An epic journey begins as Buck, a large, free-range dog living on a sizable estate in Santa Clara, CA, is reduced to nothing and forced to pull sleds for gold-lusting men. The narrator, telling the story from some time in the future, portrays vividly the transformation Buck undergoes as he adapts to both the cold, harsh land and the arduous work the humans force him to endure. London ingeniously portrays a pet's gradual evolution into a savage wild beast, ruled by nobody but himself. The astounding way in which Buck adapts and learns in his new environment is an important point to be discussed. "He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. Mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law; and this mandate, down out of the depths of Time, he obeyed." (Chapter 6, The Call of the Wild by Jack London)
             At the beginning of Buck's life, he resides in the Santa Clara Valley, on Judge Miller's multiple acre estates. A large dog, he is the ruler of his domain, uncontested by other local dogs. He is a mix between a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd dog. Where he lives, he is too comfortable and feels bored, not learning anything about life.
             Buck has everything he could want on Judge Miller's beautiful estate.
             "During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a stated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation." (Chapter 1, The Call of the Wild)
             Buck's uneventful life soon becomes non-existent. One night, while the judge is away at a raisin grower's committee meeting, the gardener, Manuel, takes Buck on a walk to a friends' house. Buck is then sold, and thrown into a baggage car. Buck goes without water and food for the two days of his hellish trip. He grows cold and hate-...