Throughout the novel The Call of the Wild, we follow a dog named Buck
through his journey through the Klondike. We experience a transformation
in him, as he adapts to the cold, harsh land where he is forced to toil in
the snow, just to help men find a shiny metal. Buck seems to almost
transform into a different dog by the end of the book. In this essay, I
will go over what Buck was like, how and why he was forced to adapt to his
new environment, and what he changed into.
When we first met up with Buck, he lived in the Santa Clara Valley, on
Judge Miller's property. He was the ruler of his domain, uncontested by any
other local dogs. he was a mix between a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd
dog. He weighed one hundred and forty pounds, and he carried every one with
utmost pride. Buck had everything he could want. Little did he know, he
would soon have it all taken away from him. One night, while the judge was
away at a raisin grower's committee meeting, the gardener, Manuel, took
Buck away from his home. Buck was then sold, and thrown in a baggage car.
This would be the beginning of a new, cruel life for Buck. On his ride to
wherever he was going, Buck's pride was severely damaged, if not completely
wiped out by men who used tools to restrain him. No matter how many times
Buck tried to lunge, he would just be choked into submission at the end.
When Buck arrived at his destination, there was snow everywhere, not to
mention the masses of Husky and wolf dogs. Buck was thrown into a pen with
a man who had a club. This is where Buck would learn one of the two most
important laws that a dog could know in the Klondike. The law of club is
quite simple, if there is a man with a club, a dog would be better off not
to challenge that man. Buck learned this law after he was beaten half to
death by the man who had the club. no matter what he tried, he just
Buck was sold off to a man who put him in...