Call of the Wild Jack London’s thrilling epic tale of adventure and bravery, through the eyes of a part St. Bernard, part German Shepherd named Buck. Our story opens with the author describing the lifestyle of this pampered dog on the premises of his master’s home, Judge Miller, in the Santa Clara valley. John London describes a particular gold rush that transpired in 1897 and it was named the Klondike gold rush. Very early in the story line, Buck is kidnapped by Manuel, one of the gardener’s helpers, who’s major weakness was gambling. Buck was sold to two men named Francois and Perrault.
Buck was shipped to Alaska to serve as a sled dog during the Klondike gold rush. One of my favorite lines in the book is where John London writes; “Buck’s first day ashore was like a nightmare. ” “Every hour was filled with shock and surprise. ” (Page 12) You can see that he is trying to convey how different his new life is now. Buck was placed among a pack of savage husky, wolf-like dogs. (Billie, Joe, Sol-leks, Dave, Spitz and Curly are just to name a few. After Buck had completed his wearisome labor his body had become feeble and weak. (Injuries also added to this dilemma later on.
The other savage animals that Buck is placed with, live by only one rule, the law of club and fang. Buck is placed in several predicaments where he must defend himself against the other savage animals and he is disciplined for it. Buck loved his ‘master’, John Thorton who saved Buck’s life from Hal, Buck’s master, prior to this event. Following his departure, Buck finds himself in the wild, trusting and depending on his primal instincts. Learning how to pursue his food is but one of the many milestones in the book that Buck must overcome.
Jack London describes how Buck hunted down a rabbit for food. Buck encountered many hazardous situations including almost being viciously attacked by a pack of wolves, before proving himself worthy of being able to defend himself to them. Having done this, Buck then becomes one of the ‘pack’. He learns about his ancestry and how to answer the call of the wild. At the beginning of this story Buck lived quite a pampered life, however, an incident would change his life forever. Buck rediscovered himself, his life and the world.