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Summary and Analysis of Chapter 1: Into the Primitive
SummaryTrouble is brewing in California. Gold has been discovered in the Arctic, and everyone is rushing to the Northland, looking to cash in on the find. Men are looking for big dogs strong enough to toil endlessly and withstand the bitter cold. Enter Buck, one such dog, and the main character of Jack London's tale. Buck lives in the home of Judge Miller in Santa Clara Valley. The house is large and spacious, and the grounds are beautifully laid out with orchards and gardens. For his entire life, Buck has lived here in splendor. Other dogs are present, but Buck is above them all. Buck is the king of his domain, believing himself the benign master of everyone, including his humans. He is neither a house-dog nor a kennel dog but goes where he wishes. The whole realm belongs to him. He escorts the Judge's daughters on walks; he hunts with his sons, carries his grandchildren on his back. A mix of St. Bernard and Scotch Shepard, Buck weighs only 140 pounds. He is not as large as his father was, but he carries himself like a king. Hunting and walking keep him fit, and he rejoices in sport and play. Unknown to Buck, he is in danger. Manuel, a gardener's helper, has amassed a large gambling debt. His salary can barely support his large family, and there is little left to help him. One night, when the Judge and his sons are gone Manuel takes the unsuspecting Buck on a walk. They arrive at a flag station where a man is waiting for them. Money changes hands, and Manuel ties a stout rope around Buck's neck. When the stranger tries to take the rope, Buck growls, and the rope tightens, cutting off his breath. He flies violently at the man, only to be choked repeatedly. Despite his fury, Buck is thrown into the baggage car of the train. He has another struggle with the man, biting his hand quite badly. The man tells the conductor that Buck is being taken to San Francisco in order to cure his "fits." Later that night the kidnapper complains about the job to a saloonkeeper , insisting that he wouldn't do it again for a thousand dollars, much less the fifty that he was paid. Buck was fitted with a brass collar and thrown into a cage. Throughout the night, he wonders why he is there. His pride is wounded, and he wants the Judge to come for him. The cage is switched to an express train that will reach Seattle in two days . Occasionally Buck is harassed by men who poke sticks at him through his cage. he is given nothing to eat or drink, and his discomfort only augments his wrath. He vows never to let another rope be placed upon him. When the train is unloaded, a man in a red sweater approaches the crate, as four other men look on. The man carries a hatchet and a club; first, he uses the hatchet to break open Buck's crate. Anxious to loose his pent up fury, Buck leaps at him and is struck by a club, a new and horrible experience. Mad fury drives Buck, but each time he rushes the man, he is struck again, until he is beaten and bloodied. At last he can no longer rise. The red sweater genially tells him to mind his place, pats his head, and provides him with meat and water. Buck is beaten, not broken . He has learned not to fight a club. Other dogs arrive and undergo the same process. Buck respects the red sweater, but he is too proud to seek the man's affection, as other dogs do. Men arrive who take the dogs away. A Canadian man named Perrault catches sight of Buck and believes he is one in a thousand. He purchases him, along with Curly, a good-natured Newfoundland. he takes them to a ship, where they are turned over to Francois, another swarthy French-Canadian. Here, there are two other dogs: A white one, who is treacherously friendly, and Dave, who seems completely disinterested in everything around him. The boat ends its journey and Buck steps into a colder climate. He sees his first snow, and he does not understand what it is. AnalysisThe reader is immediately introduced to a primary tension in London's tale: The juxtaposition and interchange between the human and the animal. The first sentence of the chapter, "Buck did not read the newspapers," is ambiguous. It is also notable because it is repeated just a few lines later. Between the two instances where this sentence appears, London repeatedly plays with the reader's conceptions regarding dogs and people. Initially reading, One would assume that the Buck refers to a person. When London reveals that Buck is a dog, his illiteracy becomes logical. But, London continues to play with the concept of humanness when he describes Buck as a ruler, "king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller's place, humans included." Placing a dog above humans might seem laughable, but the author writes in such a simple, matter-of-fact tone that we are forced to take him seriously. He provides us with an account of Buck's relatives, much as one might do when introducing friends in the late nineteenth century. Buck lives the life of a "sated aristocrat," and he is egotistical as "country gentlemen" tend to be. He maintains a sleek figure through exercise, the same kinds of exercise that his humans engage in. It is also important to notice the class of society with which this dog is associated. The reader should not equate Buck with people in general, but rather with aristocrats, descendants of kings and queens. The success of the tale depends on the audience's ability to feel sympathy for Buck without losing their awe of him. Judge Miller's house, the home of Buck's youth, is manicured perfection. His existence is "sun-kissed." But right before the kidnapping, London takes care to include aspects of Buck that seem oddly at variance with his idyllic life. First of all, he is a mixed breed. The dignity of his position is marred by his lack of pedigree. His love of exercise hardens his muscles, and "the cold-tubbing races, the