starts a small revolution. Rules aren’t meant for everyone. But sometimes, they’re there for a reason. Other times, though, they are specifically broken for a reason, too.
If you don’t like how something goes, be the one to change it to your liking, don’t sit around waiting for others. You can’t always depend on other people to do what you wish. Sometimes, you need to take matters into your own hands. Buck is a great example of this as he, not satisfied with the way things are run, starts a small revolution by himself. Because Buck doesn’t like how he has to follow around Spitz, he throws him off his rocker and encourages the other dogs to do as they please, not having to fear Spitz any longer. Buck then somewhat asserts himself as the new leader and protects other dogs as they downgrade Spitz back into the rest of the group. Through slow yet decisive increments, Buck slowly sees the changes he wishes to come true.
It’s always worthwhile to have someone that shares your ideas, so that you don’t have to be alone. Sometimes, you want a partner in crime. Maybe not literally crime, but the idea is that you don’t want to have to take up everything alone. In his rebellion, Buck has the other dogs for support. Some of them share his motives, while others embrace the revolution because it might help them get what they want. Buck wants to be the leader, so he started the revolution. Pike and the other dogs don’t want to follow Spitz, the original leader anymore, so they fully support Buck. Spitz just wants to be the leader and keep the order, so he embraces the revolution as a chance to make himself the top dog. The only opposing person of the revolution is the owner, Francois, because it decreases his chances of being able to keep the dogs from fighting. When you have friends that have your back, your chances of success have just gone up.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London is truly a great book to behold. The plot is very interesting, and the dogs only add humor, nothing bad. Jack London incorporates many themes into the book, and Buck’s trick in Ch III adds laughter and the exploration of starting a revolution. This book is well written, with sterling characters and a plot that always keeps readers guessing about what is going to happen next. Buck really informs readers on defying rules, making change, and getting people to support your cause. Truly, The Call of the WIld is a book not to be missed.
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