Book Review: The Call of the Wild

"...men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost." (Ch. 1) This novel consisted of a tale about the gold rush from the point of view of an important part of the movement, but one that is not often considered. Jack London's The Call of the Wild captured me with its powerful story of hardship and determination.

London's style of writing is crucial to how the book is read. He uses anamorphism and tells the story of Buck through the eyes of Buck. The author gives a dog personality, feelings and dreams. "When he moaned and sobbed, it was with the pain of living that was of old the pain of his wild fathers, and the fear and mystery of the cold and dark that was to them fear and mystery."(Ch. 3) He is also very descriptive in the events that take place, such as the fight between Buck and Spitz. "They rolled over and over in the powdery snow. Spitz gained his feet almost as though he had not been overthrown, slashing Buck down the shoulder and leaping clear. Twice his teeth clipped together, like the steel jaws of a trap, as he backed away for better footing, with lean and lifting lips that writhed and snarled. (Ch. 3) Jack London also showed his knowledge of the gold rush and Alaskan weather and geography. "But in the main they were the wild wolf husky breed. Every night, regularly, at nine, at twelve, at three, they lifted a nocturnal song, a weird and eerie chant, in which it was Buck's delight to join." (Ch.3) The point of view and detail made the book come across as more real.

This novel taught that the will to survive is a strong and persistent one, unlike any other. "Dazed, suffering intolerable pain from throat and tongue, with the life half throttled out of him, Buck attempted to face his tormentors." (Ch. 1) Buck kept going even after he was beyond exhausted and ready to give up. Nothing superfluous mattered to him now, his only concern is life. "Something wriggled under his feet. He sprang back, bristling and snarling, fearful of the unseen and unknown. But a friendly little yelp reassured him, and he went back to investigate. A whiff of warm air ascended to his nostrils, and there, curled up under the snow in a snug ball, lay Billee. He whined placatingly, squirmed and wriggled to show his good will and intentions, and even ventured, as a bribe for peace, to lick Buck's face with his warm wet tongue." (Ch. 2) Through the trials Buck went through, he had to look out for the whole team of dogs. They all relied on each other to pull the sled back and forth, if one gave up the workload would increase for the others. This book teaches also that it is important to go after what you want. Buck sets his heart on being the lead dog of the team, but Spitz stands in the way and so Buck kills him.

There are many characters in the book that make an impact in the book. Buck, the main character, obviously was what the story centered on. The events, good and bad, that happen throughout his time in the wild. But Buck was neither house-dog nor kennel-dog. The whole realm was his." (Ch. 1) Hal, Mercedes, and Charles are the image of "bad" or "evil" in this book. They are inarticulate to peoples warnings and mistreat the dogs and overwork them until many die off, and the few left are too weak to even move. "The Outside dogs, whose digestions had not been trained by chronic famine to make the most of little, had voracious appetites. And when, in addition to this, the worn-out huskies pulled weakly, Hal decided that the orthodox ration was too small. He doubled it. And to cap it all, when Mercedes, with tears in her pretty eyes and a quaver in her throat, could not cajole him into giving the dogs still more, she stole from the fish-sacks and fed them slyly. But it was not food that Buck and the huskies needed, but rest. And though they were making poor time, the heavy load they dragged sapped their strength severely." (Ch. 5) John Thornton, some would say, is the projection of "good" in the book. Buck and him share a special bond of love and they would sacrifice anything for each other. John saved his life once, and Buck continues to try and make it up to him the rest of his life. "Love, genuine passionate love, was his for the first time. This he had never experienced at Judge Miller's down in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. With the Judge's sons, hunting and tramping, it had been a working partnership; with the Judge's grandsons, a sort of pompous guardianship; and with the Judge himself, a stately and dignified friendship. But love that was feverish and burning, that was adoration, that was madness, it had taken John Thornton to arouse." (Ch. 6) The characters described all contribute to the passion and emotion that the book conveys.

This novel is an interesting and suspenseful one at times. If people enjoy stories of hardship and overcoming those trials then I would recommend this book to them.