love of water had been a tonic and a health preserver." This is no delicate creature who sits prettily. The other dogs, a Japanese pug and a Mexican hairless, are exotic, ornamental breeds, inadequate companions for a dog of Buck's strength and caliber. He much prefers to hunt and amble with the Judge's offspring. Despite the beauty of his surroundings and the idyllic nature of his lifestyle, Buck's world begins to seem a little lonely. The reader might wonder whether Buck can truly be happy with no dogs for suitable companions. Once he is ripped away from his former life, Buck's royal carriage and manner almost instantly disappear as his cruder instincts for pain and toil begin to surface. His first encounters with the kidnapper reveal that Buck's instinct for self-preservation has not been tempered by his protected lifestyle. Buck, who has always cared for and protected his humans, knows immediately that this is a person whom he can and should bite to protect himself. With this transformation, London suggests that Buck slips too easily into the role of aggressor to have been entirely tame in the first place. One of Buck's most remarkable traits is his control over his emotions. He experiences sensations and transforms them into cold, logical responses. This is not to say that he acts without passion and fire; rather, his unbridled fury during confrontations illustrates the passionate nature flowing through his veins. At first, the reader observes an utter lack of analyzing on Buck's part: he does not think before he acts. Buck is like a child. The people in his life have never betrayed him, so he has grown used to a state of passive trust. As Buck sits in his crate, overtaken by his fury, he is coming to terms with a new state-of-being. Buck must grow up very quickly, for he no longer has Judge Miller to protect him. Buck's confrontation with the man in the red sweater is a turning point for him. At this moment he learns the lesson of primitive law. He is not broken, but "the facts of life took on a fiercer aspectÂhe faced it with all the latent cunning of his nature aroused." London has now made it clear that primitive law does not refer merely to the law of dogs. It is the same law that punishes Manuel for his "fath in a system," and leads him into enormous debt. In the world governed by the law of the primitive, the traditional system of justice, law and order is subverted. Humans no longer exist in friendly relation to each other or to their dogs; they are either allies or enemies. The ruthlessness that has been exhibited thus far by men poses a slightly ironic question: can individuals who behave so barbarously be called humans? Dogs and people appear to have switched places. Francois is called a "half-breed" who Buck can only respect grudgingly. The dog who steals a piece of Buck's dinner is a sneaky "fellow." As the story continues, the line between men and dogs will get even more blurry. Buck is left in a place with landscape and weather that is utterly strange to him. He must rise up to the challenge if he is to survive.
Summary and Analysis of Chapter 2: The Law of Club and Fang
Summary:On Buck's first day on the Dyea beach he sees that he has been flung from civilization into confusion and chaos. He must always be working and alert among the "savages" who know only the law of "club and fang." Attack is a constant threat. The good-natured Curly is killed simply for trying to make friendly advances towards a husky dog only half her size. The dog takes her down with efficient, quick technique. Once it is certain that Curly will not rise again, the rest of the dogs in the camp attack and kill her. Spitz, the lead dog of Buck's team, laughs. Buck hates him bitterly. He has learned that fair play does not exist, and he resolves that he will never go down. The first time he is harnessed to the sled, his dignity is hurt but he is "too wise to rebel." Dave, an experienced wheeler, nips at Buck whenever he is making mistakes. Spitz growls at him warningly from his front post. Buck learns quickly from these two dogs, and Francois is pleased. Two more huskies, Billie and Joe, are added to the team. They are brothers, but very different. Buck receives them as comrades. Dave ignores them, while Spitz attempts to dominate them both to establish his position as lead dog. Billie immediately submits, but Joe refuses to back down, and Spits is forced to leave off. Soon another husky, Sol-leks, arrives. Like Dave, he is noncommittal and expects nothing from anyone; Buck soon discovers the only thing that will move Sol-leks. Buck accidentally approached him from his blind side, and he is given a vicious cut in return. He learns quickly not to repeat the mistake. When Buck tries to sleep that night, he is unable to find warmth. After wandering around the camp, he decides to see how the team is making out. He comes across Billie buried in the snow, proceeds to make his own hole and fall asleep instantly. When he awakes, he instinctively forces his way out of the snow that has gathered over and around him. Without realizing it, he has begun to draw on the ancestral knowledge that is his birthright. Perrault and Francois are very glad to have Buck. When the dogs are harnessed, Buck marvels at the change in Dave and Sol-leks. They are no longer passive, but excited and ready to work. More dogs are added, and they all lose the look of unconcern as soon as they sled is moving. Buck is still learning, but soon the whip snaps less frequently. The journey grows more difficult as the dogs have to break their own trail. Every night in camp, Buck is exhausted. He is bigger than the other dogs, and though he receives a larger ration, he never feels satisfied. Once a dainty eater, he has lost all fastidiousness after he being robbed for eating slowly. He duplicates the actions of Pike, a new dog, by stealing a whole chunk of bacon. He is not caught, and another, weaker dog