Brief Comment on the Call of the Wild

Mystic journey to the wildness

------ Book report of The call of the wild

T

he call of the wild is, Jack London's classic 1903 story of Buck, a courageous dog fighting for survival in the Alaskan wilderness, is widely considered to be his masterpiece. Sometimes wrongly considered simply a children's novel, this epic vividly evokes the harsh and frozen Yukon during the Gold Rush. As Buck is ripped from his pampered surroundings and shipped to Alaska to be a sled dog, his primitive, wolflike nature begins to emerge. Savage struggles and timeless bonds between man, dog, and wilderness are played to their heartrending extremes, as Buck undertakes a mystic journey that transforms him into the legendary "Ghost Dog" of the Klondike. Above all, I consider it one of the best and fascinating books I've ever read.

Summery of the book:

Buck is a privileged, dignified dog who is taken from his southern Californian home and shipped to Alaska during the 1890's Gold Rush. Along the way, Buck is mistreated by a series of owners, and he learns to survive as a member of a dog sled team. As a result, Buck soon realizes that in these more primitive settings, "the law of club and fang" overrides the rules of civilized society. With each new experience Buck regresses, or reverts to a more primitive state. Finally, an experience of loss challenges Buck's last ties to civilization.

Thoughts after reading:

Having read the book, I was lost deep in meditation. I began to think all sorts of questions about the main character----Buck. His fighting

and struggles against both the exterior severe natural environment and the interior instinct tied with the call of the wild, constructed the main frames of the story. During the processes of receding from the civilized world to the wildness, Buck experienced cruelty and brutality. And in this competitive world, in order to survive, he must adapt to it. He became more swift, more cunning, and spontaneous. As a dog, Buck has his own characters, psyches, emotions and thoughts, he accomplished his conquer not only through strength but also wisdom. Consequently, I was extremely fascinated and charmed by him. To some extent, what was written in the story does have their reflections in the reality. There are certainly cruel competitions in the current society, in order to achieve one's long-dreamed aims, one also have to fight bloodily. However Buck's courage, striving, patience and persistence inspired me. And I believe, as the saying goes, victory belongs to the most persevering.

As to the writing of the author, a most distinctive feature, I think, is the employment of abundant, vivid, accurate depicting words when picturing a particular scene, background or a series of actions. As a result, while reading, you can easily and clearly envision the icy and tempestuous vicinity of Alaska as if you were standing right beside them watching what's happening exactly. The call of the wild from the instinct of Buck served as the major theme through the development of the plots, as well as the conjunction connecting separated parts into an integration. Though Buck experienced blood and tears, he choose to endure instead of withdraw. He learned lessons of the law and regulations the world of his ancestors. Alter the torment and panic of a good beat from the red sweater, he inscribed the law of clubs deep in his mind, and understood sometimes, subordination was more efficient than retaliation. Of course, the miserable death of the mild-tempered Curly shocked him considerably.

...