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A review by thaurisil
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
4.0
Buck, a dog living a comfortable if pampered life in Judge Miller’s household, is sold by one of the servants during the Klondike gold rush. He learns the law of club and fang – the supremacy of the animal that fights best, and the dominance of man over all. Tenacious and hardworking, he fights his way to become the leader of a pack of dogs working in the mail service to the Arctic under Perrault and Francois. The pack is sold one day to Charles, Hal and Mercedes, who are in the Yukon for the thrill of it without knowing what they have gotten themselves into. The inexperienced triplet end up starving the dogs and killing all of them, including themselves. Buck, the sole survivor, is rescued by John Thornton. This is a hardy, down-to-earth man, who shows Buck love for the first time in his life. Buck responds with utmost loyalty. Yet in this time he starts hearing the call of the wild, and begins making more frequent and longer adventures into the wild where he meets wolves and even kills a moose. When Thornton is killed, Buck returns to his primal roots and gains dominance as the leader of the wolf pack.
Jack London was himself caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river, and returned with no gold. One of the few men of adventure skilled in writing stories, his stories about the wild demonstrate a vividness that those who have never roughed it out or experienced the worst climates can ever portray accurately. The Call of the Wild is a sort of coming-of-age story, but not in the way we are accustomed to. Buck matures not the way a human being would, but the way a dog who has grown up in civilisation matures to adopt the primordial wildness that characterised its ancestors of old. The values of a wild dog are different from those of a household dog, not to mention mankind. Buck is fine not because he is polite or loyal or charming, but because he has pride, spirit and courage. He learns the discipline of the law of club and fang well, yet he truly matures when he kills the men who killed Thornton, thus achieving ultimate dominance.
Yet this book is not merely about savagery and disinhibition. There are several heartwarming moments in the book. Dave’s death, for example, was heartbreaking. A dog who loved to toil, he worked to his death, preferring to break his body than to break his pride. Yet he eventually could not keep up due to ill-health, and had to be put down. Then there is the love between Thornton and Buck, the love that keeps Buck returning to Thornton time and again, saving his life a few times, despite the irresistible, unexplainable impulse that calls Buck to return to his natural roots. This is the last tie between Buck and man, the tie that resembles the loyalty that tame dogs are commonly characterised by, the tie that, when broken, finally allows Buck freedom.
Jack London was himself caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river, and returned with no gold. One of the few men of adventure skilled in writing stories, his stories about the wild demonstrate a vividness that those who have never roughed it out or experienced the worst climates can ever portray accurately. The Call of the Wild is a sort of coming-of-age story, but not in the way we are accustomed to. Buck matures not the way a human being would, but the way a dog who has grown up in civilisation matures to adopt the primordial wildness that characterised its ancestors of old. The values of a wild dog are different from those of a household dog, not to mention mankind. Buck is fine not because he is polite or loyal or charming, but because he has pride, spirit and courage. He learns the discipline of the law of club and fang well, yet he truly matures when he kills the men who killed Thornton, thus achieving ultimate dominance.
Yet this book is not merely about savagery and disinhibition. There are several heartwarming moments in the book. Dave’s death, for example, was heartbreaking. A dog who loved to toil, he worked to his death, preferring to break his body than to break his pride. Yet he eventually could not keep up due to ill-health, and had to be put down. Then there is the love between Thornton and Buck, the love that keeps Buck returning to Thornton time and again, saving his life a few times, despite the irresistible, unexplainable impulse that calls Buck to return to his natural roots. This is the last tie between Buck and man, the tie that resembles the loyalty that tame dogs are commonly characterised by, the tie that, when broken, finally allows Buck freedom.