is punished in his place. Buck's theft marks him as "fit to survive" in the Northland environment. Property and personal feelings can no longer be respected. He does things because they are necessary. He acts not on reason but on instinct. Buck speedily develops more heightened senses, hardened muscles, and an iron stomach. He becomes the son of his ancestors, and when he howls at the moon he repeats the same ancient song they sung before him. All of this comes about, because a gardener's assistant did not earn enough to support his family and his gambling habit. Analysis:The link between man and beast grows stronger; the distinctions are more blurry. The roles of humans and dogs become more or less equal in this chapter. Both are heading for the same place, albeit with different intentions. Buck is now part of a team, the group of dogs who pulls the sled. He must adapt quickly to the new life. These animals work together, better than any humans, to complete their allotted tasks. Buck learns how to pull and steer through punishment inflicted by the other dogs. There is little distinction made between man and dog. Francois, Dave and Sol-lek work together to teach Buck. When Dave nips Buck, Francois' "whip backs him up." London suggests that at least some of the dogs see themselves as part of a team that includes the humans. When in the traces, "[the dogs] were alert and active, anxious that the work should go well, and fiercely irritable with whatever retarded that work." The theme of loyalty gains importance, as Buck begins to understand the satisfaction that comes from having a job and doing it well. Buck is not inspired by human goals - he does not see his rations as pay for his work. This loyalty is not the weak quality of civilization, where men must receive incentives for their allegience. This is the loyalty of savages, men and dogs bound together by their desire to survive. London calls the rules governing this society, the "law of club and fang." Stripped of the niceties of civilization, the only rule that governs, a rule that supersedes any loyalty, is the rule of power. Curly dies because she has no understanding of her place in the power structure. She accidentally asserts a dominance she cannot back up. Leaders such as Spitz keep everyone in check. Spitz must assert his dominance over new dogs in order to establish their place in the hierarchy. Buck must see Curly's death as a lesson, for their is no time to express sympathy. Spitz's "laughter" at the terrible scene, and Buck's resultant dislike foreshadows the eventual conflict between the two dogs. Though London vividly depicts Buck's confusion, shock and disruption, he also suggests that Buck belongs in this world. The reader finds him or herself unable to pity Buck, and instead gets pleasure out of Buck's ability to negotiate this harsh environment. His theft marks him as "fit to survive" in this place. These words clearly allude to Herbert Spencer's theory of survival of the fittest. Buck's fitness for the given conditions is proven solely by his survival. Spencer argued, and London seems to have believed, that organisms cannot learn to be "fit." Their natural and instinctual knowledge either makes them suited for the conditions of their environment, or it does not. Buck's speedy changes suggest that he was never truly fitted for his previous environment. The instincts of his more wild ancestors were always just under the surface, waiting for an opportunity to resurface.
Summary and Analysis of Chapter 3: The Dominant Primordial Beast
Summary:Buck's beastly nature steadily grows, though he makes not sign to betray it to the others. He picks no fights, concentrating solely on getting through each day as best he can. Sensing a rival, Spitz never misses an opportunity to remind Buck of his place. Many times he attempts to start a fight that must end in one of their deaths. Buck resists his growing dislike of Spitz until one particularly difficult and cold night, Spitz takes over Buck's nest while he has gone to eat his ration. Furious, Buck leaps at Spitz. Francois discerns the cause of the argument, and cheers on Buck. Suddenly everyone realizes that four of five starving huskies have invaded the camp. They pounce on the food, crazed by its smell. The team has never seen such dogs. Gaunt skeletons with eyes and fangs. The strange huskies attack, and Buck finds himself viciously fighting for his life. Just as he kills two of the huskies. Spitz treacherously attacks Buck from the side. Buck shakes him off and concentrates on driving off the strange dogs. The men are forced to concentrate on defending the food. The team takes flight into the forest, where they regroup to return to camp. All are terribly wounded, and the sled harness is a mess, having been chewed in various places. Half of tehir food is gone. Despite these hindrances, the team sets out on the toughest part of the trail. Francois is worried that the dogs will develop madness because of their wounds, but Perrault refuses to coddle them. It takes 6 days for htem to travel thirty miles. Occasionally they break through the ice, and the dogs have to be thawed by a fire. Perrault is relentless. He cannot be daunted, and wants to clear the 400 miles to Dawson as soon as possible. Several times the sled is almost dragged under the ice, but each time Perrault manages to get them over the next crest. Buck's feet give him trouble, for they have softened in the generations since his ancestors roamed the forests. Francois makes buck four moccasins, which he uses until his feet grow tough, and they are thrown away. One of the newest dogs, Dolly, becomes mad and attacks Buck. Buck flees and eventually races back, relying on Francois to save him. Francois kills Dolly with an axe, and Buck collapses, exhausted. Spitz takes advantage of this moment of weakness and attacks. He is driven off by Francois who administers a severe lashing. Perrault