the call of the wild
John Griffith London, the illegitimate son of Professor of Astrology father and an emotionally distant mother, was born January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. Jack spent much of his childhood working odd jobs to help support his family. After living abroad on a seal-hunting ship and traping across much of the United States, Jack briefly attended the University of California at Berkeley. When news of the gold rush in the Yukon reached him, he packed his bags and left California with thousands of other prospectors to test his luck in the frozen north. After spending the winter and the spring of 1898 in the Yukon, London had not found an ounce of gold and was suffering from scurvy, a disease brought about by lack of good foods. Realizing he was beaten, London returned to California without gold, but with a wealth of experiences and impressions from the Klondike that would soon be portraid in the stories and novels for which he became famous. The most successful of these Klondike tales is The Call of the Wild, a novel that propelled London to the forefront of American fiction. Buck's struggles in The Call of the Wild mirror London's own difficulties in finding a compromise between his drastically c
First they feed the dogs too much, and then as the food runs out on their long journey, they feed them too little. The novel ends as Buck becomes totally absorbed into the natural world. From Thornton, Buck learns loyalty and love. To remedy this condition, the driver stopped frequently and let the dogs cool off by rolling in the snow. Lack of food causes the animals to grow weak, but instead of recognizing this and trying to help it, Mercedes insists on riding in the sled, increasing the dogs' burden. The men and women who neglect and abuse Buck are many. When the two dogs fight to the death, Buck triumphs, leaving the mortally wounded Spitz to be devoured by the raging dog pack. London sets up the relationships between dogs and humans with importance, and the reader picks up on that easly. His civilized morals disappear, as survival becomes the driving force of his existence. The most sought-after were the native breeds the husky, the malamute, and the Siwash, or Indian dog. Manuel, the gardener's helper, kidnaps Buck and sells him to dog traders. After being stolen from the Miller home and suffering many abuses and hardships, Buck finally encounters John Thornton, an adventurer who also symbolizes the survival of the fittest. It is for this reason, among others, that he refuses to go with them after they reach Thornton's camp just before the trio drowns under the ice. Because of the current gold rush in the Yukon territory, strong dogs have become a premium commodity. For instance, before they stumble upon Thornton's camp, they discover that they do not have enough food for the dogs.
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Acceptance Essays
