The Call of the Wild

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• The Call of the Wild
• Author
• Jack London

• Jack London
• Born 1876, Died 1916
• Left school after 8th grade, but later returned
  to graduate from high school
• Only briefly attended Cal, Berkley before
  beginning a life of adventure
• Some of his adventures in real life included the
  following
• Pirate
• Tramp
• Gold prospector
• Journalist for Various Wars

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• The Call of the Wild
• Jack London, Cont

• The Call of the Wild is his most famous work
• These experiences, especially his time looking
  for gold in Canada, are seen in The Call of the
  Wild
• Wrote over 50 books and was at one time the most
  popular writer in America
• His works focused on the exploration of new
  frontiers, including the American West
• They celebrated violence, power and strength

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• 1903
• Adventure Beast Fable
• The Late 1890s
• Canada Alaska
• two regions that are diametrically opposedthe
  Southland and the Northland. The former
  represents civilization and the latter the wild.
  In the South, Buck lived a domesticated and
  perfectly stable life. When Buck arrives in the
  North, he realizes that survival is the only
  concern.

• Literary Focus
• Date of Publication
• Genre
• Setting (TIME)
• Setting (PLACE)

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• Literary Focus
• Point of View
• Protagonist
• Antagonist

• Third-Person
• The Call of the Wild is told from a very unusual
  point of viewthat of a dog. Yet a human narrator
  stands outside of Buck's consciousness and makes
  sense of the dog's universe to human readers.
• Buck
• Nature Selfish, Irresponsible Owners

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• Characters
• Buck

• A powerful dog, who feels the call of the wild
• Buck is stolen from the California estate and
  sold as a sled dog in the Arctic
• Buck evolves from a pampered pet into a fierce,
  masterful animal, a survivor in the cruel
  Northern wilderness

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• Spitz

• Bucks archrival
• A fierce devil-dog used to winning fight with
  other dogs
• Spitz is defeated and killed by Buck
• Amoral and ruthless

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• An American gold seeker
• Hal buys Bucks dog team
• Terrible masters to the dog team

• Hal

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• Mercedes

• Hals sister and Charless wife
• Spoiled and pampered
• Slows down the journey
• Does show some sympathy for the dogs

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• Charles

• Mercedes husband and Hals brother-in-law
• Inexperienced and foolish

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• John Thornton

• Bucks final master
• Experienced gold hunter and knows the ways of the
  Klondike
• Thornton and Bucks relationship is the ideal for
  human and animalthey protect each other and are
  devoted to each other

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• Literary Focus
• Allegory

• An allegory tells two stories at onceone set in
  the reality of the story and one with more
  symbolic significance
• On one level the story is simply about a dog
  answering the call of the wild.
• On a deeper level, however, the novel may be
  voicing Londons opinion that man is inherently
  savage and, like Buck, must learn to survive by
  any means necessary

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• Literary Focus
• Symbolism

• Hal and his companions represent the weakness of
  civilized people and embody the worst kind of man
  to human relationship
• Mercedes is symbolic of how civilized women are
  babied by their men and unsuited for life in the
  wild

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• Literary Focus, Cont
• Themes and Conflicts

• Survival
• Cruelty of Nature
• Survival of the Fittest
• Quest for Alpha Dog Status
• Primitive Instincts
• Rugged Individualism
• Freedom and Solitary Life
• Civilization vs. Nature

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• A German philosopher
• Two Types of Human Beings Masters, who have a
  will to be powerful and slaves who do not have
  that same desire
• Envisioned a natural world defined by fierce
  competition for scarce resources
• Darwins theory can be simplified into the idea
  of survival of the fittest

• Influences
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Charles Darwin

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• Overview

• Buck is a powerful dog, who is a mix of St.
  Bernard and sheepdog
• Gold is discovered in the Klondike region of
  Canada and Buck is sold to dog traders
• Buck, who had grown used to the sunny weather of
  California, is shocked by the harsh conditions of
  the north
• Buck however becomes adept and learns to trust
  his animalistic nature
• He soon becomes the lead dog for his team

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• Overview, Cont

• On one of Bucks journeys his inexperienced
  masters ignore the dangers of the wilderness
• With the help of the gold hunter John Thornton
  Buck is freed from his irresponsible owners and
  becomes completely devoted to Thornton
• He saves Thorntons life on more than one
  occasion
• Bucks affection for Thornton is tempered,
  however, because he is increasingly drawn to the
  call of the wild
• Once a dog of leisure, Buck has developed into an
  animal that is one with nature.