believes that Spitz is going to kill Buck, but Francois insists that it is Spitz who should be afraid. Everyone seems to know that the fight is drawing nearer. Buck wants it. He craves it because it is in his nature. Like the others, he has learned the pride of toil, and this pride threatens Spitz. He interferes when Spitz disciplines other dogs. He cares more about undermining Spitz than anything, and onec he is soundly punished by Francois for protecting a malingerer from Spitz's punishment. The solidarity of the group is destroyed by Buck's clever undermining of Spitz's authority. The team arrives at Dawson, and Buck marvels at the sight of the dogs, everywhere working. He meets a few dogs like himself, dogs from the Southland, but most are wild huskies. Each night the dogs howl together, singing an ancient song which "harked back through the ages of fire and roof." A week later the team leaves Dawson. Perrault is carrying urgent dispatches and he is determined to set a record. They travel speedily and well, but Francois must work extremely hard keeping order. Spit's authority has been destroyed, and constant petty fights must be whipped off. One night the dogs spot a rabbit, and they chase after it, joined by a nearby pack of fifty police dogs. Buck, leading the pack, rejoices in the hunt, all of his instincts overwhelming him. Spitz, cold and calculating, takes a different route to head off Buck before he can reach the rabbit. Spitz jumps upon the rabbit, and without thinking Buck leaps upon him. He knows that their time has come. This is a fight to the death. At first Spitz clearly betters Buck. After a few moments Buck is covered in blood, while Spitz is untouched. Spitz is an experienced fighter, but Buck possesses imagination. He tricks his rival, and is able to break both forelegs. Spitz is beaten. Buck knows that this is no place for mercy. He knocks Spitz onto his back and the sixty dogs rush in to finish him off. Analysis:In this section of the novel, Buck comes into his own. When we first met Buck, at the Judge's home, he is benign and mild-mannered, lacking in any real character. As Buck's wildness grows, he reveals his character to the reader. He is sneaky, subtle and intelligent. He desires dominance, but he knows better than to seek it out until the right moment. Buck not only instinctively sees means for survival, he exploits his understanding of the other dogs and their human leaders. The forced equality of dogs and men also grows clearer. Though in town men have the ultimate control, on the trail the team and its leaders are interdependent. Once again, the reader sees the savage loyalty which must exist in order for the group to survive. Each time man or dog breaks trough the ice, they must work together in order to survive. They are literally and figuratively yolked together. It is logical that Buck's self-control starts to break when Spitz occupies his sleeping nest. Buck cannot tolerate Spitz's invasion, because to do so would be to signal his total submission to Spitz. It is not a matter of pride, but literally of survival. London points out that in the civilized world, Buck would have had the luxury of fighting for foolish reasons - to protect the Judge's "riding crop." In this world, Buck can never risk a fight unless their is no way to avoid it. He must fight solely to survive. Thus, when Spitz and Buck first engage in a real fight, but are interrupted by the attack of the wild Huskies, Buck immediately shifts his focus. The survival of the team must take priority over his personal struggle with Spitz. Spitz reveals a fundamental weakness when he treacherously attacks Buck. Spitz becomes a threat to the team because he puts his own desires above the team's need. London subtly and masterfully establishes the reader's preference for Buck. This preference is cemented during this fight, as one cannot help but be struck by Buck's greatness. London emphasizes the team's interdependence and group existence with the manner in which Spitz and Buck's fighting disrupts the group. The dogs human tendencies are emphasized as Buck and Spitz battle for power. Like a clever politician, Buck gains support by backing up the weakest members of the team. Once again power and loyalty are seen in conflict. Despite Buck's native understanding of the need for teamwork for survival, he knows that he will not survive unless he challenges and eventually overpowers Spitz. The rabbit that precipitates the long-awaited fight inspires in Buck "blood lust" and "the joy to kill." in some ways Buck has become more like Spitz, for the idea of killing is no longer foreign to him. Buck's joy for the chase, and especially for leading the chase, signals his readiness to defeat Spitz. The tone of London's prose becomes more frantic as the two roll in the snow. Significantly, it is Buck's imagination, not his greater instinct, which allows him to kill Buck. This idea is different than that advanced thus far in the novel. Before London emphasized the importance of instinct over reason, and the greater happiness of the dog that harkens back to instinct. Now London suggests that Buck is superior to the other dogs because of a combination of instinct and human-like intelligence. The fact that he is on more of a human wavelength gives him an advantage over most other dogs. While London suggests there is an advantage for dogs in learning from humans, London also implies that humans are less different from animals than they might like to admit. London suggests that the human desire for the hunt and their instinct to kill is inseparable from an animal's. Human's do not kill out of reason and thought any more than dogs do, but are similarly caught up in bloodlust and thrill of the chase. In the world of the gold rush, men and dogs grow more alike. Their wilder natures are awakened, and they are bound together by 'animal' desires to survive and conquer the 'inhuman' landscape.
Summary and Analysis of Chapter 4: Who Has Won to Mastership
Summary:Francois discovers that Spitz is missing and praises Buck. As the dogs are about to be harnessed, Buck trots up to the spot that Spitz occupied. Francois brings Sol-leks to the position of leader instead. Buck is furious and springs upon him. He will not let Francois harness the team. Francois retaliates by bringing in a heavy club. Bitterly snarling, but remembering his lesson at the hands of the man in the red sweater, Buck stays just out of reach. Both men try to catch him, but Buck will not relent. He wants the leadership. AFter an hour, Francois finally throws down the club, and makes a place for Buck in front. Francois is surprised and thrilled to learn that Buck excels at leading, whipping the rest of the team into shape. Buck forces Pike to carry his share of the load, and he soundly punishes Joe for his bad behavior. At the Pink Rapids, they pick up two new dogs, Teek and Koona, and Francois is astounded by how quickly Buck breaks them. They make record time back to their starting point, and the whole team struts proudly through the town. After receiving their orders, Francois and Perrault leave the team in the care of officials, a "Scotch half-breed," and pass out of Buck's life for good. The work is now strict and heavy, as they are pulling the mail carts back over the trail to Dawson. Life is monotonous. Feeding time is the focus of each day. Buck quickly achieves mastery over the other dogs. He loves to sit in front of the fire and dream. Sometimes he dimly recalls memories from his California home. More often, he is visited by visions of an ancient life, his place with ancient humans. He sometimes thinks he sees a man, different from men today, and he remembers the rustle of beasts and the readiness for the fight. They reach Dawson, and rather than the usual ten days of rest, they have another load of mail only two days later. The way is much harder this time, for it has begun to snow. The men are good to the dogs, feeding them before they eat themselves. The strength of the dogs is quickly waning. Dave becomes terribly ill, but refuses to stop pulling the sled. The driver puts Sol-lek in his place, meaning to allow him to run easily behind the sled. Dave cannot stand to see another dog doing his work. He runs into the soft snow beside Sol-lek, trying to resume his usual place, yelping in pain. Finally he falls behind the sled, but at the next stopping-place he once again attempts to resume his place. Finally the driver decides it is kinder to allow Dave to pull, for he will die either way. During his final pull, he often falls and is caught in the traces of the sled. The next morning, Dave is too weak to rise. The team is driven ahead some ways, but they cannot ignore the gunshot that rings out. Buck and everyone else know what the shot means. Analysis:Though Francois recognizes and respects the hierarchical structure of the dog society, his struggle with Buck reveals a barrier between the dogs and the humans. Francois does not understand the extent to which the dogs must be allowed to master themselves. When he succumbs to Buck and lets him take the lead position in the team lineup, he learns something about the relationship of man and beast, just as when Buck learned a lesson from the man in the red sweater. In this way, they struggle as two equals, Buck trying to communicate and Francois trying to understand. This scene also suggests that the humans are slightly deluded in their confidence of ultimate control. Just as Francois and Perrault were not able to protect their dogs when the wild huskies attacked, they now cannot master Buck. The club, which is the most powerful weapon available to humans, no longer has an effect, for Buck has learned how to get his way. In killing Spitz, Buck gained power over his pack; in forcing his position as leader, Buck gains power over his human leaders as well. He forces them to recognize their dependence on his cooperation. But he never goes to far in his rebellion. He rewards them for their trust in him by proving himself worthy of his position, and he makes his rebellion up to them by taking strong command of the other dogs. When the two Canadian officials are gone, the team is placed in the charge of Scotch "half-breeds." When London places these phrases in Buck's mouth, he once again blurs the lines between humans and dogs. Just like Buck, men can be half-breeds. When the ownership of the dogs changes hands, Buck is able to achieve mastery rather quickly over dogs that he has just met. Buck's role in the novel is comparable to a human hero. He has come through his first major conflict and received his first reward. One of Buck's most heroic traits is his loyalty to his fellows, and his desire to do his job well. Though Buck certainly stands out, this trait is shared by many of the dogs in The Call of the Wild. We see this illustrated most poignantly by the death of Dave. He may be weak and in horrible pain, but to remove him from the traces is to kill him before his time. Buck's dreams of ancient times suggest that a dog's passion for work may be related to it's desire for an existence similar to that ancient existence. Dave "pleads" with his eyes to remain with the team. Dave seems to understand that when his ability to work ends, his life ends, for a life without labor is no real life. Once again the reader must be reminded of Buck's earlier existence. No matter how coddled he was, London appears to be suggesting that Buck must be happier in his present life.
Summary and Analysis of Chapter 5: The Toil of Trace and Trail
Summary:Arriving at Skagway from Dawson for the second time, only thirty days after they had departed, the dogs are in a wretched state. Along with the others, Buck has lost a lot of weight. They are all footsore, barely able to move. Months of constant toil have depleted strength and dissolved their muscle fibers. The men were tired as well and confidently told the dogs they would be getting a long rest. But, so many men had arrived at the Klondike that the men immediately received new orders, and were told to sell of their dogs and replace them with fresh ones. Two men from the States, Charles and Hal, buy the dogs and the sled very cheaply. Neither man looks like he belongs. The camp is shabby and sloppy. There waits Mercedes, wife of Charles, sister of Hal. Buck watches apprehensively as they clumsily take down the camp, improperly rolling the tent, and loading up the sleigh unevenly. Two other men from a neighboring camp warn them that the sled is too heavy, but they will not listen. The team cannot move the sled. They are repeatedly whipped by Hal, as Mercedes cries over them. Buck does not like her, but tolerates her pleading pats. When the sled finally moves,it falls on it's side. Raging at the unfair treatment, Buck leads the team in a run, scattering the belongings even further and running the sled over Hal. Finally taking the advice of those around them, they remove many of the superfluous luxuries, though Mercedes cries over them, and more dogs are added to the team. The journey begins. The new dogs are relatively useless -- Buck can teach them "what not to do," but he can't teach them "what to do." Buck knows the team cannot depend on these people for they do their work inefficiently and crudely. They are barely traveling ten miles a day, and it is inevitable they will run short on dog food. When this occurs, underfeeding commences. One by one dogs are dying, first Dub whose injured shoulder grows worse and worse, than almost all of the new dogs. The men curse, and Mercedes cries. They lack patience and constantly argue with one another. Charles and Hal constantly fight over who does more work, Mercedes flightily changing her allegiance from husband to brother and back again. All too often the three began to quarrel before the camp was pitched, and it would remain unpitched until the quarrel had ended. Mercedes has the additional crime of insisting that she ride on the sled. Her weight weakens the team further, until one day they cannot move at all. Despite this struggle, Mercedes refuses to walk, even when the men lift her off the sled and drop her in the snow. Eventually the dog food gives out completely, and Hall feeds the dogs strips of frozen horsehide. Now Buck moves through the snow as if in a nightmare. His glossy coat is matted with blood from the wounds Hal has inflicted with his club. His muscles are disintegrating. The others, there are seven left, are equally badly off. One day Billie falls and cannot get up. Hal kills him with an ax and cuts him out of the traces. The team knows this fate approaches. The next day Koona goes, but the five remaining struggle on, despite their serious pains. The spring weather is beautiful, but no one can take notice of it. They all stagger into John Thornton's camp for a rest. John warns the travelers that the ice is thin, and the trail is likely to drop out at any moment. Hal refuses to listen, and calls the team to order. Only the merciless lashing of his whip can make any of them rise. But Buck remains on the ground. He refuses to move. Hal takes up the club, but Buck will not move. He is too numb. Suddenly John Thornton springs upon Hal and drives him back, telling him that he will kill him if he hits the dog one more time. Hal tries to retaliate and gets his knuckles slashed for his troubles. John cuts Buck's traces, and the team proceeds. A quarter of a mile away, the ice breaks and the sled goes down, taking humans and dogs with it. Analysis:This chapter contrasts the readers conceptions of "civilization" and "wildness." When the dogs are sold to Hal and his relatives, their decline is rapid and painful. These people are described as "manifestly out of place." The author writes about them disparagingly (Charles has "weak and watery eyes," Hal is "callow," and Mercedes "flutters") because they have no business intruding upon the domain of the pioneer. Charles, Hal and Mercedes have become so "civilized" that they are unable to adapt to new conditions. They are not fit to survive in this world, and it is tragic that their unsuitability must take the dogs down with them. Now it seems London questions whether this life of toil and hardship is not happier for dogs and men. These people seem weak and pointless. They are unable to work hard or well. They do not understand that they rely on the dogs or that the dogs rely on them. They betray them on both counts by leaning on them too hard and by not ensuring that they have enough to eat. They also have little respect for other humans, for they are unwilling to take advice. They have no instincts, and so they are doomed. Mercedes is a problematic figure. The "privilege of her sex" is sarcastically noted several times. She insists on all things unreasonable: having a tent, riding the sled. She does not listen to reason, evidenced by the fact that when she is removed from the sled, she sits in the snow and cries like a child until she gets her way. Her sympathy for the dogs demonstrates her total lack of understanding. She doesn't want Hal to whip the dogs, but she doesn't care that they must suffer in order to pull her luxuries. London's criticism may seem chauvinistic; however, one can see Mercedes beliefs about the feminine as constructions of civilization. If Mercedes had been willing to recognize that this was no place for gentlemanly behavior, she would certainly have been as capable as her brother and husband. The importance of good leaders to the happiness of the pack is proven by the pack's quick disintegration under Hal. Whereas they formerly worked together, they are now at odds, sharing too little food and quarreling among themselves. London underscores the pitiful state of the dogs by contrasting their pain with his raptures about the beauty of spring. Nature is cruel. Despite its beauty, it remains as difficult and violent as ever. The pleasant heat of the sun creates the very conditions that will lead to the sled team's death. When Buck alone survives Hal's folly, he is once again singled out as unique; he represents "survival of the fittest," for Buck is the "fittest" dog in the Klondike. Once tame and mild, he now trusts his instincts; he no longer fears even the club, for Buck has learned how to beat it. At first Buck's failure to rise at John Thornton's camp seems like a sign of death. It appears that his will to live has been crushed. But it almost immediately becomes clear that Buck chooses to lie still. He is refusing to go on, refusing to endure any more pain and risk for these untrustworthy, disloyal and weak people. One might speculate as to why the other dogs continue to go. On the one hand, they are followers rather than leaders. On the other hand, Buck has knowledge that the others do not. He has lived among so-called civilized people. His instinct has made him wise in the ways of dogs, but his experience has made him wise in the ways of people. The other dogs know no life but the traces, or they have too much fear of the club. John sees Buck and understands his silent revolt. He saves him, because he recognizes his value. John knows the kind of loyalty and power necessary to survival in this kind of world. When the sled team goes down, the reader may or may not experience pleasure at the death of Hal, Mercedes and Charles, but the death of the dogs is poignant, even heart-breaking. Even more so than the single deaths thus far, this scene drives home the consequences of attempting to live in this world of club and fang.
Summary and Analysis of Chapter 6: For the Love of a Man
Summary:Having frozen his feet that past December, John walks with a slight limp. He and Buck convalesce together, both growing stronger in the beautiful, warm weather. Buck's muscles swell, and flesh returns to cover his bones. He makes friends with John Thornton's other dogs, Skeet and Nig, as they await the raft that will carry them to Dawson. Skeet is motherly and nurses Buck's wounds during his convalescence. Nig is also quite friendly. The dogs manifest no jealousy towards Buck. He is welcomed into their frolicking games. The kindness of John Thornton arises from them as well. Meanwhile, Buck has never felt this way before. He is full of passionate love for John Thornton, who not only saved him, but is also the ideal master. His dogs are his children. John talks to them for long periods of time. He grasps Buck's head and rests his own upon it. It is almost as if he understand what Buck says to him. But Buck does not seek these tokens of affection. He is content to adore from a distance. At times he does not want to let John out of his sight, fearing that he will lose him as he has lost other masters. Despite this great love, however, the "strain of the primitive" remains alive and active in Buck. He is a wild dog who sits by John Thornton's fire. He has no qualms about stealing from other camps, even though he leaves John's supplies alone. Buck gets into fights, and he fights shrewdly and with cunning. His lessons from Spitz are not forgotten. He knows it is still "kill or be killed." Inside Buck lives all the dogs that came before him. Each day mankind slips further away; Buck roams the forest, only love for John Thornton bringing him back. Thornton's partners, Hans and Pete, arrive with the expected raft raft. Buck merely tolerates them, which they accept, as they travel to Dawson adn beyond. Buck's love compounds every day. Thornton realizes that Buck will literally do anything he says, even jump off a cliff. Buck gets a chance to prove his love when John Thornton interferes in a bar fight between "Black" Burton and a tenderfoot. Buck nearly kills the instigator, and suddenly he has a reputation in every camp in Alaska. When John falls into the rapids of a river, Buck aids Hans and Pete in rescuing him and breaks three ribs. Later that winter in Dawson, Buck wins a $1600 bet for his master by pulling a sled loaded with a thousand pounds of flour. After that Buck becomes the most famous dog in Alaska. All who see it are astounded, and a man offers to buy him from John Thornton for 1200 dollars, but Thornton doesn't blink before he refuses. Analysis:In this chapter the reader sees a vision of the ideal relationship between man and dog. John Thornton and Buck's connection goes far beyond the working relationship that Buck had with Francois and Perrault. He respected those men for their understanding of dogs and of nature, but he had no great affection for them. John Thornton is "the ideal master," for he understands Buck without difficulty or confusion. Buck loves him because he shows his need for Buck, repeatedly demonstrating that Buck can help him in ways that others can't. When Buck wins him 1600 dollars or saves him from a deadly rapid, John Thornton is honoring Buck, honoring his power and his loyalty. This loyalty goes beyond the loyalty of the team. Buck depended on those dogs for his life, but he depends on John Thornton for his happiness. Despite this happiness, one cannot help but wait for something to change. London calls Buck "a wild dog who has come to sit by John's fire." Thornton holds him; "the rest of mankind is nothing." The image of Buck sitting by a fire does not convey a permanent place for him. He hears faint sounds in the forest that beckon to him. He keeps his instincts sharp and never forgets what he has become. One wonders whether Buck must heed the call he hears in order to find true happiness. John Thornton must decide the question, for clearly if Buck can find happiness with a master, he will find it with John Thornton. Under John's ministering, Buck's horrible wounds heal, but he is as wild as ever. He expresses his love with real bites, and he receives love by allowing John Thornton to roughly dominate him. At the same time, this period reveals Buck's deepest connection with the human world. When he is hitched to the one-ton sleigh, he knows exactly what John Thornton wants him to do. He understands the power struggle of the humans around him as well as he understands that of the dogs. One of John Thornton's qualities is that he understands and loves Buck for his wildness. He recognizes Buck's desire to work and to labour. The lovable Skeet and Nig also take pleasure in the work John Thornton gives them, but only Buck is eager and ready to do anything that John Thornton asks of him.
Summary and Analysis of Chapter 7: The Sounding of the Call
Summary:Winning the bet allows John to pay off his debts and to journey east with his partners for a fabled lost mine. Buck leads a team of six dogs 70 miles up the Yukon. John Thornton is unafraid of the wild, so he hunts for their food each day, always certain that it will eventually appear. Buck is very happy as they trek through the wilderness, fishing, hunting and unthinking of time. For two years they wander, seeking an ancient cabin and a mythical mine. They never find the mind, but in the spring of teh second year they find a "shallow placer in a broad valley where the gold showed like yellow butter across the bottom of the washing-pan." With little work to do, Buck spends his days by the fire, dreaming once more of that ancient man. In his mind he wanders in this early, undefined world. He remembers fear most of all, fear and constant vigilence. Along with this vision of the man, Buck nightly hears an ancient call deep in the forest. Sometimes he searches for it. Sometimes he hears it, springs from his place and runs wild through the forest. One night he hears it more clearly than ever before. He goes into the forest and he sees a timber wolf. Wishing to make friends, Buck approaches; but the wolf is afraid of this beast three times his size, and he flees. Several times this meeting is repeated, until finally the wolf understands Buck's intentions, and they sniff noses. The wolf motions for Buck to come with him, and Buck is wildly happy as they run. He now understands what the call meant, running wild and free with his brothers. Suddenly, Buck remembers John Thornton. He turns back, and for an hour the wolf runs with him, confused, but finally Buck must go alone. When he enters camp he overwhelms John Thornton, so happy is he to see him. For two days he does not leave the camp or let John Thornton out of his sight. Then he once again becomes restless. Buck sleeps away from the camp, wandering the forest and searching for his wolf brother for days a time. He kills a black bear in a vicious fight, and when he returns to the kill and sees a pack of wolverines, he kills two of them as well. The urge to hunt and kill grows stronger in him. Buck carries himself with greater pride, certain of his strength and viger. Only the splashes of brown and white on his muzzle and chest betray the fact that he is not a wolf. His instincts and reflexes are incredibly sharp. John and his partners say there has never been such a dog. When he leaves the camp, he transforms into a thing of the wild. He delights in killing his own food. In search of more difficult prey, Buck attacks a wild moose. It takes Buck a day to separate the bull from his herd. Then he follows him for another three, never letting him rest or get a drink of water. His kill finished, and refreshed by two meals, Buck heads back to camp and to John Thornton. As he gets closer to camp, he suddenly begins to feel that something very bad has happened. back at the camp, Buck finds disaster. Everyone has been shot and killed with feathered arrows. The Yeehats are gleefully dancing Three miles out he sees a fresh trail, and he becomes more cautious. Suddenly he comes across the body of Nig, an arrow sticking from his head. He passes another dog almost dead, and then he passes the body of Hans. He sees Yeehat indians dancing around around the wreckage of the camp. Buck leaps at the indians, ripping open the throat of the chief, and keeps killing until the rest of the tribe runs away in terror. For a few moments, Buck pursues them, killing a few more as they attempt to flee. Buck sees Pete's body, and then he follows the scent to the lake, where he knows John Thornton's body lies. Skeet, loyal to the end, lies dead just by the lake. Buck sits and contemplates the ache in his heart. He feels a bit better only when he looks at the bodies of the men he has killed. He realizes that men are no match for dogs without their arrows, clubs and spears. That night Buck hears the call once more, and this time he knows he must leave for good. Nothing remains to hold him. The wolf pack rushes into the clearing, but they come to a halt upon seeing Buck. The boldest one strikes Buck and instantly has his neck broken. The rest descend, but Buck holds them off for half an hour. The wolves draw back, discomfited. One steps forward and whines softly. Buck recognizes his wild brother, and they touch noses. When the pack howls, Buck joins them. Obeying the law of club and fang, they accept his fellowship, and he runs with them into the woods. After some years, the wolves of the valley are seen to have splashes of brown and white. Yeehats speak of a Ghost Dog that haunts the woods and slays the bravest hunter. One wolf returns to the valley each year. He sits and muses, remembering, howls once and then rejoins his pack. Analysis: At the beginning of this chapter, Buck's existence seems almost ideal. John Thornton and his partners embrace a natural lifestyle. Like the dogs themselves they prefer to hunt for their food. Rather than being depressed by hunger, the dogs enjoy the thrill of feasting some days and fasting on others. For Buck, it is almost like being with the ancient man he dreams of, for the dogs travel with the men, fighting for food, watching for danger, and constantly seeking the next destination. The needs of the men and the dogs are truly one. This balance alters as soon as gold is found. John Thornton and his partners lose the wildness that joins them to their animals. In pursuing wealth, they have a goal that Buck cannot share, and they do work that he cannot share either. Buck's mind is taken over once again by the hairy, primitive man of the ancient world. Buck's desires become clearer along with his memories. he recalls that "the salient thing seemed fear." When Buck's ancestor wandered the forests with his human-companion, their needs and desires were always one. The human was as wild as the animal, seeking food, shelter, companionship, and safety. Buck craves and needs danger and insecurity in his life. Without it, he does not really feel alive. When Buck takes to the forest, the reader might certainly wonder whether or not he will return to John Thornton. Buck is torn between his passionate love and his unquenchable desire to "heed the call." When he meets and runs with his wolf brother, he understands for the first time what that call means. Though Buck once again chooses John Thornton, it is clear that this situation cannot continue indefinitely. The ending of The Call of the Wild is difficult to understand. It is possible that London chose this ending, because only the death of John Thornton would free Buck from his divided loyalties. Furthermore, killing the Yeehat Indians truly connects Buck to his wild past. He now understands that his dependence on human companionship is false. Dogs do not need humans to survive, for dogs are stronger than humans. Though Buck's allegiance to the wolf-pack is strong and true, London leaves the question of the relationship between man and dog unanswered. For all his wildness, Buck never lets go of his love for John Thornton. At the same time, it is clear that Buck should never have been tamed. Man has been altered by civilization, and while a dog may be kept from his true destiny, when the circumstances are right, his instinct for "wildness and wiliness" will always reappear.
ClassicNote on Call of the Wild
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